Hinged vs sliding security doors: which suits your opening

How each type opens and what space it needs

A hinged security door swings open on its hinges, so it needs a clear path to swing through. A sliding security door runs on rollers along a track, so it needs no swing room at all. SCREENGUARD's own range notes split them the same way: hinged for single front, side or back entrances, sliding for patios and balconies where a swinging door isn't practical.

Stand in the doorway and look at the swing path. A pot plant, an outdoor setting or a narrow landing can stop a hinged screen opening all the way. If something has to move every time you open the door, that doorway suits a slider.

Sliders move sideways, so the outdoor table can sit close to the opening. SCREENGUARD states its sliders have rollers set up for narrow or wide tracks, and each one is custom-made to suit narrow and wide openings.

Downsides of each type

Every door type gives something up. Here's what each one costs you, so you can weigh it against the opening.

A hinged door's main limit is space. It needs that clear swing path, and it adds hinges and a closer that can wear. The NSSA says a security door should have at least three fixed-pin hinges, ideally recessed or with hinge fillings so they can't be tampered with. That makes the hinges one more thing to check on a quote.

A sliding door's limits are cost and the track. SCREENGUARD's cost guide states that sliders, French doors and multi-fold sets need more frame engineering, extra hardware and tighter tolerances to run smoothly than a single hinged door, and cost more for it. The bottom track also collects water and debris, and SCREENGUARD says to clear it and the drainage slots, since standing water against a frame is a slow problem. Over time the wheels and track wear, and we replace them when a slider bounces, jams or jumps the track.

Locking and testing: sliders are tested like hinged doors

In the two mesh ranges we build in that publish their testing, a sliding door is tested the same way as a hinged one. PERFGUARD, the perforated mesh system in our range, tests both its hinged and sliding doors using three point locking hardware. SCREENGUARD states its stainless steel mesh screens pass dynamic impact, knife shear, anti-jemmy, and pull and probe testing.

The National Security Screen Association (NSSA) says a 3-point lock comes standard on a compliant security door. It explains that the lock holds the door at the top, middle and bottom, which makes it much harder to force either end of the door open. That applies whether the door swings or slides.

On either type, check for the compliance label. The NSSA's position is blunt: no label, no security door.

Airflow, view and insects: either type, once it is shut

The NSSA describes a security screen as a physical barrier to entry that lets air through while keeping insects and intruders out. Swing or slide, that holds once the door is shut and locked.

We build in four ranges. SCREENGUARD is the woven 316 marine grade stainless mesh. PERFGUARD is a perforated mesh. Diamond Grille and Colonial Casting are the other two. Our range of mesh page compares how each one looks and what it keeps out.

Where the door type matters is placement. A slider over a glass patio door lets you open the glass for the evening breeze with the screen locked. A hinged screen does the same for the front door. SCREENGUARD notes that a door under a deep verandah or eave never gets rinsed by rain, so salt and grime build up. If your slider sits under a patio roof, plan to wash it by hand.

Wheels, hinges and other long-term upkeep

Door closers, hinges, triple locks and patio bolts can each be swapped out when they wear. Lock cylinders and complete locks get replaced when a door won't close or a key jams.

These owner checks help both types last longer.

• Slider track: clear the bottom track and drainage slots. SCREENGUARD warns that standing water against a frame is a slow problem.
• Locks and hinges: lubricate them the way the hardware maker directs. SCREENGUARD says salt and grit do more harm to a lock cylinder than to the mesh.
• Mesh panel: skip the pressure washer. The panel is tensioned in its frame, and SCREENGUARD says pressure can distort it.
• A fault inside the lock body, or a slider that won't stay on its track: book a repair rather than pulling it apart.

Pet doors on hinged and sliding screens

A pet door can go into either type, but it costs the door its compliance. We can fit a pet door into a screen you already own, hinged or sliding. The NSSA's view is that once a pet door is cut into a security door, the door is no longer compliant, because the opening weakens it.

So think about which doorway the dog actually uses. If it's the back door, a hinged screen there might take the pet door while the patio slider stays as tested. If the dog lives on the patio, the slider is the one to weigh up before anything gets cut.

Opening by opening: which type usually fits

Use this as a starting point before the measure. It follows SCREENGUARD's guidance on where each door type suits.

• Single front, side or back door: hinged. SCREENGUARD says its hinged doors suit these entries and take a three-point lock.
• Glass sliding door onto a patio or balcony: sliding. The screen moves the same way as the glass and needs no swing room.
• Double entry with two doors: French doors, a matched pair with multi-point locking across both leaves, per SCREENGUARD.
• A whole wall that opens to the deck: multi-fold doors, which SCREENGUARD says stack back out of the way.
• Older house where the frames have moved: either type, built to the opening you've actually got.
• The door the dog uses: either type, with the pet door compliance trade-off above.

Next step: get each opening measured

Once you've matched a type to each doorway, book a measure. Every door we make is made to measure and manufactured in Cairns. There's no showroom to visit, so the measure happens at your house. Request a quote on our contact page or give us a call, and tell us which openings you want covered, hinged or sliding.