Tutorials 107: How to Fix a Sliding Patio Door Track

Sliding patio doors are great options to decorate your house, but it can also be destructive when they do not close and open easily. This will sometimes lead to your irritation and headaches. Most sources would point to the patio door track as the culprit. Constant wear, use, and foot traffic can make your door track damaged either inward or outward bent would occur in the track. In planning to fix your patio door track check first and assess if the door track needs a minor repair or it needs to be replaced by a new one. Of course, you need to choose the best option that is yours to take with respect to that situation. Always remember that there are many solutions to consider when repairing your patio door track, before resorting to the costly venture of buying and installing new doors.

So here is what you have to do to assess the damage, as we have stated earlier, first things first you have to determine whether repair or replacement is the best option. If your door track is bent out of shape, then repair is possible. You may need a universal replacement kit, if your patio door track is broken to the extent the metal is worn away. To prepare the door, you have to totally open the sliding patio door. Use the flat head screwdriver or any that will fit the track and insert it into the track channel so that it will alleviate any dirt or debris. The most important thing you have to check is the corner and the area where the track borders the door jamb.

Make sure all the screws in the track channel are tightly secured to the floor and look for screws that are loose and replace them with a new one or you can just tighten them by using a screwdriver. If in case the replacement is too loose, then try using larger screws to be sure that it will no longer move and hinders the movement of the door. Screws that are loose will only avoid the door from opening and closing properly. Now, measure a part of the track the remains intact if it is dented, you can use a measuring tape for the width of the channel of the track. For that measurement, cut the scrap wood and saw it, this will be used to reinstall the old track of the door. Then, put it to the undamaged part of the track to ensure the size is right; gently slide the wood to the damaged area. Use a hammer to tap the word, and then open the dented area in order for the door to slide it well. If you are not lucky to repair it, you will have to replace the track itself. It is a simple installation process. Just mount the new track over the worn or damaged one, and secure it according to the instructions. Just simply read the instruction carefully and in no time, you old track will be back.