Some of the drapes can be created as pinch pleat styles so they hang on the same type of hook rod used with vertical blinds for sliding glass doors. This allows you to have the same type of mechanism to pull them to one side for easy access to your door. These drapes are available in the longer length of eighty-four inches and can come as insulated or non-insulated styles. You will find them in fabrics made of cotton, polyester or a blend of the two. They are also available in textured fabrics and some open weave styles.

When creating a decorative area for your sliding doors you can enhance the whole design by using a valance or topper. The best type of topper for this door is the large box style that completely surrounds the front and sides of your area. This can be custom designed to match the color and fabric used for your window drapes. The drapes for your doors can also be custom made in any type of fabric, color or pattern you want to use. With the easy to operate draperies for sliding door units you don’t have to sacrifice indoor appearance for outdoor access.

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One type of vertical blind window treatment is the typical pvc that is easy to care for. They can be wiped off with soap and water and come in many different colors, such as gold tone, sandstone, gray, mist, dark blue, light blue, mauve and many others. There are also choices in smooth or textured surface of each slat. Having more options means you can easily find the most suitable color to blend with the decor of the room.

If you would like vertical blinds for sliding glass doors, but want something darker or a bit softer, consider the fabric variety. They can often be found in shades such as forest green, cranberry and navy, though they will also be available in the lighter shades. Fabric products can come as a heavier, woven material, or in a sheer material that allows them to drape more like regular curtains. The advantage is that there is no need to hang a curtain rod and they are pulled open and closed much more easily than regular draperies.

Wood products or faux wood products are suitable if you want to continue with more wood finish in a room or simply want something that is more natural and rich looking. Different varieties mean you can have nearly any finish you desire, such as light oak, cherry, or even a dark maple that is nearly black. Other options include a more textured feel or a smooth surface. Products are not as expensive as one would imagine. Wood varieties can be found for around $65 for the 60 inch length. Heavier fabric in the same length will cost just over $40 and pvc is slightly less.

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The construction of these new glass panel designs has a frame going around the entire piece to create a form fitting seal that will keep cold air out. They are created to fit into the track that runs along the top and bottom of your doorway area. These items are available in assorted sizes to fit the size of your particular patio door area. They come in styles using a single or double pane of glass to create a more energy efficient window. The design from Hale uses a double glass pane and has a double doggy door to create a more energy efficient item for your home.

Most of these new door products use an upvc material in creating the outer frame section. This material helps create a better fit to seal your door and is available in a few select colors to match your home’s exterior. In addition to the whole panels available in different sizes, the pet door is also made in different sizes to accommodate large, medium or small pets. If you have a home with a sliding door that opens onto a deck or porch you would like your pet to have access to, installing the new sliding panel will let them.

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Here are a few of the popular brands among the many on the market:

• Marvin
• Anderson
• Pella
• Loewen

These are generally regarded to be very good manufacturers. Pella replacement windows tend to be on the more expensive side. However, it is sometimes hard to make a one to one comparison among the different kinds. For example, the particular sliding glass door sets you might be comparing from say Pella and Marvin, may match in size dimensions, but may vary in the type of glazing used (one might be triple paned, the other double paned), the material used for the frame, the design etc. So be sure to examine carefully what you would be getting with each, to see if the more expensive option is more reasonable.

Marvin and Loewen replacement windows might be cheaper than Pella, but still tend to be more expensive than other available brands. Nevertheless, these brands really do appear to be superior, so the price is probably justified. Loewen comes with Doug Fir standard. Marvin can be upgraded with Fir.

Pella’s sliding glass door is designed differently from the other brands mentioned here. For eg. Pella has the tracks on the exterior. While this makes Pella different from other brands, some argue that this reflects a flawed engineering design. There have been complaints of water getting into the rails which will cause them to rot in a few years. Considering the cost of these windows, one would expect freedom from these alleged flaws. But do not allow such negative feedback to deter you from keeping the Pella option open. You must investigate yourself.

Once you have decided on the measurements for the sliding glass doors you require, then you can check out the manufacturers’ websites to see how they compare with each other. Depending on what information you need, you may have to call the companies to get the pertinent answers.

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The Duette Vertiglide is flexible enough to fit with most decorating styles. It is soft and casual. The Luminette Privacy Sheers give an elegant, light and airy demeanor to your room. If you want a more modern and contemporary appearance, then the Skyline Gliding Window Panels may be most suitable.

Hunter Douglas products tend to be soil and dust resistant. They only require dusting and vacuuming every now and then to maintain their appearance.

