Encyclopedia

of Home Improvements

*Patio Doors*

Choose the style of door that fits your house. Several patio door options are available. Swinging patio doors open like conventional doors, but feature large glass panes for a view of the outside. They may be installed as single, double or triple doors, depending on the size of your door opening, but double door units are most prevalent. Characteristically, preassembled double door units come with one fixed and one operational door. They are commonly available in wood or steel models.

Bypass (sliding) patio doors are space-saving alternatives to swinging doors. Unlike swinging doors, which require that objects be set well away from the doorway, sliding doors require no room to swing. Sliding patio doors usually have one door that is fixed and another that slides. They often have aluminum frames, although they may be vinyl steel or wood. The least expensive patio doors are usually of the sliding aluminum type.

Either type of door may be characterized as having "right-hand" or "left-hand" operation, as viewed from outside, so you must know which side you would like to operate. Purchase your patio doors with the door panels already installed in preassembled frames. This will greatly simplify your project.

Determine your rough opening

If you are installing a patio door in an existing opening, determine your door's rough opening dimensions before purchasing your new door. In some cases it may be necessary to order a unit based upon the size of the rough opening.

To access the studs and measure for the rough opening, carefully remove the casing from the inside of the existing door opening. Take the measurement from the inside surface of the studs. Measure horizontally across both the top and bottom of the rough opening, as well as vertically on each side. You may find that the rough opening is not square. When determining what size door you will need, use the smaller of each of your vertical and horizontal measurements. For example, if the left vertical measurement is 83" and the right vertical measurement is 82 3/4", use 82 3/4" for the vertical measurement when determining your rough opening size.
This is the hard part. Not because it is physically hard, but because for many people there is something nagging that insists you would have to be nuts to knock a hole in the side of your perfectly good house. Many people hire a contractor for precisely this reason-contractors do not seem to be bothered by the idea. But then again, it is not their house.

If you are planning to install a patio door in a wall where no opening exists, you have some work to do. Select your door placement carefully. Look for clues that may indicate if there are obstructions in the wall that could cause you problems later. For example, if a vent pipe extends through the roof immediately above the wall area where you want to place the door, you may find after removing the inside wall that the vent passes through your proposed doorway.
After you have determined your door placement and are satisfied that you are unlikely to run into problems within the wall, purchase a door of the type and size you want. The instructions will include information about framing the door, including measurement information concerning the appropriate rough opening size.
This job is going to be messy, so prepare a work space in the area where you plan to install the door. Give yourself plenty of room to work.

Remove the inside wall in the area where you want to install the door. You may want to remove the entire wall or you may want to remove just enough of it to allow you to frame the rough opening. A hammer works great for removing drywall. Just knock a hole in it and break it away in pieces. To get a clean break in a straight line, score the line first with a utility knife.

If you plan on removing just part of the wall, locate the studs one bay out from the area where you intend to put the door. Carefully remove the drywall back to these studs and trim it even with the edges of the studs. Later, when you repair the wall around the door, you will nail new studs inside of the existing ones to give you a surface on which to nail or screw the new drywall.

Remove any insulation. This will give you a view of the back of the exterior wall. If any electrical wires cross through the doorway, they will have to be rerouted to run outside the perimeter of the doorway. This is not difficult, it is just a matter of extending the wire so you have adequate length. Use the appropriate size and type of wiring for the circuit and splice white to white, black to black and copper to copper colored wire. Just be sure the power is off to the circuit before working with the wires. Also, be aware that codes require that any splices which are made in home electrical wires must be contained in approved electrical boxes. Use wirenuts to make all connections.

Frame the rough opening per the manufacturer's instructions for your door. Then, using a circular saw, hammer and chisels, remove the exterior wall from the framed area. Framing the rough opening before removing the exterior siding will delay opening the hole until the last minute. That way, if something comes up and you have to wait until the next day to continue, you do not have an open hole in the side of your house.

You can remove the exterior siding and sheathing by using a circular saw with the blade set deep enough to cut through the sheathing. For areas you can not reach with the circular saw, such as near the floor, use a handsaw or chisel.

Install the door

Test fit the patio door in the rough opening. From inside, make any required adjustments and shim as necessary so the door frame is plumb and square.

Mark around the perimeter of the door frame brickmoulding. If you have vinyl siding, it will be necessary to add a small amount of extra space outside the line of the brickmold to accommodate the piece of channel trim that will be installed between the brickmold and the siding.

Remove the door and carefully cut along the line using a circular saw with the blade set just deep enough to cut through the siding. It may be necessary to use a chisel in the corners and near the ground. Removing the siding in this area will allow the door to sit in a recess against the sheathing and framing. The siding will butt against the side of the brickmold.

Cut a piece of drip edge to the width of the rough opening. Using silicone caulk, insert the drip edge along the top of the rough opening, between the siding and the existing building paper.
Cut 8" to 10" wide strips of building paper. Insert the paper between the siding and the existing building paper on the outside wall. Wrap the edges around into the rough opening and staple the building paper in place against the framing studs.

Apply silicone caulk around the edges of the rough opening where the siding meets the building paper. Also apply several liberal beads along the bottom of the opening where the threshold will sit.
Install the door in the rough opening. Shim the door from inside as necessary to allow the door and frame to sit square and plumb. If there are gaps under the threshold, add additional shims under the door every 6" or so for support. Make sure that you install shims under any screw holes through which the threshold will be attached to the floor to avoid having the screws pull the threshold out of shape. Make the shims snug, but don't force them in place. Forcing the shims could distort the frame and cause a bow along the threshold.

Install shims around the edges and top of the door frame. Space them approximately every 12". If you are installing a swing style door, use additional shims to support the strikeplate area of the door frame. Make sure everything is level and plumb.

Ensuring that the brickmold is flat against the framing lumber from outside, drive 10d finishing nails through the brickmold into the framing every 12" or so and in the corners. Countersink the heads to facilitate applying the finish later.

From inside of the house, drive 10d finishing nails outward through the shims and into the framing. Again, countersink the nail heads.
Screw the threshold to the floor. Trim the shims with a handsaw.

Finish it off

Wearing appropriate protective clothing and equipment, insert insulation loosely into any gaps between the door frame and the rough opening. Do not stuff the insulation tightly into the cracks. This reduces the effectiveness of the insulation and may distort the door frame. Also install insulation in the area behind which you will be replacing the interior wall.

Install sill nosing under the outside threshold.

Caulk completely around the exterior door casing. Use a premium quality, paintable silicone caulk.

Fill all nail holes and finish the door and frame as soon as possible after it is installed.

Repair and finish the interior wall.

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