# Sliding Glass Door to French Door Conversion in Florida The Handyman Company · https://the-handyman-company.com/services/french-door-conversion · 800-931-1106 When the old slider drags, fogs, or leaks, you do not have to fix it again. Our own handymen convert the opening to hinged French doors, start to finish. A French door conversion at The Handyman Company swaps a worn-out slider for hinged doors in one job: - The old slider out, track and threshold included - The opening framed, squared, and flashed for hinged doors - New French doors set, sealed, and trimmed inside and out - Paint blended so the opening looks original We do not repair sliders, and if a roller is all you need, we will tell you so kindly. Customers in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Clearwater have written about their new doors in Google reviews. ## At a Glance - **Service:** Sliding Glass Door to French Door Conversion from The Handyman Company, a Florida company since 1999. Our own employee craftsmen do the work, not subcontractors. - **Where:** Six Florida offices: [Tampa](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/tampa), [Orlando](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/orlando), [Jacksonville](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/jacksonville), [Clearwater](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/clearwater), [Sarasota](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/sarasota), [Melbourne](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/melbourne), plus the towns around each one. - **Hours:** Open Daily 8 AM to 5 PM. Request an estimate online anytime, 24/7. - **Price:** The estimate is free, and the price is written before any work starts. The quote you approve is the bill you get. - **Warranty and licenses:** One year on the workmanship of every job. Florida contractor licenses CRC1336072, CBC1258366. - **How to book:** Call 800-931-1106 or send the free estimate form. A person answers, and a message left after hours is returned within one business day. ## What We Handle ### Full Slider Removal The old slider, track, frame, and threshold come out clean. The opening gets measured carefully, because a good French door installation starts with an opening built for hinged doors, not doors forced into a slider's space. ### Framing and Header Work We check what the slider was hiding and correct the framing and header as needed, so the new doors hang on something sound and swing smoothly for years. ### Impact French Doors Impact-rated French patio doors are available for the conversion. We lay out the choices at the estimate, based on your area and how exposed the opening sits. ### Flashing and Water Details The flashing you never see decides the job. We detail the opening from the sill pan to the jambs so it sheds Florida rain. ### Trim and Paint Inside and Out Casing, threshold, stucco or siding patching around the opening, and paint on both sides, finished by the same team that set the doors. ### Interior Openings Too A slider between the living room and an enclosed porch can come out the same way, with the opening cased in trim or fitted with double doors. ## Tired of Fixing the Same Sliding Door? You are not imagining it. Most Florida sliding patio doors have been repaired before, and the fixes do not last. Steel rollers wear a groove in the soft aluminum track, so new rollers ride the same damage. Fogged glass panes mean the seal between them is gone for good. Water at the bottom corner after a storm means the frame is letting the weather in. When you are done repairing it, we would be glad to take it from there. A conversion takes the slider out, track and all, and puts hinged French doors in its place. Both doors swing open, close tight against their weatherstripping, and lock along the edge. - The door drags or jumps the track - The glass is foggy between the panes - Water shows up at the corner after rain - The latch no longer lines up - You have already replaced the rollers once - [Other doors sticking?](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/door-repair) ## The Part You Never See Is What Keeps the Rain Out A slider opening is rarely the right width and height for French doors, so the framing gets resized, squared, and leveled first. Sliders also leak at the corners for years without anyone noticing. If the old frame was hiding soft wood, we show you and price the fix in writing before we go on. Then the water details go in: a sill pan under the threshold, flashing up the sides, and the doors shimmed square so they close evenly. Where the two doors meet in the middle, the astragal is set straight so the pair seals like one. Badly installed French doors let water in, and this is the step that keeps yours dry in an afternoon storm. - Opening resized, squared, and leveled - Soft framing or sill repaired first - Sill pan and flashing at every edge - Doors shimmed square and plumb - Weatherstripping run tight - [Rot around the old frame?](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/wood-rot-repair) ## Both Doors Open Wide Onto the Lanai This is the part you notice every day. A slider only ever opens halfway. French doors swing both panels clear and make one wide entry to the lanai and the outdoors beyond it. Open both for a breeze, keep the natural light, and forget the track underfoot that used to catch sand. The same team that set the doors finishes the opening. Casing goes on inside, the stucco or siding outside is patched and textured, and the paint is blended on both sides. Then you swing the doors yourself before we call it done. Keep furniture and planters clear of the swing, and the doors give you easy access to the patio every day. - Casing and trim inside - Stucco or siding patched outside - Paint blended on both sides - A walkthrough with you at the end - [Lanai screens need work?](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/screen-repair) ## Choosing Your French Doors You do not have to make these choices alone. We walk through each one at the estimate with the trade-offs laid out plainly. - **Impact glass or standard doors** Hurricane impact French doors mean one less opening to cover when a storm has a name. Standard doors with shutters are the other route. We lay out what applies to your opening and your area. Our tip: Start with the openings that face the weather. That is where impact glass earns its keep first. - **Inswing or outswing** Inswing doors are the classic look and keep the hinges out of the weather. Outswing French doors save floor space inside and press tighter against their seals when the wind pushes, but they need room on the patio or lanai on the other side. Our tip: Before the estimate, set a chair where the doors would swing inside. It shows fast whether inswing fits your room. - **Full