Do you need help with your sliding door installation? Read below to learn some helpful tips on how to do it.
Sliding doors function easily and conveniently because they use a track instead of standard hinges. Not only that, but they’re designed beautifully as well. This would explain why they’re so popular nowadays. You can put a sliding door virtually anywhere that has limited space.
Sliding doors are great for letting natural sunlight inside your home because they are mostly comprised of glass. The only solid areas of a sliding door are the top and bottom panels. When you choose a location for your sliding door, you can improve the elegance, style, and functionality of a room. The living room area is the most commonly chosen place for sliding doors.
If you’re considering a sliding door installation on your own, please keep reading this guide so that you can educate yourself on the various parts of a sliding door. You’ll also learn the procedure for repairing standard problems with sliding doors too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions that people have about installing a sliding door.
Where is the best place to perform the sliding door installation?
Sliding doors are great for the indoors or outdoors. A lot of people like to use sliding doors for their bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. This is only acceptable if privacy is not an issue for you. If you want privacy, then you can install a regular wooden door which doesn’t have glass.
Sliding doors work great for the outdoors because of the sunlight that passes through the glass into the house. You can use them for gardens, patios and terraces. On the downside, sliding doors are easier to break into than wooden doors. An intruder only needs to smash the glass to get inside your home. But if you have a good security system in place, then this won’t be an issue.
Are there multiple types of sliding doors?
Sliding doors that have curtain roads are frequently used the most because they save on wall space. They’re comprised of only two glass layers, where opening the glass door overlaps a secured glass window. If you have an outdoor kitchen area, garden, or patio, then these doors are perfect for them.
You can also choose sliding doors which hang from upper railing over the doorway. They go over the wall when you slide them too. Before you perform the installation, make sure you have enough available wall space. It should be a minimum of one time the door’s width.
When you install wall sliding doors, the walls have pockets in them which the doors slide into. It basically causes the doors to disappear when you slide them into the wall. This is a great way to conserve wall space, especially if your wall space is limited.
Which Sliding Door Size Should I Choose?
Standard doors typically have one size, but sliding doors have many different sizes. An interior sliding door consumes a lot of wall space when its opened. For this reason, you must measure the wall with a tape measure and choose the right size accordingly. If you don’t have enough space for a sliding door, then you’ll need to use a standard door.
What type of material should my door be made of?
The typical sliding door consists of a big piece of glass inside of a frame. The frame is made of fibreglass, aluminium, wood, or vinyl. If you choose a wooden frame, it’ll beautify your home and give it a more rustic appearance. You can choose between light wood or dark wood for the frame.
Be aware that wood cracks easily from wind and moisture. For this reason, don’t use wooden frames with exterior sliding doors. Choose an aluminium sliding door installation instead. Aluminium will give you more design and colour choices anyway. Plus, aluminium is a stronger material with a longer lifespan than wood. It can withstand bad weather conditions and still last a long time.
Vinyl sliding doors are cheap but very durable and strong. The only problem is they’re lower quality, and the colour choices are limited.
How do I perform sliding door maintenance?
Sliding doors need to be maintained periodically to ensure they stay functional for a long time. Outside sliding doors require you to clean the frame regularly because dirt, dust, and other debris accumulate on it. Use a vacuum to suck up the dirt particles in the hard to reach areas of the frame. Add lubricant to the sliding track and locking mechanism at least two times annually.
Parts for Sliding Doors
Sliding door parts are not like regular door parts. You must become familiar with sliding door parts before installing these doors.
Handles
The handle of a sliding door works differently than a regular door handle. Instead of twisting a handle, you need to pull the handle. Some sliding door models have clamps integrated into the frame for increased security.
Door Locks
When you close a sliding door, there are latches which lock into each other. You can twist the lock or use keys to lock them.
Stopper
Stoppers prevent somebody on the outside of the door from opening it. They are simply metal rods and come in various sizes and motives. When you install the stopper, you place it into the track of the door. Make sure you tighten the stopper.
Tracks
The door frames are fitted with tracks. They allow you to easily slide the door open and closed, thanks to the sliding rollers which roll on the tracks. You can adjust the tracks to accommodate the door.
Rollers
On top and underneath each sliding door is a set of wheels called rollers. The rollers are what roll on the tracks and allow the sliding action to take place.
Making Repairs to Typical Sliding Door Issues
Sliding Patio Removal
It is more difficult to remove a sliding door than a regular door. Since the rollers are fitted into the tracks, you must lift the sliding door upwards and try to get the bottom rollers out of the lower track. This is more difficult than it sounds since sliding doors weigh a lot more than regular doors. If you successfully remove the door from the bottom track, get the bottom at an angle in order to get the door out of there.
