Exterior French Patio Doors

 There is not much to say about French doors, as the door itself says it all, but exterior French patio doors add so much more to your patio. You will find a wide variety of beautiful doors to choose from, plus many styles and colors. Your job is to choose which one will suit your taste and your patio. You may want to take out the patio door that you mow have and replace it with a French patio door.

Selecting your exterior French door will take some consideration. You can purchase ones that swing in or out or you can have one fixed while the other stays loose. Most important, remember to measure for the size you need. Measure from one side of the wall to the other to get the width, and measure from the bottom of the header above the door to the old door threshold. When you come home with the new door, then you can remove the old door.

Next you can remove the metal framing that is around both sides. If the door you chose is pre hung then it will have the hinges already on it. This way they are much easier to install.  When you remove the trim, try to keep it intact, as you will want to use this again when your door is installed. Remember to check to see how far your floor covering comes up and make sure your door opens above this with bit of clearance.

Use a level to make sure your new door will be level when it’s installed. You can try your new door by just fitting it in frame without attaching it. You can test your clearance by putting a bit of

cardboard between your gap. If it’s not what you want then use a crow bar as leverage to bring it into line.

Once you have lined up your door, you can start putting in wooden shims to line up your door and hold it in place. On the inside of the door, place your shims where you need them and nail the frame to the shims this will hold it in place. Always check during this process that your door is swinging properly. Now enjoy your beautiful new French door that comes with bragging rights of the good job you did installing them.