How frustrating is it when your sliding screen door just won’t budge?
This drives me nutty and we don’t even use our screen door that much.
My wife hates how cobwebs and bugs seem to like congregating between the sliding screen door and the sliding patio doors. Every night when we sit down for dinner the spiders and all their tiny legged buddies stare back at us from their living quarters.
Have you ever wondered how to remove your sliding patio screen door?
It’s not hard and takes less time than brushing your teeth (which should be 2 minutes, lol). This tutorial also shares how to clean and tune the door so that it will run smoothly.
Here are the supplies you’ll need
- Screwdriver ($5.98)
- Lubricant ($4.27)
- Steel brush ($2.47)
- Broom ($9.97)
The total cost of this project if you have to buy everything is $22.66.
I’m going to be bold here and assume most everyone reading this post has a broom and screwdriver. If that’s the case then the total cost is closer to $6.74.
In the end you’ll have a screen door that will be clean and glide a lot better. This post has a video showing you how to do everything but I also include a step-by-step guide.
Let’s get started.
How to Remove Your Sliding Screen Door-Step 1
There’s a cartridge within your screen door that contains two wheels. These wheels are what allow the screen door to move along a track.
This cartridge can move up and down inside the screen door and is held in place by two screws.
If you unloosen the screws the cartridge can be adjusted up or down. And this will also allow your screen door to be moved up or down and disengaged from the track it runs on.
The video below will walk you through the entire process of removing, cleaning, and lubricating your sliding screen door. I say “smooth” too many times in this video, but that one idea is really the whole point of this post.
Lubricating and Clean Sliding Screen Door Parts-Step 2
There are a total of 4 tiny wheels on your sliding screen door.
Two wheels are on the top of the door and two wheels are on the bottom. Both sets of wheels rest on top of a track. The track looks like a metal tab.
It’s important to clean and lubricate all four wheels so they operate efficiently.
I used a wire brush to clean the wheels and Blaster silicone spray to lubricate them.
In a prior post on squeaky doors some fans asked why I prefer Blaster silicone spray over WD-40.
WD-40 is a great product and I use it all the time. The Blaster garage door lubricant is silicone based and adds the extra promise that dirt won’t buildup on the surface it’s sprayed on. So that’s one big reason I use it.
Remove Debris from Screen Door Track-Step 3
You can use the same wire brush in Step 2 to remove debris and dirt buildup from the sliding screen door’s track. Our track was chalked full of gunk and the wire brush cut right through it.
Sweep the loose dirt from the track with a broom.
Putting the Sliding Screen Door Back in Place-Step 4
Insert the sliding screen door onto the top track at an angle. Ensure the two wheels will rest on the metal track tab.
Push up on the door and allow the bottom two wheels to rest on the bottom track tab.
The door should be securely in place. The last step is to tighten the two screws on the top of the door that were loosened in Step 1.
The end!!
Just kidding.
Make sure the sliding screen door moves smoothly (LOL) across the track. If it doesn’t you make need to adjust the height of the cartridge that encases the wheels.
What’s Next
Our tutorial showing how to install custom window screens in old window frames is also very helpful.
It’s not hard and you can certainly do this type of project over the weekend if not after dinner on a weekday.
If you’re doing a bathroom remodel and need help, join one of our online courses – they’ll make your bathroom renovation much easier!
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help.
Cheers,
Jeff
