How To Install A Sliding Door

Installing a sliding door is a good way to open up a room and let the sunlight naturally brighten up the inside of your home. Whether your door opens out to the backyard or a patio deck where you can enjoy the afternoon breeze, you are not going to have any problems escaping to the outside.

Prepping

To start this moderately difficult project, you need to prepare the wall you are taking down. First, ensure the space you have chosen has no plumbing or heating ducts running through it and, preferably, no electrical wires either. Measure and mark off the dimensions of your door, and lay down plastic sheets to help contain the mess of tearing down the wall. Carefully remove the wall by hand or using small power tools, and repeat the process for the outside section of the same wall.

Stud removal

You are likely going to need a friend to help with the heavy lifting here. Once you have the opening for your door, you are going to find that studs for the wall are in the way of your door. Set up a brace to support the wall by using 2x6 boards that are at least the length of your new door, and place them on the ceiling and floor. Use 2x4 boards and wedge them between the 2x6 boards to support the wall once you remove the studs. After the brace is set up, use a power saw to cut the studs evenly where you are going to place your door and set the pieces aside. They can prove useful to other projects or in shoring up spots where you cut too far. Remove the bottom plate that the studs were nailed into on the floor of the room, taking care not to damage the floor itself.

New studs

Using new boards, measure your opening and the width of the wall, and cut 2x6 boards to make your new studs. You want them to run the full height of the door frame and across the top and bottom. Make sure that all of these new studs are flush and even so that there are no issues with level once the door is installed.

The door

If your door does not come pre-assembled, follow the instructions included to assemble it. The door should fit snugly into the opening you have prepared for it. Once it is in the new frame, mark any carpeting that needs removal in order to caulk the edge of the door to make a watertight seal. Remove the door unit and ready the floor, cutting if necessary. Run several drops of caulk along your marking that the threshold of the door covers, and replace the door unit. Drill in several screw through the threshold into the floor to keep the door in place. Ensure the door is lined up with the frame, and place screws in the appropriate holes to secure your new door. You can now finish the wall and remove your temporary bracing system.

This project is lot of work and requires serious forethought and some knowledge, but the end result is a beautiful and long-lasting addition to your house that provides a level of comfort and convenience that few other things can match. Enjoy your new door.

Installing a sliding door is a good way to open up a room

by David Dunbar, Home & Garden writer