Project details
Skill
5 out of 5HardRequires advanced carpentry skills
Cost
$600 and up
Estimated Time
6 to 8 hours
In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to open up a wall for a large glass slider.
Steps for installing a sliding glass door
- Use reciprocating saw to cut around the old window.
- Pull out the lower section of wall.
- Remove the old door and window from the wall.
- Use 12-pound sledgehammer to bust out concrete curb at bottom of wall opening.
- Fasten pressure-treated 2×4 form to floor with concrete screws.
- Mix quick-setting cement in mortar tub with shovel.
- Spray the form with a garden hose, then seal outside edge of form with silicone sealant.
- Fill form with cement, then smooth it with a trowel. Allow cement to cure for 24 hours.
- Reduce the width of the opening by building a wood-frame wall. Use pressure-treated 2×4 for the sill plate, standard lumber for the wall studs, king studs and top plate.
- Cover the newly framed wall section with ⅝-inch-thick exterior-grade plywood.
- Fasten plywood sheathing to studs with 2½-inch (8d) nails.
- Rip a 2×4 filler to fit across top of wall opening. Nail filler in place with 3½-inch nails.
- Staple builder’s paper to the exterior surface of the plywood sheathing.
- Apply thick bead of silicone sealant around nailing flange on doorjamb, and along top of sill.
- Set doorjamb into rough opening, making sure the nailing flange fits under shingles.
- Measure the diagonals of the doorjamb to ensure it’s square.
- Secure jamb to rough opening by inserting wood shims behind jamb. Drive 3-inch screws through the jamb and shims, and into the 2×4 frame.
- Set the active, rolling glass panel into the doorjamb.
- Install the stationary glass panel into the jamb. Screw through the retaining clips to securely hold the stationary panel in place.
- Fill the void around the inside of the door with minimal-expanding foam insulation.
- Cover exterior of new wall section with shingles to match the house.
Tools
Tools & Materials
- Reciprocating saw
- Sledge hammer – 12-pound
- level – 4-foot
- Hammer drill
- Drill/driver
- Square shovel
- Mortar tub
- Caulk gun
- Pointed trowel
- Flat trowel
- Hammer stapler
- Utility knife
- Masonry bit