Patio Doors

Cherokeekid88

Cherokeekid88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Location
High Point, NC
so currently we have French patio doors and we are wanting to replace it ( uneven, lots of gaps, drafts, doesn't line up correctly and is old) with new sliding doors. I went to measure our current doors and it seems it's 75"x80" which I didn't think they were that big...so I go looking for sliding doors on lowes and Home Depot and it seems they don't make them in that size.....does this seem right? If your current door is 75" wide, is there anyway to install a door that is 71" wide somehow? (Might sound like a stupid question, but didn't know if you could build the area around the frame up to accept the smaller door?)
just slowly started to do things to our house and this is one that needs to be done before we do our new flooring since the old door is leaking water inside when it rains hard
 
Depending on the cladding material, on both the interior and exterior, YES you can make a smaller unit fit. It may be a bigger PITA than just special ordering the same size, though. Worth asking around and getting prices, including from manufacturer reps (or builder supply places) like American Cedar or Pella. You can pad out the rough opening and you'll need to shim it to get it square and plumb, anyway, so it mostly depends on your experience and comfort level with tackling the project. If it's leaking, make sure you have everything you need to flash it properly.
 
I've got a guy that did my front door a week ago and he did such an awesome job, so he will be doing this door as well. But I didn't ask him about installing a smaller set of doors, just doesn't seem 75"x80" is a common configuration
 
A quick look at Lowe's selection and you're right... have you considered you may be measuring it differently?
 
I didn't take the trim off the doors but I'm figuring 3/4" where the trim starts on the inside. Each door is 36" wide, striker is 1.75" and add .75" on each side for the rough opening.....
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
so currently we have French patio doors and we are wanting to replace it ( uneven, lots of gaps, drafts, doesn't line up correctly and is old) with new sliding doors. I went to measure our current doors and it seems it's 75"x80" which I didn't think they were that big...so I go looking for sliding doors on lowes and Home Depot and it seems they don't make them in that size.....does this seem right? If your current door is 75" wide, is there anyway to install a door that is 71" wide somehow? (Might sound like a stupid question, but didn't know if you could build the area around the frame up to accept the smaller door?)
just slowly started to do things to our house and this is one that needs to be done before we do our new flooring since the old door is leaking water inside when it rains hard
Click to expand...


Make sure you are measuring the frame of the door. The interior casings can be removed rather easily to see the edge of the frame and measure that way. If you don't want to remove the interior casings, you can cheat a bit and if it's a wood door, most frames are about the width of your thumb. If you measure from the inside of the casing to the inside of the casing, add 1 1/2" to that measurement and you should have your frame width pretty close.

I used to work for Pella Windows & Doors.

What is your exterior? Brick, vinyl siding, wood siding? Typically the exterior is the problem with closing in an opening like you are talking. Larger mouldings can cover the gap on the inside.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
I didn't take the trim off the doors but I'm figuring 3/4" where the trim starts on the inside. Each door is 36" wide, striker is 1.75" and add .75" on each side for the rough opening.....
Click to expand...
That's not how doors are measured, or at least stated - they are based on the actual door size. Like you said you have 2 36" doors. Thats is a very normal size.
The total actual width of the casing is much bigger - like how you measured - but the size as stated on the package is based on the actual door sizes. So 2x36 doors is 72", plus 3" for the casing. That 71" is probably 2x 32" doors. Exterior doors are normally 36", while interiors are often 32".
 
ManglerYJ said:
Make sure you are measuring the frame of the door. The interior casings can be removed rather easily to see the edge of the frame and measure that way. If you don't want to remove the interior casings, you can cheat a bit and if it's a wood door, most frames are about the width of your thumb. If you measure from the inside of the casing to the inside of the casing, add 1 1/2" to that measurement and you should have your frame width pretty close.

I used to work for Pella Windows & Doors.

What is your exterior? Brick, vinyl siding, wood siding? Typically the exterior is the problem with closing in an opening like you are talking. Larger mouldings can cover the gap on the inside.
Click to expand...
Exterior is vinyl. I'm just trying to figure if getting a 71" sliding door is going to be an option....going custom or paying for something that's outrageous in price is not an option
 
Check into whether you need to meet energy code or not because you're replacing an entire unit instead of just the glazing. I'm no building expert but I think energy code compliance is part of the building code for window and door retrofits (or at least windows?). Sliding doors are relatively leaky and a swing door can be sealed a lot better, same concept as casement windows versus single or double hung sliders. We've got two 96 inch slider units next to each other and you can feel the draft blowing through the seams; we'll be replacing one with a swing door combo and one with a huge fixed unit at some point.
 
The difference between the smaller door and existing j channel around the door outside can be fixed with a little trim coil. Your door installer should be able to do that. If not let me know and I'll help you with it.
 
