Header Above Sliding Glass Door

Doors in a load bearing wall that holds the weight of the house created by beams and trusses need a larger header than those in non load bearing walls.

Header above sliding glass door. We are installing a new 6 sliding glass door to replace an existing window. The header is usually made out of dimensional lumber installed on its edge. If you have a floor above you ll need 2 2x6 s unless the building is 36 wide in which case you ll need 2 2x8 s. So for piece of mind i am leaning toward replacing the header to avoid future problems.

For header spans see tables r502 5 1 and r502 5 2. Together the headers king studs and trimmers act as a system that transfers weight from above down and around the window and door openings to the floor and foundation below. A typical header width with single jack studs is cut 3 larger than the rough opening. However all the header sizing tables i have seen require 2 2x10 for this size opening.

The longer the distance a header spans and the heavier the load it supports the more substantial it needs to be. The header for a door is much like a bridge transferring the weight above it to the floor and foundation below. A 36 door has a rough opening width of 38 so your header is cut at 41. Window and door header requirements.

Calculating window and door header requirements is complicated because they depend on a variety of factors including the size of the opening the weight of everything above it snow loads if it s an interior or exterior wall and more.