Our home is a sanctuary that provides us warmth and comfort. Thus, you can not just sit back and relax after knowing that something is broken in your house.
Though it’s best to ask a professional to do repairs in your home, learning some repair skills is beneficial for you. It’s advantageous when there’s no available expert to do an urgent repair in your home. You can do minor sliding door repair by yourself, and that’s what we’re going to discuss in this article.
Many homeowners use sliding doors since they do wonders in filling your home with natural light. Sliding doors also help in getting fresh air circulating throughout the house. They’re indeed integral to the design of your home. Hence, assuring that they’re safe and properly working should be given utmost priority.
It’s hard to open sliding doors when the wheels are out of adjustment or the tracks get dirty. Here are some simple steps in sliding/swing door repair.
Firstly, you have to prepare all the tools and materials required.
For the tools, you’ll need:
- 4-in-1 screwdriver
- Allen wrench
- Corded drill
- Pry bar
- Rags
- Screen roller
- Utility knife
The materials required are:
- A premium replacement screen door
- Replacement rollers
- Silicone lubricant
Once you’re done gathering all the materials and tools needed, you can start your sliding door repair project.
STEP 1
Use a screwdriver or Allen wrench to lift or lower the door on the track. Find the two adjusting screws at the bottom of the door and pry off their trim caps cover. These screws are usually located at the face or edge of the door. Check if the door still sticks. If yes, do a quarter turn on both screws to raise the whole door. You can then slide the door just short of the jamb. Take note that the gap should be even.
STEP 2
The next step is removing the stop moulding. First, remove the screws that hold it. Also, remember to cut the paint line on the room line of the stop moulding. Do this to pull off the moulding cleanly. Check if the door glides smoothly. If it doesn’t, you should remove the door and examine the rollers. Then, unscrew the stop moulding on the inside of the jamb.
STEP 3
This time, you have to lift the door out. You can set it on sawhorses so you can properly inspect the rollers.
STEP 4
Check the rollers or the wheels of the sliding door. Clean them thoroughly if they are full of dirt and debris. Apply a few drops of lubricant and check if they are spinning freely.
STEP 5
Clean the track of your sliding door with a stiff brush and soapy water. If your door still doesn’t slide smoothly after a good cleaning, you might have to adjust or replace the rollers.
STEP 6
Most screen doors that come with sliding doors are crummy. The wheels often break and are always out of adjustment. To save you from such troubles, upgrade to a premium screen door.
You can follow these simple steps on sliding door repair to make your door run like new.