So I measure a bit differently. Measured from the outside of the indoor trim on both sides and then subtracted the width of the trim x2 and came up with 74.5"
So it shouldn't be a big deal making the smaller 71" door to fit? I am just such a newb when it comes to home improvements, I am trying to learn as I go. We have new flooring that needs to go down but need make sure the door no longer leaks before we do so.
 
I just don't understand why you are going for the smaller door set.
Currently you have 2 36" doors. This is a very standard size. Why not replace it w/ two more 36" doors?
What am I missing.

Aside from maybe not being internally insulated, what's the problem w/ the doors? if its the doors themselves and not the frames - its a helluva lot easier to just replace the doors and not the whole damn frame.

(but if you have gaps them it's probably that something isn't straight)
 
Pull the inside trim off and measure from stud to stud to find your rough opening goes to Lowes or where ever and find the door you want that has the same rough opening or slightly smaller
 
You're almost certainly measuring wrong.

Either way, trimming out the exterior to match the new door isn't rocket surgery.
 
RatLabGuy said:
I just don't understand why you are going for the smaller door set.
Currently you have 2 36" doors. This is a very standard size. Why not replace it w/ two more 36" doors?
What am I missing.

Aside from maybe not being internally insulated, what's the problem w/ the doors? if its the doors themselves and not the frames - its a helluva lot easier to just replace the doors and not the whole damn frame.

(but if you have gaps them it's probably that something isn't straight)
Click to expand...
price is the main reason. I am going to check lowes and home depot tomorrow and see if they have more of a selection in sizes at the store vs. online.

also, we have had problems with these doors for sometime now...they don't close correctly, it sticks, has gaps, is not insulated if the front door was any indication.
I don't want to pay 1k for a new set of doors.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
price is the main reason. I am going to check lowes and home depot tomorrow and see if they have more of a selection in sizes at the store vs. online.

also, we have had problems with these doors for sometime now...they don't close correctly, it sticks, has gaps, is not insulated if the front door was any indication.
I don't want to pay 1k for a new set of doors.
Click to expand...
Pull the trim and find the rough opening some manufacturers need different rough openings for the same size door. Find your rough opening and take that measurement with you ask the person working at the store to find a door that will work in that opening
 
Loganwayne said:
Pull the trim and find the rough opening some manufacturers need different rough openings for the same size door. Find your rough opening and take that measurement with you ask the person working at the store to find a door that will work in that opening
Click to expand...
will do...I am just afraid of splitting the trim...don't have a pry bar or anything to get it off with...guess I could try and see what happens
 
There isn't much holding it on. Small Brads or finish nails. If it's caulked around the edge against the sheet rock cut it first all the way around or you'll probably pull the paper off your sheetrock
 
Yes, run a razor knife around the back side of the trim to cut through the paint/caulk.

But I wouldn't worry about busting the trim. It's fine if you can save it, but you're replacing the door anyway.
 
You are replacing the door anyway, just pull the interior trim off and measure. You need to do this to replace the door anyway, so just live with an exposed frame for a few days until the new door can be installed.

Trim is cheap and more of a PITA to try to save and rehab than it's worth.
 
Unless you live in an old house like me with 5&6 inch trim that is impossible to match without spending lots of $
 
Just talked with the guy who is installing the door and told him what was going on and he said that he could reframe the opening to accept the smaller door no problem. just going to add wider trim to the outside and add sheetrock to inside. So all should be well
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
will do...I am just afraid of splitting the trim...don't have a pry bar or anything to get it off with.
Click to expand...

So go buy a pry bar. If this is your house and you plan on learning and being proficient at doing work yourself, you need to start collecting basic tools.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
Just talked with the guy who is installing the door and told him what was going on and he said that he could reframe the opening to accept the smaller door no problem. just going to add wider trim to the outside and add sheetrock to inside. So all should be well
Click to expand...
I'd still pull trim and get the biggest standard door possible price point on standard doors aren't going to be a big difference
 
Don't down size the door unless you have to.
You will live to regret it. Plus it will make the room feel smaller.

Personally I HATE sliding doors in a house. I've never seen one yet that didn't require constant maintenance or was a sticky PITA to open and close. I guess that doesn't apply to vinyl sliders, they don't get sticky their entire tracks just wear through in 5-7 years and you have to replace the whole damn thing. They are also much more prone to break ins. And they are known to cause cancer in baby turtles. Did I mention I don't like sliding doors?

You also mentioned a few times that budget is very tight for this and you cant afford to X,Y,Z...an exterior door can have a huge impact on curb appeal, plus installed cheaply or wrong can ruin the overall look of the house. Spend the money there before you spend it on new flooring. Otherwise you are putting shiny new rims on a vehicle with a major rod knock and a rusted frame.
 
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