Why is my sliding glass door so hard to open?

HomeServe photo by Matt Schmitz

Unsticking a Sliding Glass Door at a Glance

• Tools & Materials: Stiff bristle brush, silicone-based lubricant, vacuum, screwdriver, prying tool, pliers, hammer, block of wood, cleaning solution, rag, saw horses
• Step 1: Clean tracks
• Step 2: Fix bent tracks
• Step 3: Apply lubricant
• Step 4: Adjust rollers
• Step 5: Remove door
• Step 6: Clean or replace rollers
• Step 7: Reinstall door

Fixing a sticky sliding glass door is one of those projects that’s easy to, well, let slide. After all, if it still works, why fix it? However, playing tug-of-war every time you go to open your door can get old, and you’ve finally decided that enough is enough.

This May Also Interest You: Got a Sagging or Sticking Door? Here Are 8 Fixes to Try

Fortunately, unsticking a sliding door can be done quickly and easily, unless underlying structural issues are to blame. Read on to learn how to make a sliding door slide easier, and discover when you may need to call in a pro.

Why’s My Sliding Door So Hard to Open?

There are two main parts of a sliding glass door that makes it slide: the rollers and the tracks. The rollers are small wheels attached to the outside corners of the door and are guided along a metal track on the bottom or top of the door jamb. Larger sliding doors may have rollers on both the top and bottom of the jamb, but most residential doors only have rollers on the bottom. Dirt, damage or misalignment in either of these components can hinder the smooth operation of your sliding door.

Things You’ll Need

• Stiff bristle brush (toothbrush, small grout brush or wire brush)
• Silicone-based lubricant
• Vacuum
• Screwdriver
• Prying tool (flat-head screwdriver, butter-knife, small pry bar, etc.)
• Pliers
• Hammer and small block of wood
• Cleaning solution (general purpose cleaner, white vinegar, etc.)
• Cleaning rag
• Sawhorses (optional)

How to Make a Sliding Glass Door Slide Easier

Step 1: Clean the Tracks

HomeServe photo by Matt Schmitz

The tracks of your sliding glass door can accumulate dirt and debris over time, which can obstruct the operation of the rollers and make the door difficult to slide.

Use a vacuum to suck up any heavy and loose dirt and debris. Then, thoroughly scrub the track with a stiff bristle brush to clean off the remaining dirt and grime, while periodically sliding the door back and forth to expose the full length of the track. For really caked-on dirt, you can apply a cleaning solution to the tracks or brush as you scrub. Wipe off any residual cleaning solution with a rag and suck up any leftover dirt with your vacuum.

Step 2: Fix Bent or Damaged Tracks

Along with dirt, bent and damaged sections of the track can hinder the performance of the rollers. Tracks with inward bends will pinch and grab the door as it slides along the track, while outward bends can throw the rollers out of alignment and possibly derail them.

Visually inspect your track for any bends and slide your door back and forth to identify isolated areas where your door has difficulty sliding past. You can usually fix minor bends with a pair of pliers or a hammer and block of wood, but major bends might require the track to be professionally repaired or fully replaced.

Step 3: Lubricate the Tracks

HomeServe photo by Matt Schmitz

Spread a silicone-based lubricant evenly and thoroughly across the track while working it in by sliding the door back and forth. This can aid in reducing friction along the track and help it to slide easier.

Using a silicone-based lubricant is important since it won’t gum up over time or accumulate dirt and debris like petroleum-based lubricants will.

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Step 4: Adjust the Rollers

The roller wheels are designed with adjustable heights so they can remain aligned on the track. Over time and normal wear and tear, the rollers can get thrown out of alignment, which can hinder their performance.

Most sliding glass doors have adjustment screws located on the side of the door next to the rollers. Most of the time, these screws will be concealed with plastic plugs that can be easily removed with a small prying tool. Once exposed, use a screwdriver to turn the adjustment screws clockwise to raise the rollers and counterclockwise to lower them. Adjust the rollers on both sides of the door to ensure evenness and test the door after each adjustment. If the screws are difficult to turn, you can apply some of your silicone lubricant on and around the screws.

Step 5: Remove the Door

If the above methods fail to unstick your door, it’s possible the rollers are dirty, broken or damaged. Unfortunately, the only way to repair these issues is to remove the entire door. Doing so will also be necessary if you discover your tracks are damaged beyond repair.

Sliding doors are heavy, fragile and expensive, so removing them requires careful handling by at least two people. Start by fully opening the door, then lifting it up and out of its track. Depending on the door, you may also have to remove some stop molding from the jamb with a hammer and prying tool. Carefully lay the door onto a set of sawhorses, preferably with padding or cushioning — like moving blankets — between the sawhorses and the door to protect the glass.

