easy close sliding glass door

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Permalink Reply by Trixie on October 11, 2012 at 9:23am

To get 35 years out of a glass door is pretty good but the sliding doors of 1977 and 2012 are totally different!  First, understand that when you choose a brand, your decision should be based on how the window/door is built and sealed plus the warranty.  The glass used by the the various window manufacturers all comes from the same source, although different companies use or offer different types of glass. We use Quaker windows/glass doors in our standard package and we have not had any complaints on how they operate.  But when you purchase the log home package, be sure to find out the brand and line of window/door you will be getting.  (Some companies do not supply that information without asking that specific question.)  If you cannot see the door in their model, find that brand in a local hardware of lumber yard and go try it out and see if you like the way it is built and how it operates.  I like wood doors with aluminum cladding on the exterior so there is no maintenance but you can see the wood inside. Pay attention to how you can adjust the door and also one other little thing... the screen door.  Pay attention to how it operates too because a glass door without a good screen is disappointing!

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Permalink Reply by Mark on October 11, 2012 at 6:28pm

Don't limit your shopping to just the big chain stores where even a good door may not be set up properly.  Visit some builder's supply stores & some high-end lumber yards.  Most I've tried (just went through the shopping experience myself) were smooth and easy.  A couple I looked at in Menards wouldn't hold a credit card in the seal between the panels.  No resistance at all.  You don't want to sacrifice an effective seal for easy operation.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Wood on October 12, 2012 at 5:02pm

If you want the best, try www.nanawall.com.  Great german product that brings outdoors inside and worth the "wall of glass" money.  Especially if you are wanting 10' of glass to fold or accordian back and disappear.  For standard 3' and 6' openings, the main US manufacturers of aluminum clad/wood frame are all pretty even and share the same hardware.  Keeping the tracks and rollers free of grit and occasionally oiled is key to longetivity.

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Permalink Reply by shanny on October 13, 2012 at 8:06am

I have a great aluminum clad Marvin 6' slider on the front of my small log home.  The best slider of this size I ever had.  Slides very easy and is beautiful (wineberry red).  I got it on a huge discount from someones wrong order at a local building supply company.

I also have a Lanai window wall (9' high x 13' wide) that I purchased at another huge discount, before the building industry went bust (now it is hard to get great deals like this).  I have not installed this one yet, because we decided to keep our home smaller until we see what is going to happen in our world.

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