Front and back doors
Front doors with glass: choosing how much to glaze
Short answer
The right amount of glass in a door is a balance between light, privacy and security. A small vision panel keeps the door private and strong, half glazing brightens a hall or kitchen, and a fully glazed door gives the most light and a clear view out. Whatever you choose, the glass is safety glass, and laminated glass is the stronger option for security.
Fully glazed, half glazed or a vision panel
A fully glazed door has glass for most of its height, with a solid kick plate at the bottom. It is popular on back doors that lead to a garden and on front doors where the hall has no other window. A half glazed door has glass in the top half and a solid bottom, which keeps more privacy and gives a traditional look.
Smaller glazed areas, such as a narrow vision panel, a row of small lights or a single shaped pane, let you see who is at the door without opening up the whole leaf. These suit front doors that face the street directly.
- Fully glazed: most light, best for gardens and dark halls
- Half glazed: light at the top, a solid lower half
- Vision panel or small lights: privacy first, a little light
- Solid: no glass, light from a side panel or fanlight instead
Front door or back door
At the front, most people want privacy from the pavement, so obscure or decorative glass in a half glazed or small-panel design is the usual choice. At the back, where the door faces your own garden, clear glass in a fully or half glazed door makes more sense because the view is part of the point.
If you want light at the front without more glass in the door, a side panel or a fanlight above the door can do the job instead.
Obscure, privacy and decorative glass
Obscure glass is textured so it blurs the view while letting light in. Patterns range from light textures that soften the view to heavy ones that hide it completely. Decorative glass adds a design, such as bevels, frosted motifs or coloured detail, and is often chosen to suit the age of the house.
Clear glass is best where you have a view worth keeping and no overlooking. Many people combine clear glass at the back with obscure glass at the front.
Toughened and laminated safety glass
Glass in and beside doors must be safety glass. Toughened glass is heat treated so that if it breaks it shatters into small blunt pieces. Laminated glass has a tough interlayer that holds the pane together when struck, so it stays in the frame and is much harder to get through. For security, laminated glass is the better choice, and it is the glass most associated with PAS 24 doors.
Light, privacy and security trade-off
More glass means more light but less privacy, and more glass to secure. A well specified glazed door is still secure: the strength comes from laminated glass, glazing that is fixed from the inside, a multipoint lock and an anti-snap cylinder. When comparing doors, ask how the glass is held in and which glass is used, not just how it looks.
Common questions
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