Impact sliding glass doors
The sliding glass door to the lanai or balcony is the biggest opening in most South Florida homes. An impact sliding door replaces it with laminated glass in a frame tested as one unit, installed, permitted and inspected.
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What people call about
- An old aluminium slider with single-pane glass and worn rollers, to be replaced with an impact unit.
- A two-panel door to be widened to three or four panels, or changed to a pocket door.
- A door that has been shuttered every season and an owner who wants to stop.
- A condo balcony door where the association requires impact glass on replacement.
- A slider that leaks at the sill in driving rain or no longer locks.
What to have ready
- The rough width and height of the opening, and how many panels you want to slide.
- Which way you want the door to open and where the fixed panel should sit.
- Any HOA or condo rules on frame colour and glass, and whether the balcony railing or screen enclosure touches the opening.
- Furniture and blinds pulled back from the door on the day, and the lanai cleared.
What happens on the visit
- The opening measured with the track, sill height and threshold in mind, and the structure around it checked for the anchoring the approval calls for.
- A quote naming the door, its configuration (two, three or four panels, pocket or stacking), the glass, the frame colour and the approval for your county.
- The permit filed by the installer; the old door removed, the sill prepared, the new frame set level and anchored, panels hung and rollers adjusted.
- Sealing inside and out, the threshold finished, and the lock, handle and interlocks tested.
- The final inspection scheduled by the installer and the approval documents left with you.
In Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
South Florida homes are built around the lanai, so the slider is usually the largest opening and the one that matters most. In Miami-Dade and Broward the door has to carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance; in Palm Beach County a Florida Product Approval. Condo buildings often add their own specification on top, which the installer quotes to.
Questions people ask
- Can an impact slider be wider than my current door?
- Often, if the wall and header allow it. Widening an opening is structural work that the installer designs and the building department reviews on the permit, so say at the quote if that is what you want.
- What is a pocket sliding door?
- One where the panels slide into a pocket in the wall, so the whole opening clears. It needs wall space beside the opening and is planned at the quote.
- Do impact sliding doors still need shutters?
- An approved impact door protects its own opening. Any other openings on the house that are not impact-rated still need their own protection.
- Will the new door leak less than the old one?
- A new door with a properly set sill, flashing and sealant is where leak problems are usually solved. Tell the installer where the old one leaked so the sill and weep paths are looked at.
- Are the rollers and locks replaceable later?
- Yes. Rollers, handles and locks on impact sliders are serviceable parts. The installer can tell you which ones the door uses.
- Does the door need a permit?
- Yes, in every city and county in the three-county area. The installer applies for it and schedules the inspection.
Get an installer out
Free quote. The price is agreed before anything is ordered.
Other window and door jobs
- Impact windows for the whole house
- Replace old windows before storm season
- Impact entry and French doors
- Cracked or shattered glass
- Fog between the panes
- Window leaks when it rains
- Window won't lock, latch or stay open
- Condo impact windows
- Storefront impact glass
One Call Impact Windows arranges the visit; the installer does the work, pulls the permit and gives you the price.