Hunter Douglas window treatments have safety features either as a standard feature of the product, or with the option to include. So for example, there is no need for cords to slide the window covering to one side of your sliding glass doors, as you can get cordless operating systems. Cord cleats are also included for products with cords so the cords can be kept safely away from young children.

All Hunter Douglas window treatments offer window insulation, which will guard against heat loss (in winter) or heat gain (in summer).

All Hunter douglas window treatments reduce noise from outside.

Just about all Hunter Douglas window treatments provide good UV protection.

So be sure to consider Hunter Douglas products as window treatments for your sliding glass doors, especially the Duette Vertiglide honeycomb shades, Luminette Privacy Sheers and the Skyline Gliding Window Panels.

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Reasons For Replacing Sliding Glass Doors

Some reasons you might feel the need to replace sliding glass doors are:

1. For better energy efficiency. Maybe your unit doesn’t provide sufficient insulation, so that in summer you feel extra hot, and in winter extra cold.
2. Glass might be broken or scratched
3. Concerns over lack of security
4. Doors have become too difficult to slide

There are of course other reasons that you could have. Even something as simple as aesthetics can be a legitimate reason to replace your glass sliding doors. Perhaps you might have an old unit and want a more modern look. Maybe you just want to upgrade to a better quality unit. Or maybe you want to remodel your patio and require changing your doors to suit the look. (Incidentally, if you’re actually planning on installing a new patio, you might want to explore patio slabs to save on costs). Nothing is wrong with any of these motives. But let us look at the reasons listed above, and see what possible alternatives you have.

In the case of 1, better energy efficiency, the solution to your problem could be as simple as replacing the weather stripping of your sliding doors. You should first ensure the cause of the poor insulation.

In the case of 2, where your glass is broken, you might consider only replacing the glass. You should find out how much that would cost and compare with actually replacing the whole thing. If it is a case where your glass is scratched, you might be able to get it polished so that the scratches become inconspicuous, depending on how deep they are. Consult with an expert in glass to find out your options.

If it is that you are concerned with the security or lack thereof, you might want to check out the security tips for sliding glass doors. It is quite possible that there are things you could do to ease this concern, without having to replace the doors.

If your sliding doors have become too difficult to slide, you likely don’t have to go to such a drastic measure of replacing the glass sliding doors. Most likely you can simply replace the rollers for your sliding glass doors, for relatively little cost, especially if you do it yourself. But first check that it is not an even simpler solution of cleaning and adjusting the sliding glass door tracks and rollers.

Sliding Glass Door Replacement Costs

Now if you do decide that your reasons warrant replacing your unit, you might be concerned with the cost to replace sliding glass doors. It is hard to give a figure as factors which determine the price will vary. For eg. the size of doors needed, the type of glass used, whether you include installation costs, type of frame all play a part in determining what the cost will be. It is best to call a few places to get the different quotations, and then you will have a good idea of what to expect and what is reasonable. You can help reduce your expense however, if you do the replacing or at least the removing of the doors yourself. This is what we will look at now.

Removing Sliding Glass Doors

Whether you are replacing the doors sliding glass door unit, or just the rollers, you will need to remove the doors. Most such doors have the stationary section on the outer track. If this is so, then even if you only want to replace the glass door that slides, you will have to remove the stationary part first. Whether the moving part is on the inner or outer track, the outer door must be removed first.

Now to remove the fixed panel, you will need to remove the sill cap that runs from the fixed end to other end by the jamb where the sliding door would lock. You might need to use something like a screwdriver to help lift the sill cap. Once you get it off, you should see some screws at the bottom that fix the fixed panel in place. Unscrew these, and also check the top of the door to see if any screws are holding the fixed panel to the top of the frame. If so, then you must remove these too.

Once you have unscrewed the necessary screws, then you should be able to pull the fixed panel out. However, you might encounter some difficulty in doing this, as it can get somewhat stuck in place. Get some assistance, and find a lever that can be used to help lift or pry the door out of place so you can get some movement going. When you get the fixed panel out, then you’ve done the hard part. Removing the sliding door should just be a matter of lifting and swinging out. If the rollers are causing an obstruction in removing it, then you can adjust these, by turning the adjustment screws which are normally to the bottom corners of the sliding door.

After you have gotten the doors out, then you probably will want to remove the tracks and the side jambs. If they are screwed in as opposed to nailed in, then remove all the screws. You will need something to pry the tracks out. You should be able to remove the rest since the screws are no longer in place. If it is that they were nailed in, then you can still do this yourself, but it requires more effort which I will not cover in this article.

