Specifications & Testing Data
| Frame material | Fibrex composite (100 Series); vinyl-clad wood (200 and 400 Series); fiberglass-clad wood (A-Series); aluminum-clad wood (E-Series) |
|---|---|
| Design pressure (DP) rating | Varies by line, size and sill; verify per unit at quote time |
| ENERGY STAR zones | Northern, North-Central |
| Glass options | Low-E4, Low-E4 SmartSun, Low-E4 Sun, Low-E4 with HeatLock, Tempered (standard on doors), Triple-pane (select lines) |
| Available styles | 2-panel gliding, 3-panel gliding, 4-panel gliding, Single hinged, Double hinged inswing, Double hinged outswing, 3-panel hinged with sidelights |
What Andersen's Patio Door Lineup Actually Is
Andersen builds patio doors in the same five tiers as its windows, and the door tier follows the window tier for a reason: the frame material, cladding and color palette are meant to match across a wall. The 100 Series door is Fibrex composite through and through. The 200 Series comes two ways — the Perma-Shield gliding door, with rigid vinyl cladding inside and out, and the Narroline gliding door, a pine-interior unit with the thinnest frame Andersen makes. The 400 Series Frenchwood door, hinged or gliding, is the volume seller: pine interior, vinyl exterior, and the wide traditional sash that makes a slider read as a French door. Above that, the A-Series wraps the wood in fiberglass and the E-Series in extruded aluminum with a 50-color exterior palette.
We install all of them. Most of our patio door work in the Treasure Valley is replacement — pulling a 1990s or 2000s builder-grade aluminum or vinyl slider out of a subdivision house in Meridian, Nampa or West Boise and putting a wood-core door in the same opening.
Configurations and Sizes
| Line | Frame material | Operation | Standard configurations | Price tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Series | Fibrex composite | Gliding | 2-panel, 5'/6'/8' wide; 6'8", 6'11", 8' tall | Entry |
| 200 Series Perma-Shield | Wood, vinyl inside and out | Gliding | 2-panel to 8' wide; 6'8", 6'11", 8' tall | Entry-plus |
| 200 Series Narroline | Pine interior, vinyl exterior | Gliding | 2- and 4-panel; thinnest frame | Entry-plus |
| 400 Series Frenchwood | Pine interior, Perma-Shield vinyl exterior | Gliding | Single, 2-panel (5'/6'/8'), 4-panel to 15'9¾" | Mid |
| 400 Series Frenchwood | Pine interior, Perma-Shield vinyl exterior | Hinged inswing (outswing available) | Single, 2-panel to 6', 3-panel 8'/9' | Mid |
| A-Series | Wood interior, fiberglass exterior | Hinged and gliding | Single through 4-panel to 15'10"; heights to 10' | Upper |
| E-Series | Wood interior, aluminum exterior | Hinged and gliding | Single, 2- and 4-panel gliding to 15'10¾"; 1-, 2-, 3-panel hinged | Upper |
The 100, 400, A-Series and E-Series doors are available in custom sizes in 1/8-inch increments. That matters more than it sounds: a 1994 slider opening is rarely a true 6-foot rough opening after two decades of settling, and a custom-sized door goes in without tearing into siding or drywall.
The Numbers That Matter
Patio doors carry NFRC labels just like windows, but a door is mostly glass, so the glass package drives the rating more than the frame does. Andersen's current 400 Series performance sheet lists center-of-glass values for Frenchwood doors — SHGC of 0.41 with Low-E4, 0.27 with Low-E4 SmartSun and 0.25 with Low-E4 Sun, with visible transmittance dropping from 72% to 65% to 40% across the same three. Those are center-of-glass figures, not whole-door NFRC ratings; total-unit U-factors depend on panel count and size and sit on each door's label. We quote them per unit rather than publish a range we can't stand behind.
