Internal French Doors in Australia: Sizes, Glass Options and Single vs Double Configurations

What Makes a Door a French Door?

A French door is a timber door with glass panes set into the frame, divided by thin timber bars called glazing bars. Each pane is a 'lite'. The lite count (4L, 10L, 15L) tells you how many panes sit in one leaf, and it changes both the look and how much light passes through.

Lite counts explained

Fewer lites means bigger panes, more light and a more modern look. More lites means more bars, a more traditional feel and a stronger link to period homes.

• 4L: Four large panes. Clean and contemporary. This is our pick for modern builds and open-plan renovations. See the French 4L double glazed clear and the French 4Li double glazed clear. Check the spec on each page for the difference between the two.
• 10L: A classic ladder layout. Works in most homes, from Federation to new build.
• 15L: Many small panes. Best for heritage renovations where you want the door to look like it has always been there.

More bars also mean more glass edges to keep clean. If you have kids or pets, that matters more than you'd think.

Solid timber vs engineered timber

Solid timber French doors look beautiful and take a stain or clear finish well. They also move with humidity, which matters on a door full of glass and joints.

Engineered timber is built from layers or components designed to stay stable. For internal doors, we generally steer renovators towards engineered timber when the door will be painted, because it's more predictable over time. Choose solid timber when you want a natural finish and you're happy to maintain it.

You can browse both in our French solid and engineered internal door collection.

What Are the Standard Internal French Door Sizes in Australia?

The common Australian standard is 2040mm high, with an 820mm wide leaf being one of the most popular sizes. Other widths are available, and the exact range depends on the brand and model. Always confirm sizes on the product page, then measure your actual opening.

Measuring your opening

Measure the width at the top, middle and bottom. Measure the height on both sides and in the centre. Use the smallest figure of each. Old walls are rarely square, and heritage homes are the worst offenders.

Then check three things:

• Is the opening already framed, or are you building a new one?
• Does the floor finish sit at the same height on both sides?
• Will the door swing clear of furniture, skirting and other doors?

Double pairs

Two 820mm leaves give you 1640mm of door before you add jamb thickness and clearance gaps. So the opening needs to be wider than that sum. Don't try to squeeze a pair into an opening sized for a single door and 'make it work'.

Rebated vs non-rebated

A rebated pair has a stepped edge on the meeting stile, so one leaf overlaps the other when closed. It blocks sightlines and looks tidier. A non-rebated door has a flat edge, which suits a single leaf hung in a frame, and is not what you want for a pair unless you add a cover strip.

If you're ordering a pair, check that the product is supplied for that purpose. This is one of the most common mistakes we see.

Should You Choose Single, Double or French Doors with Sidelights?

Choose a single French door for a standard-width opening, a double pair for a wide opening between living zones, and sidelights when you want more glass without a heavier door swing. The right choice depends on your opening width, traffic and furniture layout.

Single French doors

A single leaf is the easiest option. It's simpler to hang, simpler to fit hardware to, and forgiving if your opening isn't perfect. It suits studies, bedrooms and hallway-to-living transitions.

Double French doors

Double French doors internal pairs create a statement. They open up a living and dining combination, a formal lounge or a library. Both leaves can open fully, so furniture placement matters.

The trade-off is complexity. Two leaves need to align, close evenly and latch properly. We'll cover why that matters in the installation section.

French doors with sidelights

Sidelights are fixed glazed panels beside the door. They're a smart option if your opening is wide but you don't want two swinging leaves, or if you want more light without losing wall space. They need a purpose-built frame, so plan them before the walls go up if possible.

Which Glass Is Best for Internal French Doors?

The best glass depends on the room. Clear glass gives maximum light, translucent glass gives privacy, and double glazed units add a more solid feel. Whatever you choose, glass in doors must meet safety glazing requirements under AS 1288, which means toughened or laminated.

Clear glass

Clear glass is the default for living-to-living connections. You see through the door, and light travels freely. If you want privacy, it's the wrong choice.

