How can I get my stubborn screen door sliding smoothly again?
Q: My sliding screen door no longer operates smoothly on its track. How can I make it glide smoothly?
A: Coaxing a stubborn screen door into sliding smoothly can be as easy as cleaning the track or as tricky as finding the exact replacement rollers you need and figuring out how to switch them.
Start by trying simple things that don’t cost anything. Sliding screen doors typically have wheels at the top and bottom that ride on tracks. The bottom track is especially prone to collecting grime, which can keep the door from sliding smoothly. Use a vacuum and an old toothbrush to clean it, then wipe it with a damp cloth. To clean the overhead track, use a vacuum with a crevice tool attachment, which has a narrow, angled tip that can suction out cobwebs and blown-in pollen and debris. If cleaning the tracks makes the door slide better but not quite as well as you would like, try rubbing on a dry lubricant, such as Slider Sticker Track Lubricant.
If the bottom track is metal, also check to see if it’s bent. If it is, try straightening it with pliers wrapped with cloth so the jaws don’t mar the metal. Vinyl track can warp and crack with age. If that’s what you have, replace it.
To remove and replace the track — or for other repairs — you need to remove the door. Sometimes, that’s easy: Simply stand outside and lift up on the sides enough to tilt out the bottom and clear the lower track, which automatically also frees the top edge.
If that doesn’t work, your door probably has tension roller springs to hold it in place and allow it to fit openings that are a little shorter or taller than the 80-inch standard height of doors in the United States. Tension springs usually have adjustment screws at the top and bottom, near corners on the outside edges of the door or on the horizontal parts of the frame. Loosen the screws by turning them counterclockwise, but don’t remove them completely. Loosening those on the bottom might be all you need to lift and tilt the door to clear the bottom track. If the door still won’t come out, loosen the top tension screws as well. If the bottom rollers still don’t clear the track, slip a putty knife under the door. Starting at one side, move the knife along the bottom edge until the blade reaches the closest wheel. Lift the door with one hand as you lever the putty knife with the other hand until the blade lifts, and move the wheel beyond the track. Repeat this process to clear the other bottom wheel.
If you are replacing the bottom track, use a flat-tip screwdriver to pry it up, starting at one end. Clean the recess with a little soap and water, plus rags or paper towels. Use the flat screwdriver tip to clean out corners. Buy a replacement that matches your old track. If you can’t find what you need at a local store, shop online at a company such as metroscreenworks.com.
Once the door is out, set it on a flat surface to check for a warped frame. Bend it straight with your hands, if possible, or weight it down until the next day. If you can’t get it straight, don’t waste more time on a repair; you’re probably better off getting a new screen door. Home centers sell ready-to-install doors, such as RiteScreen’s Multi-Fit Patio Screen Door, as well as kits that you assemble yourself. Check to make sure the wheels will work on your track or that you can replace them with ones that will.
If you don’t need a new door but the rollers are shot, or if a new door needs different wheels, you will probably need to remove at least one old wheel to match it to a replacement. First loosen the spring tension screws, unless you already did that while removing the door. It’s obvious how to remove some rollers — for example, there may be one or two screws other than the tension screws that you need to remove. With other roller styles, it’s much trickier. Scroll through YouTube videos on how to replace wheels on sliding screen doors to find tips that fit your situation. One common approach is to slide a No. 1 Philips screwdriver or other tool with a 3/16-inch shaft and a fairly pointed tip into the space between the wheel and the closest side of the door and pry the spring free of a rod hidden inside the door. If you are stumped, take pictures of the bottom and side edges of the door plus any other details you have, such as the brand, and email them to a company that specializes in selling replacement parts for windows and doors, such as swisco.com or primelineparts.com.
These companies list dozens of replacement rollers for sliding screen doors, so once you get an old roller out, you can probably find a match. If you don’t, email them a picture of the part for advice. Customer service representatives at both companies said that when customers have old doors with rollers that are no longer made, they can usually suggest a part that will work even if it doesn’t look the same.