How To Repair A Sliding Door

Tired of your sliding glass door sticking, slipping, or squeaking? We’ve all been there. But where do you start? 

We all love the DIY project and this one is about how to repair a sliding door, so let’s dive in.

Tools Required

1. 4-in-1 screwdriver
2. Allen wrench
3. Corded drill
4. Pry bar
5. Rags

First, you may want to try adjusting the screws that hold the roller assembly in place, which is the part of the door that allows it to slide freely along the track at the bottom of the frame.

Sometimes this quick fix will work, but most likely if your assembly is seized up, the screws might be stripped, or the rollers may be too gunky to work anymore, throwing your whole house off track! If adjusting the screws doesn’t fix your sliding glass door, you will have to proceed to the second option. This involves removing each of the two doors and the frame holding the two glass doors in place. 

Ready to throw in the towel?

So how to repair a sliding door? We understand. It’s not an easy task when you don’t have a trained professional’s help. But if you’re ready to keep going, next, you will need to remove any pieces of decorative or functional framework by unscrewing each piece one at a time and setting them off to the side. You will next want to turn your attention towards the stationary (fixed) glass door, as you will need to remove this one first. There will be some maneuvering as you pop the door out of the frame, lifting up and out, in one smooth motion.

You want to be very careful when removing the glass doors, as they can shatter if they are dropped or you run into a tight space and damage the edge of the frame.

Sounds like a lot of work, right? But once you get going, it’s not so bad…or so ‘they’ say. Once you have removed the fixed glass door from the frame, you can finally get a grip on removing the sliding door from the frame next, lifting up and out, in one smooth motion just like you did with the fixed glass door. 

Sliding door rollers replacement

We recommend placing the door up on a support frame or a pair of sawhorses while you work on fixing or replacing the roller assemblies. In some cases, you may be able to clean out the rust and re-adjust the rollers, but usually, you will need to go ahead and replace both.

If you have an older door, you may have to remove part of the frame around the door too, in order to access each roller assembly. There are a ton of options available, so be sure you bring your old rollers with you for correct selection. There’s nothing worse than buying the wrong part and not realizing it until you get home. 

After you have your new roller assemblies, you will need to fix them back into the bottom of the sliding glass door frame, also reassembling any parts of the frame you removed in order to get the rollers out. Once they are back in place, you will definitely want to make sure you clean out the track at the bottom of the door frame, you don’t want to waste all your hard work by clogging up the new rollers. Once the track is clean, you can begin the process of reassembling your sliding glass door, in the reverse order you disassembled it. Remember all the steps? That’s ok, we’ve got your back.

When you are ready to put the doors back into the frame, first you want to reinstall the sliding door, taking the time to test the rollers, adjusting them again until the door slides easily and smoothly.

Next, you will need to put back in the fixed sliding glass door and any additional pieces of the framework that you initially removed in order to get the glass doors out of the frame. Once you have all the screws tightened and the door slides like new, you can say, “I did it!”

The End…?

Often, this is not the case, though, and something still seems “off” about your sliding glass door. Now you’ve spent hours working on a DIY project only to discover the worst…You need to call a professional anyway. But that’s ok! Not every project has a DIY solution. Don’t panic! Without a professional, you may end up with a hole in your wall during a rainstorm, having to purchase a whole new glass door set, or worse, be forced to hire a contractor and pay weekend rates. That doesn’t sound so great, does it? We agree! 

So, at Sliding Doors Express, we take the DIY stress out of the picture for you!

We know life is busy, and peace of mind is priceless. That’s why we are fully prepared at Sliding Doors Express to tackle any sliding glass door project for you. We know the ins and outs of every kind of door and frame, bringing along our expertise, confidence, and experience to every client’s home. We also provide insurance and warranty guarantees on all our work, giving you the peace of mind to “slide” right into your next DIY project! 

Want a FREE Sliding Door Repair Quote?

Just give us a call at 800-319-1231

No Repair is Too Small!