Fenster Glazing
French Doors
A French door is a pair of hinged leaves that close against each other rather than against a fixed post, so the whole width of the opening clears when both are open. It is a configuration rather than a door range of its own, specified on a uPVC, aluminium or heritage aluminium door.
Door configuration
One leaf carries the stile the other closes against.
A French door is a pair of hinged doors closing against one another rather than against a mullion. The meeting stile is carried on one leaf, so it swings away when that leaf does and the opening is the width of the frame rather than the width of one door.
You choose the door, in uPVC or in aluminium, and have it hung as a pair.
Where you can have it
Three doors can be built as a pair.
The profile, colour, glass and hardware stay whatever that door already offers.
The opening you get
One leaf for every day. Both when the width matters.
Most of the time a French pair is used as a single door: one leaf carries the handle and is the one you walk through. The second is held shut top and bottom until you release it, and then the whole width is open. That is what the configuration is for, and it is the reason it suits a garden room, a patio or anywhere furniture has to come through.
Which leaf carries the handle, which way the pair opens, and the threshold detail underneath are all decided at the technical survey against how the room and the outside space are actually used.
Specification
How the pair is held shut.
- Meeting stile
- Carried on one leaf, so it travels with the door rather than staying in the opening
- Master leaf
- Takes the handle and the multi-point lock, and is the leaf used day to day
- Second leaf
- Held into the head and the cill by shootbolts, released when the full width is needed
- Opening
- Inward or outward, and which leaf leads, both confirmed at survey
- Glazing
- The same options as the door it is built in, including obscured glass and bars across the pair
The colour range is the range of the door you choose rather than anything the configuration decides, so a French pair is available in the full uPVC foil range or in any RAL colour on aluminium.
Specification choices
Finish the design with your colours, glass and hardware.
Choose your colours, privacy glass and hardware; each guide helps narrow the detail before survey.
Door handles
Eight handle finishes on a long backplate.
The backplate carries the lever and the cylinder aperture together, so the lock and the handle are settled as one decision rather than two. The finish you pick runs through the letterplate, hinges and threshold as well.
-
Black
-
White
-
Antique Black
-
Anthracite
-
Satin Silver
-
Brushed Steel
-
Chrome
-
Gold
Which handles a door can take depends on the slab, the lock set and the colour package, so we confirm the exact hardware at specification stage. See the full handle specification
Product questions
FAQs about French Doors
Which of your doors can be made as a French pair?
uPVC doors, aluminium doors and heritage aluminium doors. It is a configuration rather than a separate range, so the profile, colour, glass and hardware are whatever that door already offers.
Are French doors only available in uPVC?
No. They are specified in uPVC or in Sheerline aluminium, including the steel-look heritage sections. The configuration does not change the system the door is built in.
Where do French doors work best?
They work well for patios, gardens, side entrances and rooms where a classic double-door opening suits the property.
Are French doors secure?
Yes. Multi-point locking, final hardware and glazing are confirmed during specification.
Can French doors have a low threshold?
Often, yes. We will check access needs, floor levels and drainage before confirming the threshold detail.
Can French doors be coloured?
Yes. uPVC French doors can be specified in a range of finishes depending on the chosen profile system.
Order process
A clear process from first quote to aftercare.
Four steps. The first one has two ways in: price it yourself online, or have us come out. After that it runs the same either way.
Your price
Price it yourself on the online tool, or book a free consultation and we build the same quote with you. Both run on the same price list, so the figure matches.
Technical survey
Once you go ahead we survey before anything is made. Not a second sales visit: the measurements, thresholds and fixings the factory needs to build it right.
Installation
Fitted by our own installers rather than subcontractors, trained on the systems we sell and working carefully in a house someone lives in. We clear up after ourselves before we leave.
Aftercare
A ten year insurance-backed guarantee through the CPA on new windows and doors, and your FENSA certificate sent direct. Anything afterwards, you ring us, not a call centre.
