How To Repair A Pocket Door

Is your once trusty door no longer opening and closing smoothly? A simple lubrication routine might be all that's needed to become it back in shape but if there's a problem with the hardware, you lot might have to remove the door altogether and replace the cleaved parts. With the right tools and basic DIY skills, y'all should be able to fix a pocket door in an afternoon. Read on—we'll testify you how.

Tools for repairing pocket door

Y'all volition need the following tools and materials to get the job done:

• Nail gun
• Level
• Putty knife
• Pry bar
• Screwdriver
• Spotlight
• Tape measure
• Drywall saw
• Cordless drill

Materials

• Drywall mud
• J-track
• Pocket door rollers
• Tracks
• two×6 wooden board
• Shims

Pace-past-Step Guide on how to repair a pocket door

When a pocket door won't work properly, two things could exist the trouble—the tracks might be damaged or the rollers might be worn out or fallen off the track. Fortunately, you can easily fix these mutual bug, eliminating the need to purchase a new door organisation.

Follow these steps to repair a faulty sliding wooden door:

Step ane. Unhinge the door

To diagnose the problem, you lot beginning have to remove the door.

• Using a utility knife, cutting the caulk seal to release the casing flanking the door at the superlative. Pry off the casing using a putty knife.
• You practise non have to remove the entire casing on all 4 sides of the door. Removing the elevation function is plenty to betrayal the door frame and hardware. Be conscientious not to impairment the drywall.
• With the superlative casing off, utilise the putty knife to remove the upper part of the door frame. Have care not to break the frame.

Pro tip: If a putty knife doesn't get the job done, utilise the tonged stop of a hammer to pry off a door frame that has been tightly sealed into place.

Step ii. Elevator the door out of its track

How you lift out the door will depend on your door's sliding mechanism.

• For a door with a roller-skate system, remove the door by prying it upwards while tapping on the rollers.
• For a j-track organisation, bending the top of the door away from you to release the rollers from the tracks.
• If the door is trapped inside the pocket, pry the top and lesser edges alternately. Exist conscientious not to damage the surrounding molding every bit y'all elevator out the door.

Pace iii. Check the arrangement for damage

• After taking the door out, place it on its side and inspect the rollers and their corresponding brackets located on the upper edge of the door slab. Bank check for cleaved rollers or twisted axles.
• If the rollers seem to be in good shape, they are probably seized upwards and need some lubrication. Spray a good quality silicone lubricant on the rollers and brackets to unjam them.
• Use a spotlight to inspect the tracks in the recess of the door frame. With time, tracks can bend and buckle causing the door to be stuck. If this is the case, you will need to supervene upon the old tracks.

Step 4. Supervene upon damaged rollers

• If the rollers are visibly damaged, order a new replacement gear up from your local domicile improvement store.
• Unscrew both sets of rollers from the door. Install the new ones. Check that the wheels are in good condition by rolling them with your fingers.

Step v. Remove faulty tracks

Worn out tracks are a mutual problem with pocket doors. To install a new rails, y'all volition have to cut a hole in the wall.

• Using a spotlight, inspect the pocket where the door was, and take note of how the frame appears. When cut the hole, y'all desire to steer clear of the studs in the door frame.
• To avert cutting the studs, use a stud finder to locate the studs hidden behind the wall. Place the stud finder on the wall where you want to cut a hole.
• Slid the stud finder horizontally while holding downward the buttons on either side. A light will come up on when the finder locates a stud. Depict a mark at this signal.
• Continue sliding the finder across the wall to locate other studs. Remember to mark each stud bespeak.
• Utilize a ruler or leveler to describe out a square or rectangular outline of the area yous want to cut. This area should be large enough for the rail to wiggle out and dorsum in.
• Utilize a sharp drywall saw to cutting the access hole. Unscrew the runway from the door frame and pull it out through the access hole.

Pro tip: Ideally, you should cut the pigsty closer to the upper door jamb for easy removal of the rails.

Footstep 6. Install a new rail

• In one case you remove the old track, measure its length, width, and depth. Use these measurements to buy a new track that fits snugly into the runway slot in the door frame.
• Before installing the new track, check that the door frame is level. Only place a level on the runway slot and check the position of the bubble. The door frame is level if the bubble is centered. In case the frame is not level, slip in a shim or more until the door frame is completely level.
• Insert the track through the access hole and apply a nail gun to fasten it to the overhead runway slot in the door frame. Again check that the new track is level.

Step seven. Test the new rails

Before hanging the door dorsum in place, check that the new rail works properly.

• Attach the two sets of rollers on a two×6 board to mimic the door. Hang the board onto the track the same way you would a door.
• Slide the board along the rails. Check that it moves smoothly inside the pocket, hangs safely on the track, and allows easy admission to the adjusting fasteners on the rollers.
• If all looks good, unhung the lath and transfer the rollers to the brackets at the height of the door slab. Check out this informative video on the correct fashion to adhere rollers to a pocket door.

Stride 8. Install the door

• To reinstall the door, angle the bottom toward you, elevator the peak toward the door frame, and hang the rollers onto the rails.
• Utilise your foot to push the bottom of the door inward and away from y'all until the door is in a vertical position and firmly attached to the rails.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions on locking the rollers in identify.

Pro tip: Place a lever underneath the door to help keep the door in a lifted position as you hang the rollers on the tracks.

Stride 9. Adjust the door for a perfect fit

• First, slide the door in and out of the pocket to check that information technology is working properly. If the door leaves an awkward gap at the lesser or forth the vertical edge, you will need to do some adjustments.
• The rollers attached to the door have fasteners that secure the wheels in place. Use a small spanner to tighten or loosen these fasteners to adjust the pinnacle of the door to your satisfaction.
• Complete the door installation processing by reinstalling the upper door jamb and the trim you had removed earlier.

Step ten. Reinstall the drywall

• With the door put dorsum in place, the next step is to make full in the admission hole using the slice of drywall you had cut out earlier.
• Smash in 4 thin strips of forest around the access hole. Feel free to utilise shimmers. These will act every bit backers, giving you something on which to spiral the cutout piece of drywall.
• After reinstalling the slice, apply drywall mud (joint compound) all around. One time the chemical compound is dry, sand it to give the wall a seamless wait.

There it is! With the track and rollers fixed, your door should now be as good as new!

Extended Tips

Here are additional tips to assist you make the most of your pocket doors:

• Lubricate the rollers periodically

Near roller wheels are made of nylon so it is best to use a silicone-based lubricant that will not damage the rollers.

• Accommodate rollers accordingly

If the door parts awkwardly the lesser or on the sides, try adjusting the screws on the rollers to bring the door down and to move it further toward the side jambs. Employ a small wrench to achieve the hidden roller screws.

A quick afternoon project to get your door working as adept as new

Pocket doors are an inventive way to save space and add a modernistic touch to interior spaces. But, like almost sliding doors, they are leap to go unwieldy at some point. As our instructions show, tuning upwards the tracks and rollers commonly solves the problem. Afterwards fixing the hardware, be sure to lubricate periodically to get the almost from your door.

Exercise you lot have any questions or comments on fixing pocket doors? Get out them below—we'd love to hear from you.

Source: https://www.wcmanet.org/pocket-door-repair/

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