By the Gladiator Window & Doors Technical Team — factory-direct aluminum door specialists serving contractors, builders, and developers across the United States.

Sourcing sliding glass doors and bi-fold doors for a new construction project is a different discipline than a remodel replacement. Rough openings are still being framed, schedules are compressed, and a late or wrong-size order can stall an entire close-out. This guide walks contractors, builders, and developers through every decision point — when to order, how to specify custom sizes, what lead times to plan for, and how to coordinate delivery with framing — so your project stays on schedule and on budget.

When Should You Order Doors in a New Construction Timeline?

Place your door order no later than framing completion — ideally while interior rough framing is still underway — so the units arrive on-site before drywall, flooring, and trim close out your installation window.

Here is a phase-by-phase build timeline showing exactly where door procurement fits:

1. Design & Permit Phase (Weeks 1–4)
   Finalize rough opening dimensions with your architect or designer. Confirm door product type (sliding vs. bi-fold), panel count, and finish. This is the right moment to open a Gladiator wholesale account so trade pricing is in place before you submit your quote.
2. Foundation & Slab Phase (Weeks 5–10)
   Lock in your door specifications and submit your factory order. For large-format bi-fold or multi-slide openings, confirm the sill/threshold detail with your concrete sub before the pour. Low-profile flush-track systems require a recessed pocket — plan this now, not at trim-out.
3. Framing Phase (Weeks 10–16)
   Rough openings are cut. Your door order should already be in production. Use confirmed factory rough-opening specs (provided at order) to frame header and king stud layout. Do not frame to a guess — wait for the confirmed shop drawing.
4. Rough-In & Mechanical Phase (Weeks 16–20)
   Doors are typically in transit or staged. Coordinate delivery to arrive after exterior sheathing and weather barrier are installed but before drywall. This protects units on-site and allows glaziers or your crew to set frames while the building is still open.
5. Door Installation (Weeks 18–22)
   Frames are set, shimmed, flashed, and anchored. Glass panels are installed after frames are plumb and true. For bi-fold systems, panel alignment is calibrated at this stage — allow a half-day per opening for a clean commission.
6. Trim-Out & Final Phase (Weeks 22–28)
   Interior casing, sills, and hardware accessories are finished. Hardware commissioning and final adjustment happen at punch-list. Keep the factory spec sheet on-site so the install crew can reference pivot adjustment and track tolerances.

Rule of thumb: Add your Gladiator lead time (see below) to your framing completion date and back-calculate your order date. For most production builds, ordering at or before permit issuance eliminates schedule risk entirely.

Does Gladiator Manufacture Custom Sizes for New Construction?

Yes — every Gladiator sliding and bi-fold door is built to order at our Jacksonville, Florida factory, so custom widths, heights, and panel counts are standard, not upcharges.

Key sizing parameters for new construction planning:

• Bi-fold doors: Available in 2- to 10-panel configurations. Individual panel widths range from approximately 24 in. to 36 in., allowing total opening widths from roughly 4 ft. to 30+ ft. in a single run. Stack direction (left or right) is specified at order.
• Sliding / multi-slide doors: Panel widths up to approximately 60 in. per panel; total system widths scalable by adding panels or pocket configurations. Heights up to 10 ft. are common; taller units are available — confirm with our team at specification stage.
• Glass: 6 mm tempered or laminated glass is standard across all systems. Dual- or triple-pane insulated glass units (IGUs) are available with NFRC-rated U-factors and SHGC values — critical for Florida energy code compliance and impact-rated applications.
• Frame finish: Powder-coated aluminum in matte black, dark grey RAL 7016, white RAL 9010, or bronze anodized. Finish is selected at order; no field painting required.
• Impact & hurricane glazing: For Florida and coastal projects, specify impact-rated laminated glass at order. This satisfies Florida Building Code requirements and eliminates the need for separate storm shutters on the opening.

What to submit at order: rough opening width × height, panel count preference, stack direction, finish, glass spec (clear, low-e, impact), and threshold style (standard or flush/recessed). Our team issues a confirmed shop drawing within a few business days — frame to that drawing, not to the nominal dimensions.

What Are the Lead Times for Factory-Direct Doors?

Gladiator's current lead times for custom-manufactured sliding and bi-fold doors run approximately 4–8 weeks from order confirmation, depending on configuration complexity and current production volume. Large multi-opening projects or orders with non-standard glass specifications may run toward the longer end — confirm at the time of order.