What Milton Keynes homeowners say
Real reviews from real installations. Every one is public, so you can go and check them yourself.
Stuart Matthew
7 months ago
Fenster have just completed a front door installation on my new property - fantastic job and strongly recommend! The online design tool is great, Perry back at HQ is brilliant as is his communication. Andy, who installed the door, is a top gent and professional. Will definitely be a returning customer.
Read on Google
Joanna Hayes
3 months ago
Really happy with the service we received from Fensters Windows. Aaron and Shane turned up on time and were both really friendly. They explained any issues as they went along and talked us through the different options, which we really appreciated. They did a great job fitting our new back doors and cleaned up everything afterwards. We also paid exactly what we had originally been quoted, with no unexpected extra costs. Really pleased with our new doors and would definitely recommend Fensters Windows. Thank you Aaron and Shane!
Read on Google
Digger
3 months ago
We have used Fensters for years on a variety of glazing work, and 2 door installations. They are competitively priced and responsive. They take great care over measuring and specifying the work, giving you a clear quote so you understand what you are getting (thanks Perry!). The fitters are all extremely competent and personable. We had to replace our front door for accessibility reasons, they gave us confidence that our requirements would be met, reproduced the intricate leaded and stained-glass pattern of our old door, and did a quality fitting job (thanks to Johnnie and Shane!). In summary they are our go-to suppliers for all replacement and repair work.
Read on Google
Silvia Peraro
2 months ago
I had an excellent experience with Fenster Glazing from start to finish. Nick Perry and David managed the initial quote to installation process seamlessly, keeping communication clear, honest, and completely stress-free. When it came to the actual fitting, Zac and Shane did a fantastic job with the installation, working efficiently and leaving everything spotless. The professionalism from the entire team was top-notch, and the final result looks brilliant. I highly recommend them.
Read on Google
Bernie Raffe
4 months ago
Great service from Fenster Glazing, very happy with our new bi-fold door, glass door and windows (with built-in blinds) There was an issue with the wrong spec of glass provided to them from their supplier, so they had to temporarily board up a door and a window, but this was put right within a few weeks. Recommended, thanks.
Read on Google Zak Jessup 12 Jun 2025Cannot recommend higher! Nick and Perry were really helpful in getting my windows sorted ASAP.
Read on Google Norman Cummings 10 Jun 2025The best service ever, great workmen, very high standard and in the finish, excellent eye to detail.
Read on GoogleOur work
Recent work across the range.
Jobs we have finished recently, fitted by our own installers and photographed the day we finished. They cover the range rather than this product.
uPVC casement window, Loughton
A badly fitted window left by a cowboy builder, replaced with a two-tone Liniar uPVC casement and finished cleanly inside and out.
Read case study
Composite front door and sidelight, Milton Keynes
An anthracite grey composite front door and a full height sidelight, replacing a white uPVC door and a side panel boarded across its bottom half.
Read case study
Secondary glazing, Winslow
Six secondary glazing units in a listed Winslow home, five horizontal sliders and one lift-out, fitted inside the original windows in white aluminium.
Read case studyStart your project
Tell us about your project.
Send the basics and the team can guide you through styles, pricing, survey and installation options.
Keep exploring
Related products and service areas
From the blog
Worth reading before you decide.
Dark evenings and front door security: what actually matters
When the clocks go back, houses sit dark by teatime. The parts of a front door that actually resist a break-in, and the habits that matter more.
Integral blinds: how blinds inside the glass work
Integral blinds are sealed between the panes of a double glazed unit, so they never need dusting. How they operate and where they make sense.
Why uPVC doors stick in wet weather
A door that locked fine all summer and drags in October is a seasonal pattern with a mechanical cause. What autumn does to doors, and the fix.
Where we fit
French doors in Milton Keynes and the towns around it.
Each town has its own page: the homes there, what to check before you order, and who to ask about permission.