Andersen gliding patio doors, including the 200 and 400 Series Perma-Shield and Frenchwood lines, have a wood core with a vinyl or fiberglass exterior. The panels weigh more than a vinyl slider, so the rollers carry more load and wear sooner in a busy doorway. We replace them with Andersen-specific rollers, clean the track and reset the height so the door glides and locks again.
What we see on these doors
- Heavy wood-core panels that have settled onto worn rollers and drag on the sill
- Lock hooks that miss the keeper once the panel drops a quarter inch
- Doors fitted with a generic roller that never matched the Andersen housing
- Pile weatherstrip and bottom sweeps worn through on coastal homes
- Interior wood swelling where water has been getting past a tired sill or weatherstrip
Where Andersen doors are in San Diego
Andersen gliding doors show up where someone chose the door rather than took the builder standard: custom and semi-custom homes, remodels, and the higher-end coastal neighborhoods. We see them often in La Jolla, Point Loma, Coronado, Del Mar and the newer custom homes of Carmel Valley and Rancho Bernardo.
Andersen calls them gliding doors rather than sliders. The Perma-Shield and Frenchwood lines in the 200 and 400 Series are the ones we meet most, and the Frenchwood doors are easy to spot because the sliding panel is styled like a hinged French door with wide stiles and rails.
Many of these doors were installed during remodels, so a 1970s house in Point Loma can easily have a 2010s Andersen door in the back wall.
How to identify an Andersen door
Open the door and look at the edge of the sliding panel for an Andersen label or stamp. Then look at the inside of the frame: Andersen gliding doors have a wood interior, either stained or painted, while the outside is clad in vinyl or fiberglass with no visible wood.
The Andersen name is often etched in a corner of the glass next to the tempered mark. The hardware is a second clue, because Andersen handle sets and rollers are their own designs rather than the generic parts most vinyl doors share.
Frenchwood doors look like French doors that happen to slide, with wide wood stiles and rails around the glass. Perma-Shield doors have a slimmer frame with the same wood interior. If you cannot find a label, send us a photo of the inside corner of the panel and the handle and we will tell you what you have.
Need an Andersen door repair this week?
Call or text with your address, how many doors and what the door is doing. You get a firm price before we come out.
What wears out on an Andersen gliding door
Weight is the story. A wood-core panel with a double-pane tempered glass unit puts far more load on two roller assemblies than a vinyl slider does, so the wheels and bearings wear sooner in a kitchen door that opens fifty times a day. When they go, the panel drops and the door becomes hard to slide.
The drop also takes the lock out of play. The hook in the mortise lock sits a fraction lower than the keeper and the door will not lock even though the handle feels fine.
On the coast we also replace pile weatherstrip and bottom sweeps that salt air and sun have worn to the backing, which shows up as drafts and water on the floor. Left alone, that water finds the wood interior, which is the one part of an Andersen door that does not like getting wet.
Parts and what we carry
Andersen doors take Andersen-specific roller assemblies, not the tandem rollers that fit vinyl sliders. We match the roller to the series and the panel after seeing the door, which is why a photo of the bottom corner of the panel before the visit matters more on an Andersen than on any other brand.
For homes near the water we fit stainless steel rollers so salt air cannot pit the wheels. For heavy panels we use steel ball-bearing wheels rated for the load. Both are set with the adjustment screws at the bottom corners of the panel once the door is re-hung.
Handle sets and mortise locks on these doors are also Andersen designs. We source matching hardware or a compatible mortise lock and keeper and confirm the fit before we order. We carry pile weatherstrip and sweeps for the sill. The heavier panels are a two-person lift, and we plan the visit that way.
Repair or replace an Andersen door
Repair. An Andersen gliding door is a well-built, expensive door, and new rollers, a cleaned track and a reset keeper bring it back for a fraction of what a replacement panel costs. Our roller replacement covers it, with heavy and stainless options for coastal homes.
Fogged glass is a glass job, not a door job: the insulated glass unit is replaced inside the existing frame, measured and quoted separately. See glass replacement.
The one thing that changes the answer is water damage to the wood core. If the bottom rail is soft, the stiles have swollen, or the interior finish has lifted from years of leaks, the panel may be past saving and we will tell you so. Our repair or replace guide covers how to check.
Andersen door repair across San Diego
We repair Andersen gliding doors across the county, with most calls coming from the coast: La Jolla, Point Loma, Coronado, Pacific Beach, Del Mar, Encinitas and Carlsbad, plus the custom and remodeled homes inland in Carmel Valley, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo and Poway.
Coastal Andersen doors get stainless rollers as a matter of course, because the bearings in a plain steel wheel pit within a few years of salt air. Read why in our stainless versus standard roller guide. Inland doors do fine on steel ball-bearing rollers rated for the panel weight. Either way the price for a standard two-panel door is on our pricing page; oversized panels are quoted after a photo.
Andersen: common questions
How do I know if my sliding door is an Andersen?
Check the edge of the sliding panel for an Andersen label and look at the inside of the frame. Andersen gliding doors have a wood interior with a vinyl or fiberglass exterior, and the name is often etched in a corner of the glass. Frenchwood doors look like French doors that slide, with wide wood stiles and rails.
Why does my Andersen gliding door drag so badly?
Weight. Andersen panels have a wood core and a double-pane tempered glass unit, so they load the rollers far harder than a vinyl slider. When the wheels or bearings wear, the panel drops onto the sill and you are pushing the whole weight of the door. New Andersen-specific rollers and a height adjustment fix it in one visit.
Do Andersen doors use the same rollers as other sliding doors?
No. Andersen rollers are their own design and the housing in the panel is sized for them. A generic tandem roller forced into an Andersen panel sits wrong and wears out fast. We match the roller to the series after seeing the door, and fit stainless versions on coastal homes.
My Andersen door will not lock. What is wrong?
Most often the panel has dropped on worn rollers and the hook inside the mortise lock no longer reaches the keeper on the jamb. New rollers and a height adjustment usually fix the lock without touching it. If the handle is loose or the hook is broken, we replace the Andersen handle set or fit a compatible mortise lock and keeper.
Can you fix the fogged glass in an Andersen door?
Yes. Fog between the panes means the seal of the insulated glass unit has failed. The unit is replaced inside your existing Andersen frame with tempered safety glass, and the frame, rollers and hardware stay. Glass is measured on site and quoted separately because each unit is ordered to size.
More answers on the FAQ page. Not sure what your door has? Send us a photo and we will tell you.
Where we work on these doors
We cover all of San Diego County, usually within the week. Some of the places we work:
Related guides
- Stainless vs Standard Sliding Door Rollers in Coastal San Diego – Steel, nylon or stainless rollers: which your sliding door needs, why salt air within a mile of the coast matters, and where the upgrade pays off.
- Repair or Replace Your Sliding Glass Door? An Honest Decision Guide – When a $250 to $400 repair brings a 40-year-old aluminum slider back, when the frame, glass or track means replacement, and typical costs for both.
- Signs Your Sliding Door Needs New Rollers (And Two-Minute Checks) – Symptoms of worn sliding door rollers in order of certainty, the two-minute checks you can do safely, and how to tell when the track is the real problem.
Ready to get the door gliding again?
Call or text for a straight answer and a price before we come out. Mon to Sat 7am to 6pm.