Simple Tips for Repair and Maintenance of Sliding Doors

Regularly maintaining sliding doors in your home will keep them moving freely and looking their best. A few simple everyday maintenance tasks can also help to avoid blockages on the tracks and reduce damage to the glass of an interior door. Note a few simple tips for sliding door repair and maintenance.

Adjusting the rollers

Sliding screen doors usually work with small rollers at the bottom of the door. If the door begins to stick, or you notice a roller isn't sitting properly in the track, you can typically adjust the height of these rollers on your own.

At the bottom of the screen door frame, there should be a screw that points upward. This screw is connected to the roller and is designed to be very tall so you can easily adjust it. Give the screw a slight twist and note how the roller moves up or down, to create some space between a sticking roller and the track or to lower a roller so that it slides more easily when you move the door.

Screens

Screens can sometimes get bent out of shape if they're hit with a solid object. When this happens, the mesh may get overly large so that bugs, lizards and other pests can then make their way into the home.

You can typically use the tip of needle nose pliers and push the mesh back into position. If the mesh is too small to grab with pliers, slide a small nail through an opening of the mesh and use a hammer to gently tap the nail from various angles. This should nudge the mesh wiring into place.

Glass

One of the best things you can do to maintain a sliding glass door is to give it a thorough wash! Built-up dust, dirt, silt, grit, and other debris can cause etching in the glass and its frame. This debris can also collect in the track of the door, causing it to stick.

Avoid using scratchy pads and cloths to clean a glass door, and invest in a sponge, soft terry cloth rag, and squeegee meant for cleaning windows and door glass in particular. Be sure you get the door thoroughly wet before wiping away dirt and grime so that you don't scratch the glass. Use a vacuum hose to clean the track as needed, and this should keep the door looking its best and in good repair.