Compare that against the sourcing realities builders encounter with dealer-network or distributor-stocked systems:

Sourcing Path	Typical Lead Time	Custom Sizing	Pricing Transparency	Shipping
Gladiator (factory-direct)	4–8 weeks	Standard — every unit custom	Direct trade pricing, no middleman markup	Free nationwide
Dealer-network aluminum systems	8–16 weeks (custom); distributor stock limited	Available but often upcharged	Dealer margin layered on top of list price	Freight quoted separately
Wood-clad folding door systems	10–20 weeks	Available; significant upcharges common	High list price; discount varies by rep	Freight quoted separately
Imported thin-frame aluminum systems	6–14 weeks (port delays variable)	Limited standard sizes; custom on request	Varies; warranty and support inconsistent	Freight; customs delays possible

Why factory-direct matters for your schedule: When you order through a dealer chain, each handoff adds days or weeks of administrative lag before the factory even starts production. Gladiator's direct relationship means your specs go straight to the production floor, and our team contacts you directly if any clarification is needed — no telephone-game delays.

Free nationwide shipping is included on all Gladiator orders. Units ship freight-protected on custom pallets; coordinate a delivery appointment with our logistics team so your site is ready to receive.

How Do You Coordinate Door Specs With Framing?

Frame to the confirmed shop drawing — never to the door's nominal or catalog size. This single discipline prevents the majority of new construction door problems.

Rough Opening Protocol

• Width: Gladiator provides exact rough opening width at order confirmation. For bi-fold systems, this accounts for the full panel stack plus frame perimeter. Add the framer's standard shim space (typically ½ in. per side) only if the shop drawing instructs it — our ROs are already dimensioned for field conditions.
• Height: Rough opening height should accommodate the frame, threshold, and any sill dam or recessed track pocket. Confirm finished floor material and thickness with your flooring sub before finalizing — a flush threshold in tile vs. hardwood vs. concrete requires different sill block heights.
• Header sizing: Large-format openings (20 ft.+) require engineered headers. Your structural engineer should be involved at permit stage. Gladiator can provide load data for the door system on request.
• Threshold & track: For flush/recessed low-profile track installations, coordinate the pocket depth with your concrete or framing sub before the floor is poured or subfloor is down. Retrofit corrections are expensive; a 10-minute conversation at slab stage prevents them.

Flashing & Weather Barrier

Set frames after the exterior weather barrier (housewrap, fluid-applied, or peel-and-stick) is installed, then flash over the nailing fin or frame perimeter per local code and manufacturer instruction. In Florida coastal zones, follow FBC flashing requirements for impact-rated openings. A proper flash-and-drain detail is required to maintain the door's impact certification.

Multi-Opening & Ganged Configurations

For projects with multiple adjacent door openings (e.g., a great room plus a primary suite running in sequence), order all units in a single purchase. This ensures finish lot consistency — powder coat color can vary slightly between production runs, and matching units ordered months apart is not guaranteed. Ganged openings also require coordinated structural posts between openings; confirm post sizing with your structural engineer against Gladiator's frame dimensions.

Glazier & Subcontractor Coordination

Gladiator doors are designed for installation by a competent framing or glazing crew — no specialist-only tools required. Provide your glazier or install crew with the factory spec sheet and shop drawing before mobilization. For impact-rated units, retain the product approval documentation on-site for the building inspector. Our technical team is available by phone (904-822-1078) to walk crews through any installation question.

What Specs Should Contractors Lock In Before Ordering?

Use this checklist before submitting any new construction door order to avoid revision delays:

• ☐ Confirmed rough opening width and height (from structural drawings, not architectural schematic)
• ☐ Panel count and configuration (bi-fold: 2–10 panels; sliding: 2–6 panels typical)
• ☐ Stack direction (left or right)
• ☐ Finish color (matte black, dark grey RAL 7016, white RAL 9010, bronze anodized)
• ☐ Glass specification (clear tempered, low-e, impact-rated laminated, dual-pane IGU)
• ☐ Threshold type (standard raised, low-profile flush, or ADA-compatible)
• ☐ Impact/hurricane rating required? (Florida coastal zones: yes by code)
• ☐ Delivery address and site contact for freight coordination
• ☐ Target on-site date — work back to confirm order date vs. lead time

If you are managing multiple projects simultaneously, a Gladiator wholesale account gives you a dedicated trade contact, consolidated invoicing, and priority scheduling across your project pipeline. Contractors sourcing three or more projects per year consistently find that factory-direct trade accounts eliminate the distributor lag that pushes installations past substantial completion dates.

For complementary openings — kitchen pass-throughs, bar windows, or covered outdoor living transitions — also review our folding passthrough windows and aluminum pergola systems, both of which can be specified and ordered on the same timeline as your primary door package.

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Sell Gladiator doors at a wholesale price. Factory-direct aluminum sliding, bi-fold, and pivot doors — premium aluminum, 6mm glass, low-profile tracks, no upcharges, shipped nationwide. Contractors, builders, designers, and retailers get trade pricing and real support.

Apply for a Reseller & Wholesale Account · Call 904-822-1078