Alside Promenade Sliding Doors are produced for the eastern market and are often called the Alside 6400 door model. If you’re on the west coast you’ll want to look for the 6500 Promenade review. The 6400 vs 6500 doors are very similar.
In addition to the review we’ll also answer common questions about the Alside Promenade doors. If you have a question that isn’t answered just post a comment below and we’ll do our best to help out.
Why did Alside make the Promenade sliding door?
For many years Alside offered a different model of sliding door called the 6100 series door. That model was very popular with customers, salesmen and installers. When they announced the newer Promenade door nobody was quite sure why it existed.
I remember talking with the Alside factory salesman at the time and he wasn’t so sure why it existed either. Over time that became more clear.
The Alside Promenade sliding doors are available in a wider range of configurations including contemporary, classic and French styles. They’re also available with internal blinds and they have more hardware finish options. Basically it’s just a newer door with a newer design and more available options.
What is the difference between the Contemporary, Classic and French style?
This is the most common question we get about this door and the answer is easy. The difference is in the dimensions of the sashes. We’ll put some pictures below to illustrate the difference.
Just ignore the fact that these pictures are a little low-res. You should be able to see what we’re talking about. When comparing the pictures above, focus on the glass size and the size of the sash frames. The grids are different too, but that’s an option and not really relevant to the different frame styles.
You can see how the French style door uses the thicker frames with smaller glass area to look like a french door. This is a style Andersen used in sliding doors for many years and Alside started offering it a few years ago.
Is the price the same between the different styles of Promenade door?
No. The Contemporary will be the lower cost option with the classic and French styles adding to the overall cost. You’ll probably see the French style adding about $800 to the cost of the contemporary and the classic will be in between.
Are Alside Promenade doors available with internal blinds?
Yes. We have an entire post coming soon on the Alside doors with interior blinds. This option is available in the Promenade doors as long as you’re ordering a standard size. Blinds are not available in custom sized doors.
The blinds in these doors will raise and tilt and they have a 20 year warranty which is much better than the warranty you’ll see from most other manufacturers. That doesn’t necessarily mean the blinds will hold up better, but it means someone at Alside thinks they will.
Will Promenade doors qualify for federal tax credits?
They can. If you order a qualifying glass package the doors will qualify for the federal tax credits. The requirements for doors are less stringent than they are for windows so it’s easier to qualify. You can usually qualify with double pane glass while windows commonly need triple pane glass.
Alside does offer their fancy, and strangely capitalized ClimaTech PriME glass packages in the doors. If you order that package the glass in the door will match the glass in your windows. That’s nice, but it’s often not required to get the tax credit for sliding doors.
What sizes are available for the Alside Promenade doors?
The Promenade sliding doors are available in both standard and custom sizes. They can be ordered in 2, 3 or 4 panel configurations. The min size is 4′ wide x 6′ tall and the max size is 12′ wide x 8′ tall.
The standard sized doors will cost less and they’ll arrive much faster so it’s usually a good idea to use a standard sized door when possible.
In the picture above you can see the standard sizes for Promenade doors. Notice there are standard heights of 6’8″ and 8′. Newer houses will commonly have 8 foot tall sliding doors. They made this a standard height for this model which means it costs less than a custom door and it’ll arrive much faster. This is a great benefit to this model.
What’s the bottom line?
Overall this is a pretty solid door option. Sometimes installers don’t love it as there is a lot to assemble, but once they’ve installed a few it’s not a big deal. There are many hardware options, interior blinds are available and it’s covered by a lifetime warranty.
This is a door model that many people will be happy with and it’s one my company has offered with great success.
Other posts relating to Alside windows and doors that you might find helpful:
- Can you by Alside windows and doors online?
- Alside 6100 door reviews
- Mezzo window reviews
- Alside Patio Door warranty information
- Alside window complaints
- Who are the best window companies in your town
How can you find a great window company?
When shopping for windows I do always suggest finding a great installation company before you fall in love with any particular window model. There are plenty of great window options out there. Not as many local companies are great to work with.
To know which companies to avoid you can find common window sales tactics here. That’s become one of the most popular sections on the site.
Remember, for more great window company info you can find our suggestions for the best local companies right here.
There’s no need to work with a company that gives you the run-around or makes the process difficult. There are plenty of fish in the sea as they say. The best way to get started is to check out our list of great window companies here.
Find the best replacement window reviews on the entire internet right here.
I have the Allside Promenade sliding door and was installed on July 8, 2020.
The end cap on the sliding door keeps coming off. The installer says the wheels need adjustment because of weather. That is a $150.00 charge. I would not have purchased if I had known about this requirment.
Do I have faulty install or is the door just not maintenance free?
Thanks.
Jim
Well, the wheels generally get adjusted when the door is installed. It’s pretty unlikely that someone crawled up under there with a screwdriver to change the adjustment since the install so I’d say it could have been done better originally. It’s certainly possible that changes in the weather or maybe very heavy usage require another adjustment, but it shouldn’t be an ongoing thing. It should be something that is setup correctly once and then works correctly forever. You can probably just ask them how to adjust it and do it yourself. It’s a helpful skill to learn and it’s pretty simple.
Hi – the company I’m working with quoted me a Gentek Sanctuary classic door with internal blinds. When the measurements where taken today that guy said he had down it was a 6400 series door, he said they are basically the same thing. Is that true? Is one better than the other?
The Gentek model number is 6400. The Gentek and Alside patio doors are the same and they are very nice. Some of the nicest patio doors available today. Let me know if you have any specific questions about anything.
Typically the person measuring is just measuring rather than specifying which products are ordered. I’m sure if you ordered a Gentek order you’ll get the Gentek door. Doesn’t sound like a big deal to me.