In doing a flooring project I found that my patio door was leaking and needs to be replaced. I need to pick a new door in short order. My wife and I would like one which has a white metal (or other material) finish on the exterior and wood on the interior. I would stain it to match the rest of the house. It will take a standard 72 x 80 door. We are mainly considering the double swing door or single swing / fixed doors. We're also looking at sliders, but don't like as much. I'd like to keep the material cost of the door under $2k if I can.

Local stores seem to mainly quote the Jeld-wen Siteline EX and Andersen (400 series or 200 series). I've generally heard that the Andersen is a higher quality and more reliable door than the Jeld-wen. I've read that there can be some quality problems on Jeld-wen. But I've also read that Andersen can rot prematurely.

I was wondering if folks have any input on the true differences between them:

Is one significantly better made?

Is one significantly more aesthetically pleasing?

Is either more reliable?

Is the Andersen truly worth the extra money?

Does the Siteline EX more closely line up with the 400 series or the 200 series?


Any insight would be appreciated.