Repairing Bypassing Sliding and Folding Closet Doors Q&A

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Dear NH,

I have a sliding door (hung on slider), and it gets stuck sometimes. Can I adjust the hanger, and how??

Thank you for a terrific site. I do appreciate your time and attention.

TS

Dear TS,

Thanks for the kind words. You do know how to get on my good side!

Go into the closet and take a good look at the sliding door hangers. There are different types. Some have a large knob that is turned to raise and lower the door. Others require you to loosen screws and pivot the bracket to raise and lower the door. Here are some photos, courtesy Stanley Hardware...

Look closely at the wheels and the hanger holding the wheels. Are the wheels worn or wobbly? Is the hanger bent? You will want to replace the hanger if either of these situations exist.

When buying new parts, remember that sliding door hangers have an offset. The offset is the distance from the mounting bracket to the center of the wheel. Depending on the manufacturer, these offsets can be 1/8". 1/4", 7/16" or 1/2".

Each manufacturer uses different offsets! Also, some sliding door sets have different offsets for the inside and outside doors. If you purchase the wrong offset for your doors, the doors may rub together, permanently scratching them. Bring the old hanger as a sample to the hardware store and replace the hangers on either or both doors as a pair.

To remove the sliding door, you must first unscrew the floor guide bracket from the floor. Once this guide is out of the way, the doors are removed by swinging them outward and lifting upward.

Other possible problems...

1) Sliding doors won't work properly if they are rubbing on carpet, the floor or on the floor guide. Sometimes, simply raising the door by adjusting the hangers solves the problem. But if you have raised the door to its highest position and it still rubs, you will probably have to cut a small amount of wood off the bottom of the door to provide proper clearance.

2) Sloppy painters sometimes drip paint into the track where the roller run. This paint can cause the rollers to stick and even jump off the track. You can take the track down and clean the paint off the inside of the tracks using sandpaper or even paint remover!

3) Excessive force on the doors can sometimes bend the upper track. A bent track can cause the roller wheels to jump off and the doors to move roughly. You can attempt to straighten it, but often the best solution is to replace the track. Since the track comes as a kit with new hangers and floor guide, it's best to replace everything!