Glass Doorknobs - Make Your Home Life Sparkle

Once upon a time sparkling, multi-faceted glass doorknobs came standard in new homes. Now about 80 years later these gems are mined like diamonds at salvage yards and flea markets. You can also find reproductions of these beauties at your local hardware store.

Available in a variety of shapes and colors from octagonal, rosette and fluted ones to clear, amber and amethyst ones you can lend any space a little glitter with the enduring beauty of glass doorknobs. These jewels didn't gain popularity until after the United States entered World War I. Metal was saved for the war effort as it was used to build planes and make ammunition. Even though there was a metal shortage there was still plenty of sand around to make glass.

And so began America's love affair with glass doorknobs for their homes. Used both inside and out they added a bit of elegance and beauty that metal could not. Initially most glass knobs were clear and featured six, eight, or 12 facets. Their faces were flat so you could peer inside to see star, bullet, and pin-prick designs molded into their bases. Less common were colored-glass knobs in robin's egg and cobalt blues, emerald, amber, violet, white milk, and Vaseline glass (which got its yellow-green color from adding trace amounts of uranium to the mold.) There were also different shapes from ovals and octagons to rosettes and crystal globes with tiny bubbles inside.

It was easy to find some that added some extra sparkle to your décor. Eventually trends turned back to metal to compliment sleek, industrial interiors, but glass doorknobs are still a cut above the rest. If you have children it is common to put them on less frequently used doors to ensure they will last longer. A closet or perhaps French doors leading to a dining room would be ideal. Always ensuring that your guests will be dazzled by your doorknobs is ideal.

Glass doorknobs also complement many types of décor from sleek and modern to shabby chic and of course Victorian. From pink to white and milky green the soft simple colors of these door knobs is what adds to their allure whether they shimmer like jewels or shine like spring fresh pastels.
Add some pink rosette ones to the white door to your daughter's room and she'll feel like a princess. Try bubbly blue ones on your sea themed bathroom door and you'll feel like Baby Beluga every time you go in or out of there.

These knobs just simply feel good in your hand. Cold and heavy in classic elegant shapes these glass beauties are a lot sexier than their metal counterparts. When you accent areas with defined details like glass door knobs, rooms can be transformed from practical and simple to supple and seductive in a flash. Who doesn't want a home with doors that beg to be opened to reveal the treasure that lies behind them? Relics of the past or modern reproductions, either way glass knobs are becoming a window on great décor.

French Doors vs. Lanai Doors – What Fits Your Home Best

If you were looking to make a unique statement or enhance the attractiveness of a home’s exterior appearance then French doors would be the popular way to go. Some homeowners elect to install French doors in the interior of their home and use them to provide access to a formal dining or living area. French doors installed for exterior access usually overlook a garden or yard/deck area. In home and garden magazines, it’s common to see French doors overlooking a colorful garden populated by wildflowers, exotic plants and garden furniture.

Lanai doors utilize a similar approach, which is designed to bring the outdoors in. This provides a sense of artistic loveliness that one might associate with a picture. Lanai door craftsmanship is a reflection of the care put into handcrafted materials. The doors can be shaped, cut and measured to fit any opening, which include the corner of a house.

French doors cannot compete with the unique ability of a wrap around Lanai door. Glance at your breakfast nook; imagine the rare experience of a wrap around glass door that fits right into that nook. Lanai doors have the added benefit of their bi-folding application. Opening the Lanai doors can meld the patio and dining area into one. The transition from interior to exterior is seamless.

Fill Your Home with Light

Unlike French Doors, Lanai doors are not limited by the space Pvc Doors availability or thickness of the walls. Installation is reasonable in most areas of wall space including around corners. Therefore, Lanai Doors are much more versatile than traditional French doors.

Typical exterior access on the rear of the home often comes from the dining or kitchen areas. Most exterior rear entrances look out over a backyard, a deck or a garden. Because typical French doors swing inwards or outwards, they create a usable space reduction. In the dining area, for example, a set of French doors may inhibit the placement of a dining table and other dining area furniture.

Lanai doors are not similarly inhibited by such special requirements. The bi-folding aspect of the doors allows them to be opened without sacrificing interior or exterior space.