Two practical rules from installing these: HeatLock, Andersen's room-side fourth-surface coating, buys a measurable U-factor improvement on a big door and is worth ordering on any north- or east-facing unit; SmartSun is the default we spec on anything facing west or south in the valley. Tempered glass is standard on patio doors by code, and triple-pane is available on select lines for homes chasing a lower number.
Thresholds, Sills and Idaho Weather
The sill is where patio doors fail in Idaho, not the glass. Snow drifts against a south- or north-facing slider, melts on a sunny afternoon, refreezes overnight, and the cycle works water into the sill-to-subfloor joint. Andersen's gliding sills are designed to drain to the exterior, and the Frenchwood hinged door uses an adjustable sill with a compression seal under the panels. What we add is the part the manufacturer can't: a sloped sill pan under the door, back dam toward the interior, sealed to the weather-resistive barrier, so meltwater that gets past the threshold goes out instead of down. On decks that sit near the interior floor level we push for a slightly raised threshold rather than a flush one for exactly this reason.
Where Each Line Fits in the Treasure Valley — and Where It Doesn't
The 400 Series Frenchwood door is the right answer for most replacement jobs on 1980s–2000s housing stock: it fits the 6- and 8-foot openings builders used, and the pine interior finishes to match existing trim. The 100 Series earns its place on rentals, ADUs and budget-driven replacements where a Fibrex door still beats the vinyl slider it replaces. A-Series and E-Series belong on custom builds and additions — 10-foot heights, 4-panel walls, dark exteriors that stay flat in August sun — and on foothills homes where the hinged A-Series seals against wind better than any gliding panel.
Where Andersen isn't the buy: if you want a very slim contemporary aluminum frame, Marvin's Modern or a thermally broken aluminum door is the closer match. If the budget is tight and the door faces a covered patio, a Milgard vinyl slider does the job for less. We carry both and will say so on the quote.
Warranty and Service, Locally
Andersen's Owner-to-Owner limited warranty covers glass for 20 years and non-glass components for 10 on its patio door lines, and it transfers to the next owner. Wood Windows Inc is an authorized Andersen dealer with 46 years in the Treasure Valley, and warranty service on a door we installed is handled by our own employees out of Garden City — a roller that drags in year eight or a panel that fogs gets fixed by the crew that hung it, not routed through a national call center.
Want the NFRC label numbers for the exact door and glass package you're considering? Request a quote on this page or call (208) 376-2200.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an Andersen patio door cost installed in Idaho?
Broadly: a 100 Series 6-foot gliding door typically lands in the low-to-mid four figures installed, a 400 Series Frenchwood gliding or hinged door in the mid-to-upper four figures, and A-Series or E-Series doors — especially 3- and 4-panel or 10-foot-tall units — run higher. Removing a failed builder slider and reframing a rotted sill adds to any of those. We quote each door line by line with the NFRC label attached.
Gliding or hinged: which is better for an Idaho patio door?
Hinged (French) doors seal tighter because the panels compress against weatherstrip like a casement window, which matters on windy, exposed lots. Gliding doors win on floor space, on decks where an outswing would hit furniture, and on cost. Both are available in every Andersen wood-core line, so pick the operation for the room and the series for the budget.
Is the 400 Series Frenchwood door better than the 200 Series Perma-Shield door?
The Frenchwood door has a wider, more traditional sash profile, more glass and hardware options, 3- and 4-panel configurations, and blinds-between-the-glass. The 200 Series Perma-Shield door is a simpler two-panel unit with vinyl inside and out at a lower price. If you want a door that looks like the 400 Series windows around it, buy Frenchwood; if it's a secondary door on a rental or a garage, the 200 Series is the honest answer.
Can Andersen patio doors be ordered in custom sizes?
Yes. The 100, 400, A-Series and E-Series doors are all available in custom widths and heights in 1/8-inch increments, which is how we fit a new door into a 1990s opening without reframing. Standard heights are 6'8", 6'11" and 8'; the A-Series goes to 10'.
Sources & Testing Data
Last reviewed 2026-09-10 by Wood Windows Inc — (208) 376-2200