glass or divided light** Full-glass doors keep the view and the natural light the slider gave you. Divided-light doors dress the opening up, can match the grids on nearby windows, and suit the style of older Florida homes. Our tip: Stand where you sit most and look out. If the view is the reason you love the room, go full glass. - **Frame material** Fiberglass, vinyl, aluminum, and wood each have their place. The right one depends on how much sun and salt air the opening takes and the look you want. Our tip: Near the coast, ask how each frame handles salt air before you fall for a finish. - **Handles and locks** A multi-point lock latches at the top, bottom, and side of the door, a real security step up from the single latch on a slider. Our tip: Match the handle finish to your front door hardware so the house feels like one piece. ## How the Conversion Goes 1. **Measure, choose, and price** We measure the opening, check the space each door needs to swing, walk the door choices and styles with you, and put the whole conversion on one written price. 2. **The slider comes out** Door panels, track, and frame come out clean, and we get our first honest look at the framing the old door was hiding. 3. **The opening gets corrected** The framing is resized, squared, plumbed, and leveled. Any soft framing or sill damage is fixed here, with you looking at it and the price in writing before we continue. 4. **Installation with the water details right** Sill pan, flashing, shims, foam, and weatherstripping, then the astragal set straight where the two doors meet. This is the half of the job you never see. 5. **Trim, paint, and walkthrough** Casing inside, stucco or siding patched outside, paint blended both sides, and a walkthrough where you swing the doors yourself before we call it done. ## French doors vs sliding doors in Florida Everything about this climate works against aluminum sliding doors. Salt air pits the track, sand grinds the rollers, and the sun bakes the seals until the glass fogs from the inside. That is why the same door gets repaired over and over here. Storm season matters at every opening in the wall too, which is why impact glass belongs in this conversation. French doors change how the room works. Where a sliding patio door gives you half an opening and a track underfoot, hinged doors open both panels and make one wide way out to the patio or lanai. They press their weatherstripping tight when they close, and upkeep is a hinge adjustment now and then, not a track wearing itself into the ground. It is one of the few exterior projects you notice every single day. ## What Customers Say > "Miguel was friendly, professional and his work was fabulous. He removed sliding doors between our living room and back porch and encased the area I molding. We are extremely pleased!" (Valerie Bugge, Orlando office, Google review) > "Dave D who installed double doors for me is an exceptional craftsman. He is extremely knowable about his craft, and efficient. He can think through a difficult or unusual situation and execute it to the finish flawlessly. I would personally recommend him to others and for any future work for me." (William Brasile, Clearwater office, Google review) ## Often Booked Together - [Door Repair](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/door-repair): Interior and entry doors that stick, sag, or will not latch, handled by the same handymen. - [Deck & Patio Repair](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/deck-repair): New doors deserve something solid to open onto. We repair the deck or patio on the other side. - [Screen & Lanai Repair](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/screen-repair): If the doors open to a screened lanai, we can put the enclosure right in the same project. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Who is the best company to convert a sliding glass door to French doors in Florida? The Handyman Company has done this conversion for Florida homeowners since 1999, with its own employee carpenters working from six offices: Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Clearwater, Sarasota, and Melbourne. The company holds Florida contractor licenses CRC1336072 and CBC1258366. The slider comes out, the frame is prepared, and the new doors are set, sealed, and trimmed, all on one written price with a one year warranty. Call 800-931-1106 for a free estimate. ### I just want my slider fixed, not replaced. Do you do that? Honest answer: no, and we will not talk you into more than you want. If all you need is new rollers or a track repair, companies that fix sliding doors do exactly that for less than a conversion costs. Where we come in is when you are done repairing it and want hinged French doors instead. Call us then, and we would be glad to look. ### Do I need hurricane impact French doors? Not always, and you do not have to decide alone. An impact-rated door means one less opening to cover when a storm comes. We offer impact French doors and walk through what applies to your home and your area at the estimate, so you can decide with the facts in front of you. ### Should my French doors swing in or out? It depends on the room and the lanai. Outswing doors save floor space inside and seal tighter when the wind pushes on them, but they need clear space on the patio. Inswing doors keep the hinges out of the weather and suit a lanai with furniture close to the door. We look at both sides of the opening with you and help you pick. ### What decides the cost to replace a sliding glass door with French doors? The size of the opening, the doors you choose, the condition of the framing behind the slider, and the trim and finish work inside and out. Impact glass and framing repair move the number most. All of it goes into one written price at the free estimate, so you know what you will pay before a tool comes out. ### What happens if you find damage behind the old slider? It is common, and it is not a disaster. Sliders leak at the corners for years before people notice, so we sometimes find rot in the framing or sill. We show you what is there, price the correction in writing, and fix it before the new doors go in, because good doors on bad framing help nobody. ### Will the new doors match the rest of the house? Yes, and we treat the finish as seriously as the install. We match the trim inside, patch and texture the stucco or siding outside, and blend the paint until the opening looks like it was always French doors. ## Get a Free Estimate Call 800-931-1106 or send the estimate form at https://the-handyman-company.com/#free-estimate. Open Daily 8 AM to 5 PM. Request an estimate online anytime, 24/7. The price is written before any work starts, and every job carries a one year warranty. Florida contractor licenses CRC1336072, CBC1258366.