Having Issues Opening And Closing Your Sliding Glass Door? Well, It May Be Misaligned

There aren't many frustrations in your house that are more irritating than wrestling with a sliding glass door that just doesn't want to move. Whether they're new sliding glass doors or old ones, they should just glide effortlessly, making it easy for you to step onto your patio or back into your house, but sometimes they get stuck. You may not need to call in a specialist or replace the whole unit, though. Most of the time, the problem is just a door misalignment. You can often fix it yourself in 10 minutes, and there are three signs you can look for that'll confirm this is the issue. First, the door feels heavy and drags or scrapes along the bottom track. Second, you see uneven gaps between the door edge and the frame. And third, the locking mechanism is hard to engage because the door isn't sitting squarely.

Misalignment is usually caused by shifting foundations, changes in humidity or temperature, or general settling over time. This causes the small rollers beneath the door panel to drop or shift, making the door extra tough to move. Before you jump in to repair your sliding glass door, you need to prepare things. Namely, grab a vacuum with a stiff brush attachment or a wire brush and thoroughly clean the entire bottom track so it's free of dirt, gunk, pet hair, or dust buildup.

Once that's clear, gather a few tools. You should only need a basic Phillips screwdriver or an Allen key, depending on your door's specific hardware. Now, you're ready to focus on your door's adjustment screws and get things running smoothly again.

If you've got a sliding glass door that won't budge, we've got good news. The key to fixing misalignment is your door's adjustment screws. These control the height of the rollers and are located at the bottom or sides of the door. In most doors, you should be able to locate one screw at each corner of the door. They might be covered by a plastic or metal cover for aesthetics, so you'll need to remove those first. Once a screw is visible, that's what you'll need to turn to either raise or lower that side of the door for an easy glide.

To tackle this, remember that you only need to turn a small amount (no more than a quarter turn at a time). Turning the screw clockwise should raise that corner of the door, while turning counter-clockwise will lower it. Be sure to check how the door moves after each turn. The goal here is to raise your door just enough so that it glides instead of dragging or scraping, and so you can't see any visible gaps when it's closed.

Finally, to keep things running smoothly in the future, there's an additional optional step you can take. After you fix your door, spray a generous amount of silicone-based lubricant onto its rollers and into the track. This gets rid of any remaining friction and seals against moisture and extreme temperatures. Fixing a misaligned door is an easy repair, and it's better than having to replace your sliding glass doors.