French doors are how a lot of South Florida houses were drawn: a pair of glazed leaves from the dining room to the patio, or a formal opening on a Mizner-style elevation in Boca Raton. When those doors are original wood or non-impact aluminum, they are also one of the larger holes in the building envelope. An impact French door keeps the swing and the divided-lite look, and it has to pass the same kind of debris and pressure testing as the windows around it.
We install them as a dealer-installer of PGT, CGI, ES Windows, and Custom Window Systems. We do not build the door. The manufacturer tests a system: frame, laminated glass, hinges, astragal, and the multi-point lock. That tested package is what belongs on the permit, not a decorative pair of doors with an impact sticker on only one lite. The product page for impact French doors shows the configurations we sell. This article is about where they do and do not belong.
Where they show up, and where a slider is the better opening
French doors earn their place on covered loggias, dining rooms, and elevations that were designed around a swing pair. They are a poor substitute for a 12- or 16-foot lanai wall. A sliding glass door, or a multi-slide system, opens that kind of width without a leaf swinging into the furniture or into the rain. We say that on the estimate, because forcing a French pair into a wide opening means extra panels, more hardware, and a swing arc the room may not have.
On Mediterranean and Mizner elevations in Boca Raton, Coral Gables, and parts of Fort Lauderdale, the grid pattern matters as much as the rating. Simulated divided lites can keep the elevation quiet without cutting the laminated glass into real small panes, which would be the wrong way to chase an old look. If an association or a review board has to sign the elevation, we hold the order until that approval names the color and the grid.
Swing direction and water
Out-swing French doors are the usual recommendation on exposed South Florida patios. The leaves can compress against the frame under positive pressure, and the sill can be detailed to shed water away from the room. In-swing pairs still get used on covered entries where the overhang is deep and the water exposure is lower. They need a sill that does not become a scoop for wind-driven rain. Neither direction is a style choice only. We look at the overhang, the exposure, and the floor inside before we write the swing on the order.
Hardware is part of the rated assembly. A multi-point lock that throws into the head and sill is what keeps a tall pair from racking. Swapping in a pretty handle from a hardware store can take the door off its approval. If you want a specific finish, it has to be a finish the door manufacturer allows on that series. Hinges on impact pairs are heavier than a residential interior hinge, and they need adjustment after the first season of use, the same way any tall door does in a humid climate.
They count on the insurance form
A French door with glass in it is a glazed opening. On form OIR-B1-1802, opening protection is about every opening, not the windows alone. Replacing the windows and leaving the original French pair, or a pair of unprotected sidelights, is a common way to miss the credit people were counting on. The door also has to be the approved product, installed the way the approval says, with a permit and a final inspection. Our article on why impact doors matter as much as the windows walks through that envelope idea. French doors are simply the version that looks like the original architecture.
Replacement of an existing pair is usually a door replacement with a new buck or a direct fit, depending on the wall. The rough opening has to be square, the sill has to be flashed, and the interior flooring has to meet the new threshold. We include that conversation in the measure. A beautiful pair that sits high of the tile, or that was never flashed at the sill, is not a finished job.
Screens, pets, and the way the house is actually used
French doors on a South Florida lanai get opened more often than a bedroom window, and they get leaned on by kids, dogs, and catering tables. The rated hardware can take that use. A cheap closer or a stick-on security lock from a home center is not part of the test, and it is the first thing that fails. If you want a screen, say so at the measure. A screen door on the outside of an out-swing pair needs its own swing clearance and a track that does not dam water against the sill. If the door is the path you use ten times a day, we will talk about a sill you can step over comfortably, not only a sill that looks right in a brochure. That conversation is easier before the opening is framed.
If the rest of the house is being done at the same time, keep the frame finish consistent with the windows so the elevation reads as one project. Payment options are on the financing page when the doors are part of a larger order. To have a pair measured, request a free estimate or call (754) 600-4876.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are impact French doors as strong as impact windows?
They are tested as a door assembly, including the glass, frame, and hardware. A rated French door is the right product for that opening. It is not a window, and it should not be used to fake a wide multi-slide opening.
Should French doors swing in or out in Florida?
Out-swing is the usual choice on exposed patios because of wind-driven rain and how the leaves meet the frame. In-swing can work under a deep cover. The overhang and the sill decide it, not the catalog photo.
Do French doors affect a wind-mitigation credit?
Yes. Glazed French doors are openings. If they stay unprotected while the windows are upgraded, the opening-protection credit can be reduced or lost. The inspector documents what is actually installed.
Can I match an old divided-lite look?
Usually with simulated divided lites on laminated impact glass, if that pattern is part of an approved configuration. True individual panes are not the goal. Associations may still have to approve the grid and color.