Sliding Door Hardware

Most sliding doors have rollers made of plastic which are attached to the top and bottom of the door to allow for the easy of movement. Sliding doors come in variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. For example closets doors are often made from light weight wood and are hung from the top. 

Patio and exterior sliding doors are attached at the bottom. Most exterior doors have one stationary panel and one fixed panel. Additionally, sliding windows operate in exactly the say way as sliding doors. They are smaller and weight less therefore they do not require rollers. Guide tracks, rollers, frames, handles and additional sliding door hardware is often hard to find in a local home improvement store but can easily be search for and cheaply purchased on line

If a sliding door is not working a smoothly as it should, plastic rollers should be replaced or added if they are simply not present. This is a great way to make sure your sliding door stay vertically aligned on their specific tracks. This type of door can also be secured with catches. The type of catches are determined by the make, model, and material of your sliding door. This type of sliding door hardware can be purchased directly from the manufacturer.

Jumping the tracks is a common problem with this type of door. This is easily fixed by cleaning the door tracks. Tracks are an ideal place for dirty and debris to collect. Use a wire brush to sweep the dirt away and a razor blade or flat screw driver tip works great on difficult dirt. All sliding door hardware must be kept clean for the door to function properly. Once cleaned, silicone spray or paraffin can be added to the tracks to help the door close more easily. For a squeaky door penetrating oil can be used to make the noise disappear.

If the sliding door still fails to function properly check the tracks for misalignment. Tracks with this problem can be pushed back into place with a blunt piece of wood and a hammer. Screws in the tracks can be unscrewed, then the tracks can be positioned correctly and then the screw tightened again.  Warp doors often do not have to be replaced because the rollers on the doors can be reposition to compensate for this warping.

Replacing sliding doors can be costly and require not just a new door but new framing. A great alternative to buying a new door is to try to repair it. Most problems with sliding doors can easily be fixed with a bit of elbow grease, research, and the right sliding door parts. Looking for parts can be a tricky endeavor but having the brand of the door, and the manufacturer can ease the process. It is also a great idea to order multiples of sliding door hardware for future repairs.