Whether you’re trying to build your own custom glass house or you just want to open up your living space and feel closer to nature, you can’t go wrong with a set of folding glass doors! Many of these doors have a low-profile appearance that makes it look as if there’s nothing there save for a thin sheet of glass separating you from the outside air.

These impressive glass folding door systems are only possible thanks to modern advancements in glass tempering and manufacturing. They’re designed to be incredibly strong, last a lifetime, and some can even withstand gale-force winds and severe hurricanes!

The coolest part is that they’re able to accomplish all of this while maintaining a beautiful aesthetic appearance.

Most folding door manufacturers allow their customers to customize their door systems with a variety of different glass options. From hurricane-proof glass to soundproof glass, solar tinted windows, and more, we’re about to show you all of the options at your disposal for customizing your folding door glass!

Options For Customizing Your Folding Door Glass

No matter what type of aesthetic you’re going for, high-quality folding door manufacturers such as La Cantina, Marvin, AG Millworks, and others allow their customers to add on custom glass options to achieve their desired effect.

Some companies have pre-customized glass panes that customers will be able to choose from, while other companies allow their customers to design every aspect of the glass doors from the ground up. However, not all companies offer the same options for glass customization (especially the more budget-friendly folding door companies).

So, if glass customization is important to you, then you should take care to vet the companies beforehand. The easiest way to do this is to visit the manufacturer’s website or give their customer service team a call.

Below, we’re about to show you all of the different ways that you can customize glass folding doors. That being said, keep in mind that some of the options may not be offered by certain manufacturers.

Glass Options

First and foremost, you’ll want to select the type of glass that you want your doors to have. For example, if you live in the Midwest where temperatures are mild and storms aren’t a major concern, then you may be fine with a standard single-pane glass window. Conversely, if you live in a tropical climate that sees frequent storms, you may want to consider purchasing extra-thick hurricane-proof glass.

Low-E Glass

Low-E (low-emissivity) glass is one of the most recent advances in glass door and window technology. As the name implies, the glass resists emissions, namely ones that have strong thermal wavelengths. In layman’s terms, this means that your inside air will stay inside and the outside air will stay outside (as long as the folding doors are closed).

Customizing your folding doors with Low-E glass ensures that your system is incredibly energy-efficient and that you won’t see a dramatic increase in your power bill due to added furnace or A/C costs. Pretty cool, right?

This is achieved by using two or more panes of glass aligned in series. The airtight vacuum between the two panes of glass is then filled with Argon gas, which resists temperature change, and prevents air from one side from getting past to the other side.

Tempered Hurricane Glass

If you live in a tropical climate that sees a lot of hurricanes or tropical storms, then you’ll almost definitely want to invest in a tempered hurricane glass. This type of glass is compressed under high pressures to make it extra strong. This, in turn, allows it to resist severe winds and reduces the likelihood that chips or cracks will appear.

After the glass has been tempered, a thin polymer film is applied to both sides of each pane of glass. This ensures that even if the glass sustains physical damage, the window panes will remain intact and won’t shatter inside of your home or go flying through the air.

Soundproof Glass

If you frequently host large parties in your house or you’re planning on installing your folding doors in a busy office space, then you may consider customizing your glass with soundproof glass. This can be achieved by two different methods (and sometimes both):

• Adding additional panes of glass (which increases the weight of the door panels).
• Adding a sound-resistant laminate film to the surface of the glass (which reduces glass clarity).

Window Tint

Once you decide what type of glass you want, you may want to add a layer of tint on top of it. This can further increase the energy efficiency of your folding doors by repelling the sun’s strongest rays and filtering the amount of light that’s able to penetrate the windows. If you live in a busy neighborhood, then this can also give you some added privacy, so your neighbors aren’t staring into your home all day.

Solar Tint

One of the coolest new innovations in window tinting technology is the advent of solar tint. This is a special type of tint that’s activated by the sun’s UV rays. If you’ve ever seen eyeglasses that automatically change from clear to shaded, they use the same exact technology. This is nice because it will give you a crystal-clear view at night while shading your windows during the brightest time of the day.

Privacy Glass

If privacy is a major concern, then you may consider adding privacy glass to your folding door system. Privacy glass has an altered surface that bends light rays, distorting the view on the other side. It’s commonly seen in shower doors or other private rooms.

Privacy glass can either be sandblasted or laser-etched into the surface of the glass. The same effect can also be achieved by using aftermarket window films.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a number of different ways that you can customize your folding door glass! Whether you’re searching for privacy, increased energy efficiency, a bit of shade, or all three, you’ll have several customization options at your disposal. While some of these customization options will cost you a little bit extra, it’s well worth the investment, as a set of folding doors can easily last up to 10 years or more.