Modern Elegance

Lanai doors offer all the modern elegance of the French door with the unique space considerations that will not limit their decorative options. This becomes even more important in the rapid spread of housing developments, which often feature cookie cutter houses. Lanai doors will make a house stand out in contrast to the details of the surrounding neighbors. French doors are considered an upgrade in most housing developments – the Lanai doors will be an upgrade above and beyond what the French door can offer.

Ultimately, French doors cannot compete with the Lanai doors. This does not make the Lanai door better than the French door – because this is a subjective choice that must be made by the homeowner. Lanai doors offer more in the way of flexibility for both interior and exterior space requirements. They also offer a look that is different and unique. Mixing exterior beauty with interior design is part of the Lanai door.

Homeowner’s Choice

Which door is the best choice for the modern home? Only the modern homeowner can answer that question. Efficient use of space that provides a seamless transition from the inside to the outside is one of the design features of the Lanai doors. A standout home is one that the homeowner invests time and energy into – Lanai doors provide an ideal investment for the homeowner that wants to make their home stand out.

Sliding Glass Door Replacement

This article is going to be about replacing an old sliding glass door with a modern Interior Doors Vinyl frame sliding glass door. If you currently have french doors and you want to replace them with sliding doors, or vise versa, future articles will cover that topic.

The first thing we have to do is measure for the replacement door. You want to measure across the bottom, center, and top of the existing door frame to find the narrowest dimension. Start outside and measure at the point where the old door frame stops and the exterior material starts. That material can be stucco, siding, or brick. Measure across in the 3 places: bottom, center, and top. Record the smallest dimension. Then go inside and do the same thing. You want to measure where the frame ends and the drywall, plaster, or sheetrock begins. Take all six measurements, find the narrowest one, and deduct 3/4". That is the width of the new door. Now, when you measure the height, you can do it just on the outside. Measure the left, center, and right side from the ground where the bottom track sits, up to the top where the old frame ends and the exterior material begins. Take the narrowest dimension and deduct 1/2". That is your height of the new door. Then, determine which side the sliding panel should be on. The fixed panel is designated by the letter "O", and the slider is an "X". In most areas of the country, you call it out by looking at the door from outside and reading left to right. So, if you were outside looking at your door, and you want the sliding panel to close to the right wall, you would ask for an "OX". However, because i have recently discovered that not all parts of the country do it this way, my suggestion is to ask the dealer how they read the opening before placing your order.

Next, you have to decide whether you want a retrofit frame or a replacement frame. If the old frame is flush with the exterior material, such as in the case of stucco, then you want to get the retrofit frame, which comes with the outside fin. That will eliminate the need to trim the outside. If you have brick or siding surrounding the opening, then you need to get a replacement frame and trim the outside yourself. You can use wood, vinyl, or other composite materials available in most major hardware store chains. You also need to measure the depth of the old frame. The majority of vinyl replacement doors have a frame depth of 4 3/4". Most door openings, when framed, have a depth of 5 1/2" to the innermost surface of the wall, whether it's drywall, plaster, or whatever else. Therefore, when you install the new door, you will need to add some sort of trim product to build the inside of the door frame so it is flush with the wall surface. We sell vinyl extrusions specifically for this purpose. It's a two piece system that allows you to bring the frame flush with the wall, then apply the molding to the wall and door frame to finish it. Pictures and descriptions of the products are available by going to and clicking on "Product Catalog".

You want to be sure and order all of the materials you will need to do the job at the same time that you order the replacement door. That way, when the new door comes in 2 to 4 weeks later, you will have everything ready to do the job. In addition to any trim needed, you are also going to need caulk, a roll of R-13 Insulation, liquid nails for the track, 4" deck screws, shims, dust masks, and safety glasses. Once the new door arrives, it will be time to take out the old door. That will be our topic in next week's article.

French Doors vs. Lanai Doors – What Fits Your Home Best

If you were looking to make a unique statement or enhance the attractiveness of a home’s exterior appearance then French doors would be the popular way to go. Some homeowners elect to install French doors in the interior of their home and use them to provide access to a formal dining or living area. French doors installed for exterior access usually overlook a garden or yard/deck area. In home and garden magazines, it’s common to see French doors overlooking a colorful garden populated by wildflowers, exotic plants and garden furniture.

Lanai doors utilize a similar approach, which is designed to bring the outdoors in. This provides a sense of artistic loveliness that one might associate with a picture. Lanai door craftsmanship is a reflection of the care put into handcrafted materials. The doors can be shaped, cut and measured to fit any opening, which include the corner of a house.