Translucent glass internal door options

A translucent glass internal door lets light through while blurring what's behind it. It's useful for a home office, a laundry or a space off a bathroom. It also helps when the room beyond tends to be untidy.

Double glazed French doors

Double glazed French doors use two panes with a space between them. For internal use, the practical benefits are a more solid feel and some sound dampening. In our view, the gap around the door does a lot of the work in letting sound through, so don't expect a double glazed door to turn a living room into a studio. Look at our double glazed clear options if that suits your space.

Safety glazing and AS 1288

AS 1288 is the Australian Standard for glass selection and installation in buildings. Doors are a high-risk location because people can walk or fall into them. That's why safety glass, either toughened or laminated, is the norm.

• Toughened glass is heat-treated and breaks into small, blunt pieces.
• Laminated glass has a plastic interlayer that holds the broken glass in place.

Before you order, check the product page or spec sheet for the glass type. If it isn't clear, ask us or your builder before you buy. For a project that needs certification, confirm requirements with your certifier and the National Construction Code.

What Hardware Do Internal French Doors Need?

Most internal French doors need three hinges per leaf, a passage set on the active door and, for a pair, flush bolts and a dummy handle on the inactive leaf. Bathrooms and bedrooms may need a privacy set instead. Choose hardware before ordering, because it affects door preparation.

Hinges

Glazed doors are heavier than hollow-core doors, so use quality hinges and fit enough of them. Browse our hinges collection for options in different finishes. A hinge finish that matches your handles looks far more considered than a mismatched set.

Flush bolts

On a pair, one leaf is the active leaf (it opens and latches). The other is the inactive leaf, held shut by flush bolts at the top and bottom. Without them, the inactive door will rattle or swing open when the active door is used.

Passage sets and privacy sets

A passage set has two handles and a latch, with no lock. It's right for most living areas. If you want a lock, choose a privacy set instead.

Dummy handles

A dummy handle is a handle that doesn't operate a latch. It's fitted to the inactive leaf so the pair looks symmetrical. It's a small detail, but it's the one that makes a pair look finished.

See our door hardware collection for handles, latches and more.

How Do You Finish, Prime and Seal French Doors?

Prime and seal every surface of a timber or engineered timber door, including the top, bottom and edges, before hanging and painting. Unsealed edges absorb moisture, which can cause swelling and paint failure. Protect the glass with masking and take your time around the glazing bars.

A simple finishing checklist

• Store the door flat and indoors until you're ready to finish it.
• Lightly sand, then wipe down with a clean cloth.
• Prime all six sides, including the top and bottom edges.
• Apply at least two coats of your chosen paint or finish, following the manufacturer's directions.
• Mask the glass carefully, and remove paint from the panes with a scraper once dry.
• Seal the hinge and lock recesses before fitting hardware.

For a stained or clear finish, solid timber is the better base. For painted doors, engineered timber gives a cleaner, more stable result.

Case study: when timber is the wrong call

Here's a lesson from our desk. A customer in the Sydney area moved into a new house and, almost immediately, their front door started bowing and cracking. The builder had fitted a cheap timber door on an entry that gets full sun all day, with barely any overhead protection.

They called and spoke to Mark. After asking a few questions, he recommended an aluminium door instead. As a Parkwood Specialist, he walked them through the benefits, including its 10 year warranty. He quoted the job and arranged an installer experienced with Parkwood aluminium doors.

The customer felt looked after from order to installation, and later came back to order a second aluminium door for the back of the house.

Why does that matter for internal French doors? Because it's the same rule in reverse. Internal timber doors belong inside, out of sun and weather. If your French doors will face the elements, you need an external-rated door, not an internal one.

Can You Install Internal French Doors Yourself?

You can hang a single internal door if you're a confident DIYer, but we recommend a professional for pairs. Two leaves must close evenly, meet cleanly and latch together. Small errors in plumb or level show up straight away as uneven gaps, rubbing or doors that won't stay shut.