If you’re uncomfortable performing this step yourself, consider hiring a professional to do it for you.

Step 6: Clean or Replace the Rollers

Once the door is removed, check to see if the rollers are dirty, damaged or broken. If so, remove the rollers by either prying them out or removing the screws securing them to the door.

If they’re dirty but not damaged or broken, clean them off with water or a cleaning solution and a bristle brush. Once they’re dry, apply lubricant around all the moving parts and reinstall them.

If they’re damaged or broken, purchase replacement rollers and install them onto the door according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 7: Reinstall the Door

Once the rollers are back in place, reinstall the door by reversing the steps you took to remove it. Adjust the rollers and check to see if your door is easier to slide. If not, there may be underlying structural issues — like a sagging wall — that are causing the problem. If you suspect that’s the case, hire a professional contractor to inspect the wall and make any necessary repairs.

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links, at no cost to you.

You know those home repairs that you meant to do the last time they bothered you, but then you completely ignored it because you feel like you don’t have time, and you’re still dealing with the problem? Yeah, that was basically what was happening with my sliding glass door.

Every time I’d let Charlie out into the yard, the door would stick. Every day. I could easily blame the previous owner for letting it rust, but over the years it became gummed up with dirt, sludge, dog hair, and even the occasional spider web. And rather than scrub it out, I made the assumption that the door was simply always going to be a pain or would require replacement — and I wanted to put that expensive thought in the back of my mind for as long as possible. So, I did what any reasonable homeowner who doesn’t want to deal with the problem rightthisminute would do: I yanked harder on the door to get it to open, let Charlie out, then yanked really hard on the door again when it came time to let her back in. Usually, this would result in one of two things: either the door would cooperate and slide smoother on the next pull (yay! but rare), or the door would stick a little bit more (or come off the track), and would be even more difficult to deal with the next time around. This went on for way too long. Because I’m apparently a glutton for this sort of crap.

I know that I should have dealt with it sooner. In fact, I should have been doing this “repair” all along as regular maintenance (so, I guess, learn from my mistake?). But, this is also one of those things that simply can’t be ignored forever — the door will just keep sticking until it won’t budge. Had I known it would have taken me all of five minutes (if that), I probably would have done this ages ago!

As it just so happens, the makers behind WD-40 reached out to me recently and asked if we could work together on a couple of projects as a sponsor, and I knew right away that I could use their products (I mean, is there a DIYer out there who hasn’t used WD-40 at least once?). In the box they sent, they included this:

Dissolves gum and sludge? Prevents rust? Waterproof? Yes, please.

How to Fix a Sliding Glass Door

What you need:

• inexpensive scrub brush (I picked mine up from IKEA for a dollar or two)
• shop vac (I have a compact one that’s great for small pickups like this)
• 3-in-ONE pneumatic tool oil

Normally, this oil is used for lubricating tools (like a pneumatic nail gun), but just like it says on the label, it’s meant for resisting rust and preventing corrosion and gumming up, which are the same properties that make it a win for this project (FYI, they also have a “multi-purpose” oil too, but this still did the trick!).

First, all you need to do is simply give the sliding door track a good scrubbing. Be sure to brush down both sides of the track as well as help scrub out the dirt that exists in the middle (move the door along the track to expose the front, scrub, move the door back to the closed position, scrub, and so on).

Do this as many times as needed to get the dirt loose along the whole track.

As you scrub, use a shop vac to vacuum up the loose dirt (or in my case, spider webs, pine straw, dog hair, and dirt). This will help you see if you really got it all… or if you just think you did.

The door should already be functioning far better by this point, but if you really want it to last, you’ll need a little lubricant.

Finally, add the 3-in-1 oil along the track. Move the door back and forth like you did in step 1 to help the door glide over the oiled areas; this will actually help to move around the lubricant into the harder-to-reach middle area where the door is constantly sliding and experiencing the friction that makes it stick.

This little fix took all of five minutes, but it made a night and day difference to my everyday routine to let Charlie in and out of the house (which she wants to do all the time). If only combating her nonstop shedding (or tracking in more dirt) were this easy!

Don’t forget, since this project takes so little time, you can also take a few minutes to oil up all of your tools while you’re at it. This is another thing I do too infrequently, but since I plan to use my pneumatic nail gun all summer long with upcoming projects, I know that I need to make more of an effort for proper tool care. Oiling your tools (and chainsaw blades, too) help to extend the overall life of the tool, so it’s never a bad idea to keep a bottle like this on hand. Plus, a little goes a long way, so as long as you don’t misplace it in your messy garage (ahem), you can use the same bottle for hundreds of projects.

Not bad for a quick fix, eh?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by 3-in-ONE Oil, but all opinions are 100% my own!