My double entry doors are well-built and in great condition. The house was built in 72 and they're original. They're quite thick (1'3/4") solid wood with originally three carved wooden inserts in each. The POs removed the top wooden insert in each of the doors and replaced it with very ugly stained glass. I would like to replace all 6 inserts with clear glass to change the look, bring light into my dark entry and let me see the beautiful view out my front door. My home cannot be seen from the street so privacy is not an issue. I have the door inserts that were removed, and they each measure 17x18" and are 7/8" thick.

So.... I had a glass person come over and he took quite awhile evaluating the project and came up with the following. He'll replace each insert with double paned, tempered glass that has a dual seal. He was on the fence as to how thick each piece of glass should be (1/8, 3/16 or 1/4). Now remember, it will be two pieces of tempered glass with air in between--or however they make them. His concerns were how heavy they would be and such. He then went to the company that would actually make the units and they recommended 1/8" pieces. Apparently since the windows are relatively small the "wave" issue that can be seen in large windows that are 1/8" won't be a problem. He said he'll have them made any depth I want but that that is the experts' advice.

So what do you all think? I have no idea what my Anderson sliders are in terms of thickness. What IS the standard? Pros and cons? I'm looking for as much insulation as feasible for the dimensions I have available. Remember, the final window should end up being 7/8" thick.

If you've read this far, thanks. And if you can offer any advice, thanks even more!

The waviness the glass installer mentioned is a tempering issue. No tempered glass is perfectly flat. The tempering process introduces a certain amount of "wave" into the product. For the most part, few people even notice it, and when you do your eye pretty much ignores it because you see it everywhere and it isn't usually a big deal.

At the size you are talking about you really shouldn't notice it at all.

One other thought though. Obviously it is simply an issue of personal taste, but I personally like a bit of waviness in the glass used for a large, substantial door. I am a long way from any sort of designer or anything of the sort, but I think that using perfectly clear glass in a big, heavy door causes a certain "imbalance" in the look of the door - unless the glass is quite small in relation to the rest of the door size. Just a personal observation - and like most opinions we all have one.

Oh, and Mike, the plan is to have the final window be 7/8" thick so I can still trim it out on the inside with the same type of molding that exists now.

Thanks again!