At some point this year, I want to replace my current sliding door. It was installed in the 1980s – the EARLY 1980s. Ha! It's a black aluminum one with a little metal notch that you use to open and close it. You know the type.
Anyway, it's warped; the track is out of alignment; it requires herculean strength to open and close; it's ridiculously leaky; the felt weatherstripping is dead; the rubber between the glass and the aluminum is all twisted inside of itself; etc.
We're going to replace it with another slider. We've decided against French doors for a number of reasons, so I don't need any advice about those. However, I do need advice about the quality of sliding doors that are out there.
Lowe's has vinyl ones for less than $300. My thinking is that I'll probably get what I pay for with these.
The guy at my local hardware store sells pricey Marvin Integrity Series fiberglass sliding doors, and he told me he wouldn't put a vinyl slider on a doghouse. He obviously has a financial interest in my purchasing his $1000 door, but still.
What's the best bang for the buck with regard to materials, hardware, etc? I want a high quality door that's going to last a long time! I have no doubt the fiberglass one would perform wonderfully, but I feel like a good vinyl one (not the cheap vinyl one) would be a good compromise. Thoughts?
One thing to keep in mind is that the door will come in contact with rain on a regular basis. There's no awning over it, and there's virtually no overhang. Thanks in advance for your insights!