Question 1

Slider vs. French pair — which one should I install?

Accepted Answer

Sliders save floor space — nothing protrudes into the room or onto the deck. French pairs give a wider clear opening when both panels are open and look more traditional. The right answer is usually about furniture: if a swing arc would hit a couch or a grill, slider; if not, French. We talk it through at the measure before pulling a tape.

Question 2

Can you replace my old slider without re-framing the wall?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Slider rough openings have been standardized for 30+ years. We pull the old unit, flash the sill, and set the new slider in your existing opening. Going bigger (e.g. 6 ft → 9 ft) means widening the wall — that's framing work outside our scope. We'll recommend a framer and quote the slider install once the opening is ready.

Question 3

What's the biggest opening you can do?

Accepted Answer

12 ft is our standard ceiling for stock multi-slide systems (Andersen, Pella, Marvin) when the opening already exists. Bigger custom openings up to 20 ft are possible, but the wall framing for those is a separate scope a framer or GC has to handle first — we install the door once the opening is ready.

Question 4

Are sliders really energy-efficient?

Accepted Answer

Modern ones, yes — dual-pane Low-E glass, thermally broken frames, weatherstrip on every track surface. The weak point on any slider is the bottom track seal, which wears with heavy use. We use systems with replaceable track seals and adjustable rollers so a 15-year-old slider can be re-tuned without replacing the whole unit.

Question 5

Black aluminum frames — are they actually worth the upcharge?

Accepted Answer

Looks-wise: yes, they're the look right now and they hold a market premium on resale. Performance-wise: aluminum frames need a true thermal break or they sweat in STL winters. We only quote thermally broken systems (Andersen E-Series, Pella Reserve, Marvin Modern). Skip the cheap aluminum sliders from the box stores — they'll fog and drip.

Question 6

My slider sticks and drags — does it need replacement or repair?

Accepted Answer

Often repair, not replacement. If the rollers are shot, we replace them ($180–$320 service call). If the track is bent or the frame is racked, replacement. If the glass seal is blown (you see fog between the panes), we can swap just the glass unit. We'll diagnose at the measure — repair quote or replacement quote, your call.

Question 7

Will a multi-slide door close fully when it's 100° outside?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when properly installed. Aluminum frames expand in heat — about 1/8″ across an 8 ft span — and a quality system accounts for that with engineered gaps and adjustable rollers. We set the rollers on hot-day spec and verify on the install. Cheap systems bind shut at 95° because the install crew zeroed them on a 70° day. We don't.

Question 8

Do you install lift-and-slide?

Accepted Answer

Yes — for wider openings (10+ ft) where stock sliders get heavy and start to drag, lift-and-slide is the right system. A handle quarter-turn lifts the panels off the bottom seal, lets them glide on a hidden roller, then drops them back onto the seal when closed. Marvin Ultimate and Andersen 200 Series lift-and-slide are our two defaults.

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What a slider install day looks like.

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Three configurations, picked at the measure.

When a slider wins. When a French pair wins.

What we install — and how we do it.

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What we do — and what we won't.

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Patio-door terms, in plain English.