Replacing an Arcadia Door with French Doors

There are several benefits to replacing arcadia (sliding glass) doors with French doors:

· French doors are more glamorous than arcadia doors.
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Some of the drawbacks of replacing an arcadia door with a French door are that blinds, if you choose to install them, must be specially fitted to each door’s window pane, and that swinging doors decrease usable floor space. Exterior French doors may be ordered to swing outward to prevent losing indoor floor space; however, outward swinging doors are slightly less safe than inward swinging doors, because on outward swinging doors the lock mechanism is more vulnerable.

If you decide to have your doors professionally installed, make sure to use a reputable contractor. A good contractor should guarantee the quality of his or her work. Comparison shop to find the right professional for the right price.

Replacing an arcadia door with French doors can be a tough job if you decide to do it yourself, but the money you’d save may make this option worthwhile. I recommend, however, that you pay to have your doorframe measured by your door supplier. The supplier should guarantee that the doors you receive will be the correct size for your door frame. That way, if the door doesn’t fit, your supplier will be obligated to replace it.

You may encounter some problems that complicate your task. If your doorframe isn’t square and your floor is slanted or uneven, you will have the necessary adjustments. If your floor slants significantly, a simple shim won’t do the trick. You may need to even out the area with new cement. Pouring new cement may be necessary, anyway, to extend the sill if the new door is deeper than the old one. Fast-acting cement will work well here. Make sure the cement you purchase will bind to other cement and is not too rocky.

You may also need to break back stucco in order to remove the old door, and perhaps remove more to fit in the new one. Don’t just start hammering stucco off. Make clean cuts with a masonry saw and remove only as much as necessary. Unless you feel confident that you can apply new stucco that will match the existing stucco, count on covering the gap with a decorative trim around the door.

If you can make your French doors square and level, secure them in the doorframe, seal the gaps with foam and caulking, and trim them out nicely without hiring professional help, then you have just saved yourself a bundle of money by doing it yourself. It can become a tricky job, though. If you’re not prepared to face some complications, it may be wise to hire a professional. The important thing is that the doors are installed correctly.