How to Replace Sliding Glass Doors on a Brick Home

Remove the Old Door

• 1

  Close the sliding glass doors fully while standing on the inside of the home. Kneel down and look at the bottom edge to locate two round caps. Insert a slotted screwdriver under the caps to pry them off. Insert the screwdriver into the screws that reside under the cap and turn them counterclockwise as far as possible.

• 2

  Look up at inside top of the door track to determine if molding or wooden trim resides along it. If so, remove all of the wooden trim carefully using a pry bar and set it aside.

• 3

  Open the door and walk to the end that contains the latch. Look up and locate the thin rail that runs along the inside top of the frame and remove the screws that hold it in place using a screwdriver. This is the head rail and holds the door in place.

• 4

  Grasp the door from the inside and lean the top toward you and then lift it up out of the track.

• 5

  Ask another person to step outside and push gently on the remaining door while you support it from the inside. Lower the top and pull the door out of the track.

• 6

  Remove the exterior trim using a power drill to unscrew the masonry screws that hold it to the bricks. Peer into the center of the remaining top, bottom and side tracks and remove all of the screws, located in the center, to detach them from the home.

Install the New Door

• 7

  Look at the new sliding glass door for a thin metal strip along the sides and the top. Bend the metal upward to at least a 45-degree angle all the way around. Apply a 3/8-inch bead of exterior-grade caulk around the entire metal strip.

• 8

  Apply additional caulk along the lower threshold, placing it around the entire perimeter in a rectangular shape.

• 9

  Push the sliding glass door into the opening from the outside of the home. Insert a one-inch long masonry screw into the top center of the metal strip to hold it in place against the brick.

• 10

  Hold a level at the side of the sliding glass door to ensure it is level and then insert additional masonry screws around the perimeter of the metal strip, spacing them at three- to four-inch intervals.

• 11

  Reinstall all of the outer trim molding around the door opening using a power drill and additional masonry screws to penetrate the brick. Reinstall the inner trim molding using standard finishing nails and a hammer.

• 12

  Apply a 1/4-inch bead of caulk around the entire exterior perimeter of the door opening where it meets the brick to seal air gaps and prevent water leaks.