French doors cannot compete with the unique ability of a wrap around Lanai door. Glance at your breakfast nook; imagine the rare experience of a wrap around glass door that fits right into that nook. Lanai doors have the added benefit of their bi-folding application. Opening the Lanai doors can meld the patio and dining area into one. The transition from interior to exterior is seamless.

Fill Your Home with Light

Unlike French Doors, Lanai doors are not limited by the space availability or thickness of the walls. Installation is reasonable in most areas of wall space including around corners. Therefore, Lanai Doors are much more versatile than traditional French doors.

Typical exterior access on the rear of the home often comes from the dining or kitchen areas. Most exterior rear entrances look out over a backyard, a deck or a garden. Because typical French doors swing inwards or outwards, they create a usable space reduction. In the dining area, for example, a set of French doors may inhibit the placement of a dining table and other dining area furniture.

Lanai doors are not similarly inhibited by such special requirements. The bi-folding aspect of the doors allows them to be opened without sacrificing interior or exterior space.

Modern Elegance

Lanai doors offer all the modern elegance of the French door with the unique space China doors considerations that will not limit their decorative options. This becomes even more important in the rapid spread of housing developments, which often feature cookie cutter houses. Lanai doors will make a house stand out in contrast to the details of the surrounding neighbors. French doors are considered an upgrade in most housing developments – the Lanai doors will be an upgrade above and beyond what the French door can offer.

Ultimately, French doors cannot compete with the Lanai doors. This does not make the Lanai door better than the French door – because this is a subjective choice that must be made by the homeowner. Lanai doors offer more in the way of flexibility for both interior and exterior space requirements. They also offer a look that is different and unique. Mixing exterior beauty with interior design is part of the Lanai door.

Homeowner’s Choice

Which door is the best choice for the modern home? Only the modern homeowner can answer that question. Efficient use of space that provides a seamless transition from the inside to the outside is one of the design features of the Lanai doors. A standout home is one that the homeowner invests time and energy into – Lanai doors provide an ideal investment for the homeowner that wants to make their home stand out.

Enhancing Your Doors With Enclosed Blinds

When you buy your first house, enclosed blinds might not be at the top of your list of most important things to purchase. However, after a few days of no privacy and bright sunlight, you'll start to understand how great enclosed blinds can be.

What are Enclosed Blinds?


Enclosed blinds are more upscale and less frustrating than mini-blinds. Unlike mini-blinds, they sit between two pieces of glass so they're not exposed. Mini-blinds are the most common blinds out there. They're very popular in apartment buildings and rental houses because they're cheap. Mini-blinds are plastic. They're opened with a long chord that frequently gets tangled up. The shutters are opened by turning a rod.

Enclosed blinds are much more user friendly, they last longer, they don't need to be dusted and they're more decorative than mini-blinds. These blinds fit the windows more snuggly because they sit between two layers of glass. They can be opened, closed and tinted by using a tab on the frame. This eliminates all tangled strings.

Because the blinds are placed between glass, they can't get caught in the door or window and they don't get tangled. This is an especially nice feature in high traffic areas of the home. Enclosed blinds attach to an aluminum frame and are most commonly used on doors.

Advantages of Enclosed Blinds


Enclosed blinds share the same benefits as vinyl mini-blinds. They keep out sunlight, which in turn keeps your house cooler. They also give you privacy. Unlike mini-blinds, enclosed blinds don't need to be dusted because they're never exposed to dust. Instead, they sit safely between two pieces of glass.

Finding Enclosed Blinds


You can find enclosed blinds in a variety of different places. Home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowes carry enclosed blinds. These places will install your enclosed blinds for a fee. Many enclosed blind buyers install their own blinds because it's a relatively simple process.

Enclosed blinds come in all different colors and can be made to custom fit unusual doors. Before you go shopping for your blinds, measure your door window. You need to measure the height and the width of the door measuring from the center of the screw holes. Your salesperson should be able to tell you if you need custom blinds.

Enclosed blinds are more expensive than mini-blinds. For a full-length door, enclosed blinds cost more than $200. You can find them for about $70 for a door that has a half-piece of glass. This may be expensive, but keep in mind that you'll only need enclosed blinds for doors. You don't have to get them for every outside door in the house, just the high traffic areas. If your family never uses the patio door, you don't need enclosed blinds for the patio. You really only need enclosed blinds for the doors that are most commonly used.