What Are the Best Front and Back Doors for Florida?

When you’re doing a whole home window replacement to get your house as protected from hurricanes as possible, it’s important to also consider how you’ll protect your front and back doors!

While windows are the most obvious “weak point” when it comes to hurricane protection, your doorways are also potential entry points for wind, rain, and floodwaters during a major hurricane.

So, what kind of doors are the best for your front, rear, and even side entryways? Although it’s important to ensure that your windows and doors are structurally sound against severe weather, you may also want to consider the aesthetics and operating style of your doors.

In fact, door operating style can play a part in the door’s weather resistance (such as when comparing inswing vs outswing doors).

Let’s go over the different door styles and what makes each one more or less suitable for rear and frontward entryways.

The Different Front and Back Doors for Florida Homes

There are a great many different types of doors that you can use for your front and rear entryways, but not all of them are exactly equal. There are some doors that may be more viable for your home than others depending on your needs, preferences, and even the construction of your home.

The most common door types by operating method and their common uses include:

• Entry Doors. The most common type of door used for front and side entryways, thus earning the name entry door. These doors can be either outswing or inswing style, made from a wide variety of materials, and are available in a range of configurations.
  • Single Entry Doors. An entry door with a single swinging panel. 
  • Double Entry Doors. A set of two swinging doors, typically used for main entrances into larger homes. The front doorway needs to be larger to accommodate having two swinging doors mounted side-by-side.
  • French Doors. A configuration of double entry door that prominently features large panes of glass, often with decorative embellishments. Often used for balcony spaces attached to locations like the Master Bedroom in a home.
• Sliding Glass Doors. A set of large glass panels set in frames on tracks that slide open and closed using handles and rollers. Can be divided into several subtypes of doors based on operating style and configuration. Sliding glass doors (SGDs) may have a combination of moving and non-moving panels marked using X (operable) and O (fixed) symbols. Frequently used for backyard/patio space access points.
  • Standard Patio SGDs. The most common type of sliding door that gets installed in homes. Often used as the “default” option, with at least one moving panel and one fixed panel. The standard configuration is XO or OX, but sometimes both panels can slide in an XX pattern.
  • Pocket SGDs. A variation of the sliding glass door where the sliding panel ‘pockets’ into a track and frame that runs past the edge of the doorway. The earliest models slid into the wall, but modern building code compliance means the tracks have to be mounted along the exterior wall of the home.
  • Bi-Parting SGDs. A sliding glass door with at least four panels. The innermost panels slide inward to close and outward to open, meeting in the middle when shut while the fixed panels sit on the edges of the doorway, creating an OXXO configuration.

Entry doors are the most popular type of door for front entrances and side doors, partly because they typically offer better privacy and partly because most homes have smaller openings there than on balconies or their backyard/patio-facing areas.

Meanwhile, sliding doors are often more popular for entryways facing backyard spaces because they give a large, unobstructed view of the space from the inside of the home. These large doorways are also often useful for moving patio furniture in and out of the house.

Do I Always Have to Do Like-for-Like Replacement for Front and Back Doors?

When replacing a door, it’s important to consider the size of the existing doorway, as that may influence which doors are the best fit for that opening. For example, if you have a single entry door currently, your replacement front door should likely be a single entry door.

However, it is sometimes possible to convert an entryway to take a different kind of door. For example, some homeowners choose to replace their double entry doors with single doors that have sidelights mounted to either side of the entryway. One homeowner had their single entry door on the back of their home converted into a single-panel pocket slider, a truly unique configuration.

Another popular swap, especially among households with elderly or mobility-limited residents, is to change out sliding glass doors for double entry doors or French doors. Many homeowners who have mobility issues (or family members with them) choose to do this because the track for the sliding doors gets in the way of entering or exiting the home with a wheelchair, walker, or other mobility aid.

Meanwhile, the double doors’ threshold, sill, and weatherstripping tends to be much less obtrusive by comparison. 

On the other hand, some prefer sliding doors because of their weight and how, when blown on by the wind of a major storm, aren’t prone to being forced open by wind pressure alone (unlike inswing doors).

What Are the Best Front and Back Doors for Hurricane Protection?

If your primary goal is resistance to hurricanes, the best front and back doors will either be impact-rated sliding glass doors or impact-rated outswing doors.

These door styles are preferred because of how their opening mechanisms make them more resistant to being forced open by heavy wind than an inswing-type door.

When shut and locked, a sliding glass door is largely impervious to being pushed open by wind force acting on it short of the glass itself being shattered. Which, with an impact-rated sliding glass door panel with a reinforced frame, three sheets of safety glass (two of which are joined with a shock-absorbing laminate interlayer), and strong locking mechanisms, is highly unlikely to happen.

In fact, impact-rated sliding glass door panels are so tough that they can even turn aside brute force entry attempts:

Outswing doors are similarly resistant to being pushed open by the wind. This is because, when pushed on from the outside, the door is pushed into the door stop, which gives the door a large area through which to redistribute the pressure. 

Meanwhile, with an inswing entry door, when wind (or anything else) pushes on the door, all of that pressure is transferred solely to the latch plate, the deadbolt, and any other tertiary securement points you may have mounted on your door. The limited contact area increases the risk of the door or the securements breaking when acted upon with extreme force.

An added benefit of outswing doors is that, when they get pushed inward, the weather seal of the door is actually improved, since the door is being pushed into the doorstop rather than away from it. This prevents the formation of a gap so water from a storm is much less likely to penetrate into your home.

Need Help Picking the Right Front and Back Doors?

Thinking about getting replacements for your front and back doors? Reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors for a free in-home consultation! We’ll walk you through your options in person and help you choose the best doors to fit your home’s needs and your budget!