Replacing Sliding Glass Door with French Doors – During the 1970s and 80s, glass doors are used in many homes. Today, however, they make a home look dated and old-fashioned. One of the quickest and most cost-effective upgrades your home is to replace old windows with modern French doors ways. Often used on patios, balconies, and for entry into the backyard, French doors are a great way to bring natural sunlight into your home. Made of wood with glass panels, they give the house a light and airy environment. Fortunately, these ports are surprisingly easy to install, making this a project, the average homeowner can end in just a few hours.
Replacing Sliding Glass Door with French Doors
Instructions
- Remove pieces of trim around the door frame, pulling them out with a hammer. Do this carefully if you want to reuse them in your new door, or delete them if you plan to buy new trim.
- Use your hammer to remove the nails holding the door unit to run in place. There are probably several in each shoulder but check for nails on the head of the frame as well.
- Discard the door unit to run carefully. If it is in good condition, consider donating it to a rescue building installation for reuse.
- Measure the size of the rough opening for your new door. This is the dimension of the stud to stud transversely, and the finished floor to the top of the opening, lengthwise.
- Buy a set of pre-hung French doors using the measurements you took in Step 4. Your door, including frame, should be about 1/4 “smaller on each side than the size of the rough opening. Pre-hung French doors are available at most home improvement stores.
- Slide the French doors in the opening, bottom first, making sure it is centered on the space. Doors should be placed so that they will swing away from home once installed.
- Use your level to ensure the unit is even and plumb. If not, place wood shims between the jambs and framing members to level it out.
- Fix the unit in place by fixing three nails at each stop. Be sure to also preach any shims you used the posts or frame.
- Place insulation in cracks along each stop. Batt insulation is the easiest to install and should fill the space without being forced.
- Install trim kits around the frame to cover the isolation and complete the project.
Tips & Warnings
If you need more help with this project, check out the video tutorials provided in the Resources section of this article.