I would not recommend doing that. Is there a reason you are not buying a French Door? Are you going to try it yourself?

Yes, trying it our selves. Door is a top of the line Pella door. Can't justify throwing it away.

Sell the door in CL and buy a new one?

What size is the door?
What material?

Existing size door is 5'8" wide (approx) and 78" tall. Wood door clad in aluminum from Pella. Mini blinds between the glass.

What is "CL" to sell door?

I would consider donating the door to Habitat for Humanity. http://www.habitat.org/getinv/materials_donations.aspx

I do not think you can change it into a French door easily. It will end up as a headache to do yourself. Without a proper seal, you may end up spending hours/days modifying just get rid of the door at the end anyway. Save yourself the nightmare, and just donate it.

As far as selling it on Craigslist, it will be very hard to do. You do not have a standard size, and the people looking for extra windows are DIYers that a wood clad product will probably not fit.

Not the answer we were looking for. The Pella door is worth about $4,000. Don't want to give away.

Call Pella. Maybe you can get some info there.

Sliding doors use a track system top and bottom, with grooved jambs to "close" door, French type doors use typical flat hinged jambs and slanted thresholds. Without removing existing door and replacing with new pre-framed door, it is nearly impossible, or extremely expensive. Sounds like you have a typical 6' slider which is a standard size, you just are not measuring at the full frame, but rather the doors themselves, which gives the 5'8"x78" measurement. You can try to resell but likely will not recoup cost.

The above pros are correct. Perhaps you can install grid to make your door appear to be a French door but it will not operate as a French door.

Yes I agree with "mint".
My slider has a built-in grid and everyone thinks they're French doors. I get compliments all the time.

18 month old post

How did you do it and where did you get the info? I have the same thing and I can see that it is not that hard but some info on the inners of the Pella door would help.

Jay here:
We ended up with a new set of French doors and sold our pella sliding door. Sorry can't help you.

Patios are a safety improvement over the sliding ones. Presuming that you would like to DIY yourself. I can suggest few simple measures for it. First remove the trim and pull the nails out. Measure the doors and purchase Pre-Hung French Doors . Level and center the French doors and secure them. The next step is to insulate the doors. Try putting insulation into cracks in the jambs. Install the trim we removed at the beginning. Next step is paint or stain doors if you do not prefer the natural wood look. At times they are easier said than done. If you have difficulty in undertaking the project seek help from experienced hands. Try landmark home solutions, a window and door installation service who might give you some easy tips to get it done.

Old post. Change complete.