Replace French Doors With a Sliding Door — Hinged Pair to Slider
The French doors swing into the table, the astragal leaks and one door never latches right.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
To replace French doors with a sliding door, JMB Builders measures the opening, orders a slider sized to it, removes the hinged pair, adjusts the framing if the sizes differ, repairs rot at the sill, sets the slider in a sill pan with flashing, and trims inside and out. It gives back the floor the swinging doors took. Across the Twin Cities metro, priced per door, quoted from photos, with a reply within one business day.
- Priced per door, slider included
- Opening reframed when sizes differ
- Sill pan and flashing under the slider
French patio doors look good and open wide, but they need room. An inswing pair takes a big arc of floor out of a kitchen or dining room, and an outswing pair needs clear deck in front of it. Over time the pair can sag, the astragal where the two doors meet starts to leak, and the flush bolts and multipoint lock stop lining up. People trade them for a slider to get the floor back and a door that one hand opens.
The opening decides the work. Hinged pairs and sliders are sold in overlapping sizes, but not always the same ones. We measure the rough opening and order a slider that fits it, or plan the framing change if it does not: going narrower means framing in a side, going wider means a longer header, sized to carry the load and permitted when the job needs one. We also decide which side the moving panel goes on from the room layout and the deck stairs.
Install day is the pair and its frame out, the sill area checked and any soft subfloor or rim replaced, a sill pan down, flashing lapped at the sides and head, and the slider set square so the panel glides and the lock meets the keeper. Then foam, sealant, the screen on its track and trim inside and out. Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself. If you already bought the slider, see our labor-only sliding door page.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Your pick of slider frame, color and glass
- Which side you want the moving panel on, or we suggest one
- Photos of the French doors from inside and outside and a close-up of the sill
- Paint color if you want the new casing painted
What JMB supplies
- Measurement of the rough opening and the order for the slider and screen
- Removal and haul-away of the French doors, frame and trim
- Framing adjusted when the slider size differs from the old opening
- Subfloor and rim repair at the sill, quoted from the photos
- Sill pan, flashing tape, low-expansion foam and exterior sealant
- Panel, screen and lock adjusted, interior casing and exterior trim
- Photos of the finished door in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- The slider you choose: vinyl, fiberglass or clad wood, and the glass
- A slider that fits the existing opening vs. framing in or widening it
- A wider opening that needs a new header
- Rot at the sill or rim once the French doors are out
- Siding, stucco or brick around the opening
- Painting the new casing, quoted as a separate line
Send photos of the doors from both sides, a close-up of the sill, and a tape across the opening inside the casing.
How long it takes
A slider into a same-size opening: most of a day on site. Add a day when the opening is reframed. The door is ordered after you approve the quote.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Same-size swap
The slider fits the rough opening the French doors came out of. The fastest version: pair out, sill checked, pan and flashing in, slider set and trimmed.
Narrower slider
The opening is framed in on one side with studs and sheathing, the siding or trim patched outside, and the inside finished with drywall and casing.
Wider slider
A longer header is installed, sized to carry the load above. Wall opened, header set, slider installed, inside and outside finished. Permitted when the job needs one.
Going the other way
Trading a slider for a hinged pair is its own page: our sliding door to French door conversion.
Replace French Doors With a Sliding Door — Hinged Pair to Slider: questions, answered
Can French doors be replaced with a sliding door?
Yes. The hinged pair and its frame come out, and a slider sized to the opening goes in on a sill pan with flashing. Many openings take a slider without framing changes; some need a side framed in or a longer header. We measure and tell you which before ordering.
Why would I swap a hinged patio door for a sliding one?
Floor space, mostly. An inswing French pair needs a clear arc in the room and an outswing pair needs clear deck. A slider opens in its own track. Older pairs also tend to sag and leak at the astragal, and a slider has one lock and one moving panel to keep adjusted.
Will a slider fit the same opening as my French doors?
Often, but not always. Both are sold in overlapping sizes, and the rough opening behind the trim decides it. If the slider is smaller we frame in a side; if it is larger we put in a longer header. We measure first so the door is ordered to fit.
Does a sliding door seal as well as French patio doors?
A well-adjusted French pair with a multipoint lock seals tightly, and so does a good slider set square in a sill pan. An old pair that has sagged usually leaks at the astragal, and that is often why people switch. Which seals better depends more on the specific door and the install than on the type.
Which side should the sliding panel be on?
Put the moving panel where you walk through: toward the deck stairs, away from the table or a sofa against the wall. The handing is part of the order, so we settle it before the door is ordered.
How long does it take to convert French doors to a sliding glass door?
Most of a day on site when the slider fits the existing opening. Reframing the opening adds about a day. The door order comes first, and the old doors stay in until the new one is on site.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
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