Sliding doors, whether they are wood, vinyl, fiberglass, or aluminum, fasten to a building more like a window than like a hinged door. Because the weight of a sliding door remains within the plane of the wall, there is no lateral loading on the jamb of the door unit. Sliding doors are therefore supported on the sill and can be attached to the building like windows—through the casing or with a nailing fin. As with sliding windows most sliding-door manufacturers recommend not fastening the nailing fin at the head because header deflection can impede door operation.
Sliding doors are trimmed to the finish materials of the wall in the same way as swinging doors and windows (see 92-94).
HEADER SEE 68-70 SHEATHING
DOOR WRAP IF EXPOSED TO WEATHER SEE 89
NAILING Fin on
sheathing & under moisture BARRIER
SIDING
caulk SEE 106
flashing if exposed to weather SEE 103b & c
insulate rough-opening cavity.
jamb extender to make jamb flush with interior
WALL FINISH
