For an entry-level door, the 100-Series exceeds expectations: it’s low-maintenance, glides smoothly, and offers impressive energy-efficiency thanks to its Fibrex construction. But is it the right patio door for you? 

In this Andersen 100-Series Patio Door full product review, we’ll discuss the door’s key features, advantages and disadvantages, and whether or not you should get it for your home. 

What You Need To Know About The Andersen 100-Series Patio Door 

The Anderson 100-Series Patio Door is an excellent entry-level door that combines durability, energy efficiency, and attractive no-frills design in an affordable package. Here’s what you should know about the Anderson 100-Series Patio Door: 

Built with Durable Fibrex Material

Most entry-level patio doors are made of vinyl, which is susceptible to warping or fading from heat and sunlight, and is a lot less durable than other options. The Anderson 100-Series Patio Door doesn’t have that issue because it’s built from Fibrex material, consisting of 40% wood fiber and 60% thermoplastic polymer.

Fibrex material is twice as strong as vinyl and resists warping, fading, and deterioration caused by extreme temperatures. 

It also maintains its appearance over time without the need for frequent upkeep. Its factory-applied color doesn’t peel, blister, or chip, so you don’t have to worry about painting it over every other year like traditional wood. 

Another great feature is energy efficiency. The material’s thermal insulating properties block heat transfer nearly 700 times better than aluminum, keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. 

Highly Customizable to Fit Your Style 

The Andersen 100-Series Patio Door can be customized to fit your style and preference. For one, it’s available in five interior and exterior colors, including darker shades like dark bronze and black, which you won’t find in most vinyl windows.  

Customization extends to hardware, too. You can choose from two styles—Afton and Tulsa—each available in six different finish options. We’ll go more in-depth about the hardware styles in the later sections of this review. 

You’re limited to a two-panel setup (one side slides, the other is fixed), but you can pick door widths of 5’, 6’, and 8’, and heights of 6’8”, 6’11”, and 8”. Custom sizes are also available in ⅛-inch increments to fit into almost any rough opening without the need for custom framing. 

As for the glass, you have several options. 

You can get Andersen’s SmartSun low-E coating, which blocks 95% of harmful UV rays and drops the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) to 0.27—perfect for warmer or sun-exposed climates. 

If the patio faces the street or a rowdy neighbor’s house, you can opt for sound-reducing glass panels that reduce noise by up to 30%. 

And that’s only two of the options available—other options include the PassiveSun Glass, which is ideal for colder climates; the Sun Glass, which features a subtle tint to help reduce sun glare; and HeatLock Technology, designed to improve thermal performance. 

The bottom line is that the Andersen 100-Series Patio Door offers plenty of customization options, more than your standard entry-level patio door. If you’re unsure of what to get, one of our representatives can make the choice for you. 

Highlights of the Andersen 100-Series Patio Door

Here’s what makes the Andersen 100-Series Patio Door a good pick for most homes: 

Smooth Operation 

The Anderson 100-Series Patio door smoothly glides open with the touch of two fingers. 

Andersen uses a stainless-steel tandem roller set (four wheels per panel) that rides on an extruded aluminum track. 

The axles are sealed bearings, so they don’t collect grit and start grinding like the plastic rollers you see on box-store sliders. 

And because the panel is Fibrex, it’s lighter than wood but stiffer than vinyl, so the frame stays square and the rollers stay in line season after season. 

If it starts acting up, a quick sweep of the track with the vacuum and a shot of silicone spray is all it takes to keep it sliding like new. 

The door is originally 2 pounds, but we can add an additional panel onto the other side to turn it into a three-pound door if you’re looking for something with a bit more weight and resistance. 

Low-Maintenance

The Anderson 100-Series Patio is extremely low-maintenance, both due to its design and construction quality. The Fibrex composite won’t rot, swell, or need scraping or painting like wood, and it won’t fade or get chalky like cheap vinyl. 

The frame corners are fusion-welded, not screwed, so they can’t loosen and let air sneak in. 

When it rains, water drains through the one-piece aluminum sill and the built-in weep holes. 

Inside the pocket, dual-felt weather-stripping wipes the panel clean every time you slide it, and the sealed stainless rollers rarely ever need oiling. 

20-Year Warranty 

The Anderson 100-Series Patio Door has one of the best patio door warranties in the industry, with a 20-year glass warranty and a 10-year components warranty. 

On top of that, if you have the patio door installed with Michigan Screen & Window, you get an additional 10-year repair warranty for glass replacements and a 20-year service warranty for service work and minor repairs.

Energy Star and WDMA Hallmark Certification

Another reason to choose the Anderson 100-Series Patio Door is that it holds both Energy-Star and WDMA Hallmark certifications. 

Energy Star certification is awarded to home products that meet strict energy efficiency standards, allowing homeowners to save money on energy bills and protect the environment. 

Meanwhile, a WDMA Hallmark certification verifies that the door has been independently tested for structural integrity, air and water performance, and overall performance. 

In other words, the door isn’t only energy-efficient but also durable and weather-resistant. 

Solid Hardware  

When purchasing the Anderson 100-Series Patio Door, you can choose from one of two hardware trim kits: Tulsa or Afton. 

Tulsa is the standard trim option featuring a classic, straightforward design with finishes that match the door’s interior and exterior colors. The Afton hardware features a more contemporary, sleek handle with finishes that include antique brass, black, bright brass, and satin nickel.

Outside aesthetic, the hardware on both is the same in terms of function and security. They’re both durable and come with a reliable two-point locking system that tightens the door against the frame for weather protection and security. 

