Pro Handyman Blog

3 Steps To A Smooth Rolling Sliding Glass Door

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Sometimes getting your sliding glass door to open and close takes raw, brute strength. Your door can certainly be improved with a little tuning up...If you clean, straighten, and lubricate the door, it will slide much easier.

The track of the sliding glass door is where years of nastiness builds up. Dirt and oil combine to make a sludge that can get into the doors wheel bearings and cause them to break down. Sliding glass door rollers are not always metal either, some are made of plastic.

Use a small standard screwdriver and scrape up all of the sludge in the track. Then use a clean cloth and wipe up any remaining remnants of dirt. You will need to move the door back and forth to get access to the entire length of the track (assuming you aren't removing the door). Once everything is nice and clean, check to see that the track is in good condition. If the track is bent and rubbing on the door as it moves, use a block of wood and a hammer and tap the edges back into place.

The sliding glass door rollers can be adjusted for height using a screwdriver. At the front and rear edges of the door are holes that allow you to insert a screwdriver in them. Inside the holes are screws that raise and lower the rollers. Adjust the rollers so that the door is level and not rubbing on the track. If you are considering replacing your rollers, read this article on how to replace sliding glass door rollers.

Once the door is level, you can use a graphite or silicone spray to lubricate the rollers. I would avoid using WD-40 as it tends to attract dirt and will shortly gum up the surfaces.