Removable moulding exists on certain sliding doors. You’ll find it on top of the frame, where it’s supposed to secure the door in place and prevent it from falling out. But if you unscrew the nails there, you can remove the door.
Roller Repair
Rollers can wear down after a while because of all the rubbing it does against the track. Once they’re worn down too much, it will be more difficult to slide the door open and closed.
You’ll have no choice but to repair or replace the rollers. Start by taking the sliding door off the bottom track. Find a flat, clean surface and lay the door onto it. Analyse the rollers carefully. If they’re just loose, then you simply need to tighten the screws. But if they’re bent out of shape or broken, then a replacement is required.
If you’re unable to tighten the screws on a loose roller, then you’ll need to replace the screws. Usually, you’ll find a lot of debris, hair, and dirt built up on the rollers. Just clean the rollers by removing these elements, and they should start working fine again.
Track Repair
If the track is dirty because of debris, dust, hair, or dirt, then you must unclog the track. Otherwise, it will be difficult to operate the sliding door. A wire brush is an easy and convenient way to clean a track. Once you’re done cleaning, apply paraffin, silicone spray, or oil to lubricate the track.
You can’t open or close a sliding door if the track is damaged or worn out. To fix this problem, take the door off the track. If the track is not flat, then you must tighten its screws. If the track is bent in certain areas of the surface, then you can use a wooden piece and hammer to fix them. Just tap the piece with the hammer over the bent areas.
Catch Repair
A bent catch can make it difficult to close a sliding door. A functional catch will click after you close the door. To determine if you have a functional catch, the door must be taken off the track. Take a hammer and gently tap the bent area of the catch until it is positioned properly again. Broken catches can only be replaced.
Disadvantages to a Sliding Door
Unsecure
Don’t purchase sliding doors if you want security. Since they’re mostly glass, an intruder can easily break through it to get into your home. It doesn’t matter if you lock the door either.
Easy to Break
As previously indicated, the glass of a sliding door is easy to break. It is also easy to remove a sliding door from the frame. The only reason to have a sliding door is because of their aesthetic appeal.
Not Strong
There are so many hardware pieces to a sliding door. If just one piece goes bad or gets clogged with dirt, then it’ll limit the functionality of the door.
Overview of a Door Cavity Unit Installation
Space conservation is important for any building or home, especially when it comes to an apartment or office. The doors you select for your property will make a huge difference in how much space you save. No matter how big a room is, the best way to save space is by installing a cavity unit.
Cavity units are special doors which easily slide into wall pockets. They don’t swing open like a traditional door with a hinge. You can save on space around a cavity unit because the door goes inside of the wall rather than staying on the outside. The more cavity units you install in your property, the more you can maximise the space in every room.
The Advantages
Cavity units, which are also called door cavity units, optimize its available space perfectly. When you slide open a cavity unit, the opening is bigger because it doesn’t use both sides like a hinged door.
Of course, a hinged door requires you to move furniture and objects away from it because the door needs extra space when it opens.
But with a cavity door, you won’t need to worry about this because there is no swinging involved. This allows you to use more space near the cavity door for things like furniture and other objects.
Another advantage is all the different door cavity unit types, sizes, and styles that are available. You can get a nice design and still retain the functionality of the door. One premium cavity unit is the Evolution Touch, which has a 70-kilogram door mass and 4-wheel ball-bearing carriages. This setup allows you to install a variety of styles.
Some cavity units have magnetisation to make it even easier to open and close the door. It contains a spring-loaded release system which activates as soon as you push on the door’s edge. This allows the door to slide open easily.
The Installation
Cavity doors installations are easier than you might think. But first, double-check to make sure the width and height of the opening can accommodate the size of your door. Also, check to see if you have high-quality materials. If you don’t, then please get them.
Now you can begin the cavity unit installation. The cavity has a back post and track which connects to the frame of the doorway. This is what allows the door to move smoothly. Next, examine the door by making sure it is straight. There cannot be any imperfections in it. Attach the base plates to the door’s upper edge. They should be 80 millimetres apart from end to end.
At this point, you can install the door. Make sure there aren’t any obstructions which are sticking into the cavity because they could damage the door. The wheel carriages get fitted onto the track, and then the door slides right into the cavity. The carriage pins should be locked properly. Height adjustments can be made if needed. Adjust and secure the door guides so that the door can slide easily. Use screws to secure the timber pelmet cover.
If you need help in installing a door or a door lock you can contact Men Behaving Handy handyman services in Perth
