Can I use heavy patio doors as windows? 2 back to back?

hello there! I need your advice please. I'm building a small detached composing / mixing / editing studio in LA. I got a good deal on some very heavy duty wood patio doors with a huge thick glass window that makes up most of the door. They were removed from a home studio build out (already extra caulked etc). I have more doors than I need. So.... here's my question - has anyone ever used a patio door (obviously not opening and closing) in place of a window? But even more specifically - in place of a double window can TWO matching wood patio doors be severely fastened together - sandwiched on top of each other (lined up perfectly, liquid nailed etc) to use as a thick double window? Is this a crazy idea or could it work?? Thank you all so much!! :)

I got a good deal on some very heavy duty wood patio doors with a huge thick glass window that makes up most of the door.

These are for sure single pane laminated glass? Do you know the exact thickness of the glass?

has anyone ever used a patio door (obviously not opening and closing) in place of a window?

I doubt it. If they wanted a window in their design, they'd probably have a window. If they wanted a door with glass in it, then they'd use a door with glass in it. :wink:

But even more specifically - in place of a double window can TWO matching wood patio doors be severely fastened together - sandwiched on top of each other (lined up perfectly, liquid nailed etc) to use as a thick double window? Is this a crazy idea or could it work??

So your studio is not a room in a room design? If you only have a single wall and it can accommodate the thickness of two doors fixed together, then yes, that would work. Now, again, you want this to replace a window? That means these will never open and function as regular doors, correct? Greg

Haha thanks for the response. I've always built windows in the past but I'm tryning to be resourceful. The doors in place of windows would definitely NOT open. It's going to be room within a room so the combination of two doors glued together could make up the inner leaf window?

It's going to be room within a room so the combination of two doors glued together could make up the inner leaf window?

... in which case you would then have a two-leaf window on the inner-leaf alone, so when you add the window on the OUTER-leaf, you would have a three-leaf system... - Stuart -

Soundman2020 wrote:

It's going to be room within a room so the combination of two doors glued together could make up the inner leaf window?

... in which case you would then have a two-leaf window on the inner-leaf alone, so when you add the window on the OUTER-leaf, you would have a three-leaf system... - Stuart -

I know that's the case with walls etc but I thought double glass counts as a single leaf? the inner door I'm hanging on the inner leaf is a super heavy 4 inch thick studio door that has a double pane glass window separated by 2 inches of airspace so is that an additional double leaf too??

I know that's the case with walls etc but I thought double glass counts as a single leaf?

Nope. If there's an air gap, then it is two leaves. Especially for such a large panel.

...door that has a double pane glass window separated by 2 inches of airspace so is that an additional double leaf too??

Yep! You should do the math to check how well that will isolate. 2-leaf in the inner door and 2-leaf in the outer makes 4-leaf. Potentially even worse than 3-leaf. 1) How much isolation are you designing for? 2) At what frequencies? - Stuart -

Soundman2020 wrote:

I know that's the case with walls etc but I thought double glass counts as a single leaf?

Nope. If there's an air gap, then it is two leaves. Especially for such a large panel.

...door that has a double pane glass window separated by 2 inches of airspace so is that an additional double leaf too??

Yep! You should do the math to check how well that will isolate. 2-leaf in the inner door and 2-leaf in the outer makes 4-leaf. Potentially even worse than 3-leaf. 1) How much isolation are you designing for? 2) At what frequencies? - Stuart -

Stuart you are a VERY helpful person. thank you... so i changed my gameplan based on a few interactions with you. however i still have 2 questions... since it's changed a good bit i started a different thread (if there's a way to delete this one i'm happy to) if you feel like chiming in here i'd be stoked: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21857 thank you

since it's changed a good bit i started a different thread

It's much better to keep all your questions related to YOUR build in the same thread, and maybe just update the TITLE of the thread as needed. If you start asking questions all over the place, in different, disconnected threads, then you yourself won't be able to keep track of where all the questions and answers are! And neither will anyone else... :) - Stuart -