Patio door threshold problem...please help!


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Old 04-30-14, 07:56 AM
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Patio door threshold problem...please help!

Hello,

I'm replacing some patio doors and have ran into a problem. The patio concrete is flush with the door threshold. The threshold even seems to be pushed into the concrete. Will I be able to replace the threshold and use a prehung door?

Please see pics below. Any advice would be great! Thanks for the help!

Blayne

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Old 04-30-14, 08:03 AM
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I've never worked on a patio door with the threshold flush with the concrete pad. I suppose this is not unusual in a non-freezing area of the country. I would think that the old threshold be taken out and the base re-leveled when new door is installed. I would also try and smooth out the surrounding area with a finish coat of cement.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:05 AM
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Some jackwhacker poured cement up around the door threshold. That's never a good situation, because now the exterior side of the door is higher than the subfloor inside. Doesn't take a genius to figure out which way water would run if there is a leak.

Your best option is to remove and lower the exterior cement. Your new prehung door will probably not fit up against that concrete, unless the new threshold is more narrow than the old one. And even if it fit, there is a great leak potential there that needs to be addressed.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:12 AM
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At the very least, if you can't do as XSleeper says, then make sure the outside cement is graded to run water away from the door.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:25 AM
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"Your best option is to remove and lower the exterior cement."

The best option is not a realistic option as the patio is huge and surrounds a pool. I'm not worried about water running in as I live on a hill and have had zero flooding issues.

So am I better off just trying to replace the actual door and stay away from the prehung type?
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:34 AM
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If you are wanting to replace the entire door, frame and all, there is no other type of patio door other than a prehung, so I don't understand your question. If you remove your door, that aluminum sill will be removed along with it.

If you want to leave the jamb and sill in place and just get a new door to hang on the existing hinges, that would certainly be an option. We don't know your motive or goal in replacing the doors. All you said was "I'm replacing some patio doors".
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:34 AM
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IMO, no! Replace the threshold and re-level the base it sets on. At least so its actually level or slightly higher than the outside.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:39 AM
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My goal is to get new doors. It's an older home that needs a new set of doors. This is way more of a headache than I bargained for. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:53 AM
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Well, the cement is less than ideal... but the worst that will happen is that when you remove the old door, you will chip and crack some of that gravel/cement that has been overlaid in front of the aluminum sill. (especially like where that crack is in the upper left corner) I would probably run a grinder and diamond blade along the front of the aluminum sill to be sure you are doing all you can to prevent any cracking or chipping BEFORE you even attempt to remove the door and sill. You may need to grind the entire front edge of the concrete back even farther with a grinder and diamond blade to get the new prehung sill to fit within the opening... (if the new sill projects farther than the old one). At this point, I really don't think raising the door up higher will solve anything as far as the leak potential is concerned... but it would create a higher step on the inside... and probably eliminate most of the grinding. You will likely need to seal the bottom of the new door VERY well as it is set into the opening and then after it is installed, use some sealant (maybe self leveling) where the cement meets the sill.

This may be a headache, but it's really not that unusual to run into something like this.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 08:57 AM
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If you give some measurements (the actual size of the door slab would be enough) there may be another option.

Many times "patio" doors are not patio doors at all, but actual entry doors, which are larger than patio doors, and would allow a true patio door to be installed on a raised threshold. It would take some trim work on the inside and the outside, but may be doable.
 
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Old 04-30-14, 09:03 AM
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It's actually a French door. 73x79... I'm going to do some precise Drimmel work on the concrete before I attempt to pull the old threshold out. Hopefully that will eliminate some the the damage done to the concrete.

Do you know if all threshold widths are the same? or do they vary from door to door?
 
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Old 04-30-14, 09:08 AM
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They do vary, but 5 9/16" is a pretty common sill width.
 
 

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