5 lessons from Big Door Training

If you only take one lesson away from this video, make it this one: Big doors can’t be an afterthought. As very substantial openings, they need to be accounted for in the plans. Proper planning will take the following into account:

1. Operation type — Does the door glide, fold, or lift-and-slide to open? This is the first thing you need to understand. Different operating types will have different installation requirements. For example, MultiGlide™ Doors are made of multiple panels that glide along different tracks, which makes the track extra wide. Whereas, a Folding Outswing Door is made up of panels that all run along a single track.
2. Wall depth — Some doors need a very deep wall. For example, MultiGlide Doors stack when open. So, when there are multiple panels and an insect screen, the track will be quite deep and the wall will need to accommodate. In contrast, a Folding Outswing Door, with its accordion panels that fold to the side when open, can be installed in a wall with normal depth — making it a popular option in a remodel. 
3. Rough opening (RO) preparation and header — While proper RO preparation is important to any installation, big doors are as the name implies — big. This means special care must be taken, particularly in preparing the header and the sill. For example, the Folding Outswing Door is top hung, which means the right header is key to a proper installation. 

Properly planning for a big door, from the earliest stages of design, can smooth the way to a successful installation, which is why collaboration among client, architect, and builder is key. 

Interested in a MultiGlide or Folding Outswing Door? Our sizing calculators can help you get started.

There are various sill types available to meet a client’s aesthetic preferences, but that’s not all a sill provides. A sill is key to keeping water out and, in some cases, meeting code-required performance values for water penetration and structural load. Our big doors can meet various performance grade ratings. A performance grade (PG) is a numeric value that indicates how well a window or door can withstand various forces, including structural wind load, water penetration, and air infiltration. Here’s what’s possible with our big doors:

• Liftslide Door: PG30, PG40, and PG45 come standard and the option of up to PG80 is available on units with the Stormwatch® protection upgrade.
• Folding Outswing Door: PG30 and PG40 come standard and the option of up to PG50 is available on units with the Stormwatch® protection upgrade.
• MultiGlide Door: Up to PG30 with the on-floor sill and raised threshold.
• Pivot Door: Up to PG30 comes standard and the option of up to PG60 is available on units with the Stormwatch® protection upgrade.

Actual PG ratings for any big door will depend on the size and configuration selected.

One critical aspect of rough opening preparation discussed in the video is planning for the sill. Whether you’re installing an on-floor sill or a flush sill will affect how you integrate into the floor profile. With an on-floor sill, your finish floor height should be set relative to the top of the sill. While with a flush sill, you will recess the sill into the rough opening, so it lines up with the finish floor and exterior floor.

Find rough opening to finish floor considerations for both on-floor and flush sills in the site preparation guides for our various big door configurations. For detailed instructions tailored to your product and project, visit our installation guide configurator. 

Rather than relying on traditional shims for installation, our big doors come with built-in jacking screws in the side and head jambs. Jacking screws have outer barrels that lock into the frame material, while the inner barrel is free to rotate. This allows them to serve as adjustable shims. The height of the inner barrel can be raised and lowered using a #8 Allen wrench. During installation, you’ll adjust that inner barrel to make it snug against the rough opening. Then, you can predrill and apply your fastener through the jacking screw without changing the height of the shim. In addition to aiding installation, jacking screws also make fine adjustments easier after installation. Simply back out the fastener, adjust the height of the jacking-screw, and reapply the fastener. 

Because the details are so important to planning for and installing a big door correctly, we offer a variety of support services aimed at both builders and architects. Of course, there are the tools and resources on our website, but we also provide big door consultations and trainings to support specification and installation. Big door consultations can include a variety of services, including hopping on a call with an architect to help with specifying the right big door. Consulting services can also work in person, if say, a builder is planning to install their first big door and wants on-site guidance. In that case, there’s the option to have an Andersen representative walk them through the process in person.

Interested in experiencing the hands-on training that Travis participated in at our Goodyear facility? Contact your local Andersen sales representative for details.