Hopefully these instructions will prove helpful in at least removing your sliding glass doors, so that you can cut down on your costs that you would have had to pay for the removal of the old even if you do decide to pay for the new installation.

If you do decide to do the removal yourself, make sure you have your replacement ready to be installed.

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(Note, the following 5 points are based on guidelines given for securing sliding glass doors on the City of Minneapolis website, police department, crime prevention resources)

1. Prevent forced sliding with pinning. This is to prevent movement on both tracks. The way to do this, is to get a screw long enough to penetrate the inner frame fully, and partially the outer. Drill the hole through both frames just for the length of the screw. Insert the screw to prevent movement on both tracks.

2. Prevent movement on inside track with window bar. The idea behind this is to place an obstacle between the end of the inside door and the inside of the track, which would then stop any movement on the inside track. What you need to do is measure the distance between the edge of the inner door and the end of the track, then cut a piece of wood to fit in the gap.

3. Prevent movent on outside track with slide bolt or anti-sliding block. Manufacturers provide specific instructions for installing these. You should refer to them for details.

4. Prevent prying with screws. Care should be taken to prevent any kind of prying of your sliding doors. You can address this by drilling 3 holes into the upper frame of each door (6 in all).  Insert screws. Make sure that the doors are able to glide past them.

5. Prevent prying with keyed slide bolts. The keyed slide bolt should be installed at the top of the track. Again, the manufacturer will have specific instructions to do this. Refer to them for details.

So those are 5 steps recommended by the police department of the city of Minneapolis which you can take to secure your sliding glass doors. Other points for consideration are:

1. The sliding glass door lock might need occasional maintenance.  Be careful not to neglect doing so, if indeed your lock does require it.

2. Some locks are more secure than others. You can consider upgrading to more secure types.

3. Install a grill. This adds an extra layer of security, so in the event the glass is shattered or cut, will prove another obstacle for an intruder to overcome.

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Benefits of Sliding Glass Doors

Less space consuming. If space is an issue for you then this could be a solution. This is one of the reasons they tend to be used within offices. Shower doors also often utilise this advantage.

Appearance of spaciousness. Aside from the fact that they do consume less space when opening and closing, they can give a feel of spaciousness especially when they interface with the outdoors.

A nice view of outside. So if you have a beautiful landscape, having sliding glass doors will allow you to enjoy it from the inside of your house or office. For this reason they are often used for patios where the garden or backyard is in sight.

More lighting allowed inside. If your home tends to be dark or gloomy, having sliding glass doors can make a huge difference.

More fresh air is facilitated into your home. If better ventilation is one of your objectives, you might consider sliding glass doors, as they usually provide a bigger interface to the outdoors.

If you’re considering having sliding glass doors, you probably have some concerns, and if you don’t, then you should. Here are things you should think about.

Concerns about Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass door security is probably the most obvious one. Since they are breakable,  it could be a security risk as potential intruders might see this as a vulnerable place to target. There are also potential vulnerabilities with how they lock, and how they are installed.

Safety. The fact that they are breakable means there is potential physical harm from the shattered glass. And if little children are in the vicinity, it becomes even more alarming.

Window Treatments. Choosing window treatments for sliding glass doors can be somewhat difficult because they are normally much bigger than regular windows, and they also serve as doors, so they require special attention.

How to Clean and Maintain? These doors must be maintained otherwise you may find that they don’t slide readily anymore. Depending on the type of sliding glass doors you have, you might have to constantly remove leaves and other debris from the sliding track. So how to properly maintain is an important consideration.

Replacing. Although cleaning and maintaining your unit will help to prolong its lifetime, sometimes the best thing is to replace it (for eg. when you are re-modeling, or you want to upgrade to better quality). What is involved in replacing sliding glass doors should therefore be something to consider.

Privacy. Depending on where you place the doors, you might want to consider the potential of people spying on you. Just how good is the view on the inside from the outside? Assuming privacy is important to you, then you need to resolve how you will satisfy this need.

Insects. Since these doors tend to provide a bigger open area to the outside, and they will likely stay open longer than regular doors, there is the likelihood of insects such as mosquitos intruding your home or building.

Your pets. If you have a dog or a cat, and your sliding glass doors provide the main entrance or exit to your place, then you would want to know how to facilitate pet-doors. (See dog doors for sliding glass doors)

Lack of insulation. If these doors don’t provide sufficient insulation, then your place might become less bearable in the winter and summer seasons. It could also mean higher energy consumption due to the energy loss.

All these concerns can be addressed readily to put your mind at ease. We will address them more at this site. But keep these in mind, so when you go shopping for sliding glass doors, you can raise these issues and ensure you are getting adequate service.

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