Why pairs are harder

With a single door, you set one leaf against one jamb. With a pair, you need both leaves to sit level with each other, meet in the middle with an even gap, and clear the floor and head. The jamb must be plumb, and the opening must be square.

An installer will also check the flush bolts, strike plates and meeting stile alignment. Those details are what separate a door that works from one that annoys you daily.

Get it installed properly

We run a preferred installer network in Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, the Central Coast and the Gold Coast. For Sydney jobs, see our professional door installation Sydney metro page. For anything else, contact our team and we'll point you in the right direction.

If you're a builder or carpenter, ask about a trade account.

Seeing it before you buy

We closed our showroom and moved online, so we've invested in helping you picture a door before you commit. DoorVision shows a door on your own home. It's built for seeing how a door looks on your property, which is especially helpful if you're also choosing an entrance door for street appeal. Browse our full internal doors collection, and keep an eye on the clearance sale for end-of-line stock.

What Ordering Online Has Taught Us About French Doors

The biggest French door problems we see aren't about style. They're about timing and planning. Pairs, glass and hardware all need to be decided early, and delivery needs to be confirmed against your build schedule. Leave those until the last minute and the project stalls.

We moved from a traditional showroom to online about 18 months ago. A decade ago, renovators expected to walk through a showroom and touch the doors. Over time, the showroom got quieter and online orders took over. By going online, we opened up an Australia-wide market and gave customers the convenience of ordering without leaving home.

That shift changes how you should buy French doors. You can't touch the door, so you need good imagery, clear specs and honest advice. That's why we generate more imagery than our suppliers can provide, and why we built DoorVision.

Case study: a builder, a deadline and a delivery run

A builder ordered doors online without realising the typical lead time for that order was 3-4 weeks. He needed them within two weeks and started to stress. He texted us to ask if we could speed things up, because he had a deadline with his client.

We called the manufacturer to make sure his doors were on the next truck to our warehouse. We then called our courier, who happened to be doing her fortnightly run to Melbourne, and arranged delivery by Friday of the same week. The doors arrived on time, and the builder was over the moon. He left us a very kind Google review and has told us he'll use us again.

The lesson isn't that every order can be rushed. It's that lead times are real, and you should check them before you commit to a schedule. Order pairs early, and talk to us if the timing is tight.

A note on packaging

Glass doors travel a long way. We use LiteCorp's HexPack honeycomb cardboard instead of traditional timber pallets. It bears 3 tonnes of weight, helps reduce the risk of damage in transit, and can be cut up and put in the recycling bin. You won't need to arrange for a pallet to go to the tip.

FAQs

What size are standard internal French doors in Australia?

The standard height is 2040mm, and 820mm is a common leaf width. Other widths are available depending on the brand and model. Always check the product page, then measure your opening carefully before you order.

What do 4L, 10L and 15L mean on a French door?

The 'L' stands for lite, which is one pane of glass. A 4L door has four panes per leaf, a 10L has ten and a 15L has fifteen. More lites give a more traditional look. Fewer lites give more light and a more modern look.

Do internal French doors need safety glass?

Yes, glass in doors is a safety-critical location. AS 1288 covers glass selection and installation in buildings, and in doors this generally means toughened or laminated glass. Check the product spec, and confirm any certification needs with your builder or certifier.

Are double glazed French doors worth it for internal use?

They can be, if you value a more solid feel and some sound dampening between rooms. The gap around the door still lets sound through, so manage your expectations. For a simple light-sharing door, single glazing in safety glass is often enough.

Do I need a rebated pair for double French doors?

For a pair, a rebated meeting edge is the usual choice because one leaf overlaps the other when closed. That gives a tidier look and blocks sightlines. Check that the product you choose is supplied for pair use before ordering.

Can I use internal French doors outside?

No. Internal doors aren't built for sun, rain and weather exposure. Timber will swell, warp or crack when exposed. If the door will face the elements, choose a door rated for external use instead.