Doors and Windows - Vinyl Sliders/Windows vs Aluminum

:confused: To Whomever This May Concern:
I recently installed two sliding doors and two windows for my neighbor. The products were all vinyl by WindowMasters and appeared pretty staightforward to typical installation. Now, I'm not so sure. For the two sliders, one was standard six-foot length and the other nine feet long, with separate fixed panel (Incidentally, WindowMasters call the "slider" a "vent" panel. New vocabulary to me so thought I'd pass along). Anyway, both sliding doors came with six-inch-wide framing with that 1 1/2-inch vinyl "nailing" flange all the way around them. I'm used to screwing door and window frames into the structural framing of the house, so I cut off all the flanges. Besides, these doors and windows were going onto a typical 2 x 4, stick and frame home with T-11 siding. I also had to remove one jack stud on the jamb side of the six-foot door to accomodate the wider door frame, and two jack studs (one each side) on the nine-footer for the same reason. After widening the door stoop by cementing pressure-treated 2 x 4s to the foundation, both doors went in with wood shims and screws--three attach points on the verticals, four and six on top, four and six Tapcons into the fully supported base. They squared and plumbed good and work fine. My two sliding door questions are: Is vinyl framing supposed to be so darned flimsy? It seemed like the screws secured the framing into the wood shims and jack studs, but solid backing the entire distance of this framing would've been ideal. As you know, a perfectly square door frame is not common and, most likely, has to be shimmed. I just wonder if vinyl framing is designed for only an engineered fit. Second question: Did I blow it by removing those jack studs? This is a one-story home and both sliders are installed in load bearing walls on the long, eaved end. Both headers were 2 x 8s with sandwiched, plywood spacers and were each supported by two jack and one king studs either side. Now, the header for the six-foot slider is "normal" on one side but supported by only one jack and king stud on the jamb side. The longer, nine-footer is only supported by single jack and kings on either side. For the windows, the installation went relatively smooth with no modifications. I'm just uncomfortable with screwing into that flimsy vinyl framing...

Thanks for getting this far and Merry Christmas,

Joe Scott

Not familiar with Window Master products, but when you say "flimsy" in reference to the frames, that would lead me to believe that these probably something of a low end window and slider product. I have installed Amerimax and Milgard sliders and windows, and "flimsy" is not a word that comes to mind.

If you were installing these in a 2X4 wall, why weren't they odered for that application? Saves a lot of work trimming them out!

As far as removing the trimmer, or jack studs, you are OK as long as you left a trimmer (or jack) at each end of the header as well as the king stud, and these are all still nailed together.

Not knowing too much about the particular vinyl product manufacturer that you used, the "flimsiness" of the door usually is less of an issue with the nailing strips on it. Though there are applications in which the nailing strips need to be removed or cut back, they do act as a stiffener for the frame. Without them, securing the frame to the structure exposes the fastener without an obvious way to conceal it, like wood trim would do if the window frame was wood. Not to big of a deal. The second, and most important component of the nailing strip is that it provides the first line of defence for moisture seepage.