Multiple Glass Options 

The Andersen 100-Series Door is available in five different glass variants: 

• Low-E / Low-E4® Glass: Features a high-performance Low-E coating that helps reduce energy bills by reflecting heat inside during winter and blocking solar heat in summer. It also provides UV protection to prevent interior fading. 
• SmartSun™ Glass: Adds a 3rd Low-E layer and a 95% UV block, designed to block the intense afternoon sun. 
• Sun Glass: A tinted glass option that reduces glare and solar heat gain for additional comfort in sunny climates; made for south- or west-facing walls that bake all afternoon. 
• PassiveSun® Glass: Clear-looking Low-E that lets more solar warmth in, ideal for cold Northern zones where free winter heat is welcome. 
• HeatLock® Technology: Features a special coating applied to the room-side glass surface that reflects interior heat into the home. You can add this technology to any of the aforementioned glass panels for extra cold-weather performance. 

Drawbacks of The Andersen 100-Series Patio Door 

Here are some aspects we don’t love about the Andersen 100-Series Patio Door: 

No Wooden Finish  

The Anderson 100-Series Patio Door doesn’t come with wooden or stained finishes. If you’re set on the look of natural wood, you’d need to upgrade to the 200 or 400 Series doors, which do offer wooden finishes but at a significantly higher price point. The closest you can get to a wood-like appearance in the 100 Series is Dark Bronze or the lighter Sandstone. 

Doesn’t Hold Up In Extreme Weather 

The Andersen 100 Series performs well in most climates, but it’s not designed for areas with heavy wind, rain, or snow loads. 

While the door does have weep holes to drain water toward the bottom, prolonged or heavy rain can introduce debris that clogs the drainage system. When that happens, the water has nowhere to go; it sits in the rail, freezes overnight, and the next morning the panel is frozen to the track, or the rollers won’t turn. 

So if you live on the coast or where blizzards stack snow above the sill, you’ll want a 400-Series with a deeper, reinforced sill and better drainage. 

Not Available In Triple-Pane Glass Options 

Triple-pane glass is only available on Andersen’s A-Series, E-Series, 400 Series, and select 200 Series Patio Doors, which is a shame because triple-pane glass offers 20 to 30% better insulation compared to standard dual-pane glass. It also reduces noise by as much as 50%, making it ideal for homes in noisy neighborhoods and colder regions. 

The 100-Series is limited to dual-pane options, which isn’t bad in temperate climates but less desirable for homeowners looking for maximum energy efficiency and soundproofing. 

Limited Configuration Options

Unlike the 200 and 400 Series, which offer hinged French doors and multi-panel sliding configurations, the 100-Series is only available in two-panel configurations. 

You also can’t swap the active panel from left to right once the unit is built. The roller track and lock stile are factory-set, so if you find that traffic flow works better the other way, you’ll need to order a whole new door. 

Limited Hardware Finishes 

With the Series 100, you’re locked into two kits: Tulsa (color-matched outside / white or sand inside) or Afton (same finish both sides in six stock colors). 

That doesn’t seem too bad until you find out that the 200 and 400 Series offers dozens of hardware styles, including the Baldwin, Emtek, and Ashley Norton. These kits have numerous handle designs and finishes such as oil-rubbed bronze, satin nickel, bright brass, distressed bronze, and others.  

Modest Impact and DP Rating 

Another limitation of the Anderson 100-Series Patio Door is its performance rating. The standard unit tops out at a DP-30 (Design Pressure) rating, which measures resistance to wind pressure, air leakage, and water infiltration. 

A DP-30 rating means the door resists 30 pounds per square foot of wind pressure. It isn’t bad, per se; it’s more than enough for inland or temperate regions like Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Kansas. However, it falls short in areas with stricter building codes or harsher conditions. 

If you live in a coastal state like Florida or Texas, where codes may require DP-50 ratings or even missile-impact certification to withstand hurricanes and flying debris, the 100-Series won’t meet the requirements. 

You’re better off with the 400-Series or A-series, which have higher structural ratings and impact-resistant glass for storm protection. 

Is the Andersen 100-Series Patio Door Right for You?

The decision on whether or not the 100 Series Patio Door is right for you all comes down to where you live and what you expect from a patio door. 

If you want a durable, low-maintenance, energy-efficient sliding door at an affordable price (around $3,000 with installation), the 100 Series is an excellent choice. 

But if you’re looking for a patio door that protects you from extreme weather conditions or need greater design flexibility, you’re better off upgrading to the 200, 400, A-, or E-Series. 

Michigan Screen’s Final Verdict

The Andersen 100 Series Patio Door is a no-frills, entry-level option designed for homeowners who want reliability and energy efficiency at a budget-friendly price. 

It doesn’t come with the premium features and customization options found in Anderson’s higher-end lines, but it makes up for it with durable Fibrex construction, solid performance in moderate climates, and straightforward style choices. 

It’s simple, operates well, and is low-maintenance. 

Overall, the Andersen 100 Series Patio Door falls right in the middle of vinyl and fancy wooden doors with tons of different finishes, a sweet spot that works for many people.  

Our Rating of Andersen 100 Series Patio Doors

We rate the Anderson 100 Series Patio door a solid 7.5 out of 10. It’s not our favorite door in the Andersen line, but it’s a fantastic door that ticks all the right boxes. 

Just make sure to get the right contractors to put it in. Don’t cheap out on the installation and the door will serve you for many years.