What is a French Door ?
Definition of French Door in Construction Similar to the French casement, but sized as a door unit. A French door can be designed and manufactured to swing either in or out of the structure. Again as described under French casement, the term French in this case is in reference to no center support or cover. A clear opening results from the opening of the French doors. In most cases the use of a door stop installed on the outside of the door, if the door is meant to swing into the space, or on the interior side of the door, if the swing is to the exterior is used. These stops, eliminate the ability of the door to swing beyond the center point of the opening and causing difficulty in maintenance and usability. The use of the stop installed on one of the doors, eliminates the need for any type of center support to stop the door from swinging. A French door can be designed to swing into the space or to the exterior of the space. French doors are also used on the interior of spaces to separate special rooms, such as a study, library, dining room or living area. French doors will provide privacy and separation between normally open spaces within the structure. In most cases the term French door assumes that the door panels are fully or substantially constructed of glazed window panels and that the visual aspect of the door is both light and airy.