Definitely helpful. I have a relatively new pocket door installed during a contractor remodeling. The door came off its' rollers and the video allowed me to understand how much work is involved to gain access to the track and reinstall the rollers.
Super helpful and clear! Thank you!! Really appreciate the mention of using the putty knife and exacto blade and being careful when removing the wood trim. I was able to *finally* fix our sliding pocket door that was dragging on the floor and was able to put the trim back on so it just the trim needs a paint/caulk touch up.
Awesome video. I watched a few before this one with lingering uncertainty, but yours was the best and now I feel ready to complete the task at hand. Thank you.
Very informative and professionally detailed. Thanks for taking time out to do this. Now I can fix my bathroom door which has been broken for over two years now.
Thank you so much for your video, you saved my husband and I!! We were trying to figure out how the door was attached and your explanation helped us determine our door's connection - even though it is different from your door, your explanation helped us figure it out. Thank you thank you thank you!
Very professional and detailed repair solution. Super helpful in understanding the process. Any homeowner may need a bit more "How to" on removal of the casing trims so as not to damage them. Great job.
The video was competently done and informs me what to expect and think about before working on my own door tomorrow. Great help. Thanks! It's too bad google makes it so complicated to make a brief compliment like this one.
Good luck, man. These are usually easier than they appear, though finding replacement parts may be a problem. If the rollers have slipped off, you might find a magnet on a stick to be useful for retrieving the little car.
Our issue was also "how to get the door back on" since it fell off of the hardware. Thanks for letting us know the removal of the wood trim was important in order to see and access the tracks, etc. I hope can you make more showing the hardware issues? Thanks for the help
You'll find that once you get the trim off you'll be able to see how it goes together. Most of the time it is just nuts that have loosened off to the point that the mechanism comes apart. Good luck!
1:14 into this I realized that the previous owners installed the track backwards. Now trying to figure out how to rig a yardstick and magnet to get the slider out from the track and out of the pocket. But hey, it saved me a lot of frustration! Thanks.
One more thing I’d like to add- I posted this in another how to video video as well. It may help someone here- “Once you finally get the door on the track, make sure and use a lubricant for the track and roller wheels!! I didn’t think it would be that big of difference but man was I wrong! It went from horrible scraping noise to smooth sailing. I used a garage door lubricant spray. Make sure to do the entire track and wheels! Roll the door back and forth until it’s smooth.”
That's a good point, rollers for glass shower doors are the same. One caveat, make sure the wheels are actually turning and not seized. Increasingly, those wheels are not so well made and will eventually seize. When they do seize, lubrication of the track helps even more, allowing you to order new wheels. Aliexpress sell various door wheels in bulk for much less than other vendors. Silicone spray works pretty well, you want a lubricant that won't pick up a lot of grit.
Thank you very much as this really helps. I kinda agree with others below - removing the trim and door but you verbally explained. My door appears to be wider than the gap between the trim on each side and of course I can remove one of them.
Thank you for all of the helpful information, this was an extremely well made video! I've always been able to fix pretty much anything mechanical or electrical, but I have no problem admitting that I'm practically clueless when it comes to carpentry lol, so your video definitely helped me out! I also completely understand your frustration with Google, they've actually messed up a few perfectly good apps lately for no reason (well I'm pretty sure money had something to do with why they did it). Anyway I just wanted to say thanks for the video because my setup (and problem) was pretty much exactly the same as yours, so it helped out tremendously! Thanks again!
Good video, I've run into this a couple of times. It's best to pull finish nails trough the back of trim you want to reuse with end nippers that aren't too sharp, leaves the surface pristiine.
Good luck! Rentals are tricky because you don't have all your tools handy and you want to get it done quickly without bothering the tenants too much. Remember to bring a flashlight, and you might need long magnets and other tools to reach into tight spaces.
Yup. It actually went well. I just have to put the head frame piece and moulding back and do the touch up which is a butt pain more than the repair to the door operation. The track screws were loose and the roller had jammed half in and out of the track.
The rails in my pocket door damaged, and I've been looking for a video to tell me how to repair it without damaging the wall, this was not what I was looking for but it was helpful. Thank you
A lot of times you just have to bite the bullet and pull off the drywall, then replace all the hardware. If you are going through the effort, it may be best to get a whole new kit. The hardest part is the drywall, and matching the paint -- as long as it's not knockdown the drywall is pretty easy. I got to be pretty good at doing drywall because my teenage boys kept putting body parts and hockey sticks into walls. There are some good videos of drywall technique here on RU-vid. Good luck!
It's in a basement with a floating ceiling (tile ceiling) I tour the old rail out, and bolted the new one in through the top 2x4. Didn't have to cut through any drywall, which is good cuz its a rental property. Thanks anyways
If you need to replace the track, you DO NOT typically need to remove any drywall. Carefully remove the trim/casing on the pocket side, and then the split jamb. You can then reach in and remove the screws holding the track to the frame at the top, with a little ingenuity you could even design a tool that makes this part easier, so your arm doesn't have to reach in, but unless you do a lot of these, it's not worth it. I have long skinny arms & a compact cordless driver, so I don't have any trouble. Replacing the track in this manner takes me about 2 hours.
Nice video Spelunkerd. I have worked on many a pocket doors and the old style tracks from the 1930's and up that you can't get the wheels for anymore. So i always end up cutting a hole in the wall to get the old track out of the double hungs. thanks
Yeah, you make a good point that new technology may not be compatible with old designs. Fortunately there isn't much stress on those wheels. As you know, removing a track would not be easy, since even small arms and hands would have trouble squeezing into the back corner. Thanks for adding some words of experience to the thread here.
Hey Dave, as you've mentioned about Goggle+, I would agree with you about the problems that continue to exist. Funny that you mention comments. As for me, in the past, I would get all activity such as uploads from subscribers, comments, etc. to my private email address. Now, that doesn't happen. And checking on gmail, or looking at the notification icon bell, it's a hit or miss. Sometimes I'll just randomly go over to one of my videos and lo and behold there's a comment that I never knew about. And for your video, you're right on topic and to the point. Good video showing the details of the pocket door construction, how to remove the molding and the adjustment procedure.
So very posh, your own startrek style sliding door :-)) What a great idea, there is no room lost to a conventional door swing, but you have to have a cavity in the wall to allow it. Uk houses use brick walls outside and in, so fitting a nice door like yours would be a pain, shame really as i would enjoy walking through and making the swish noise from startrek lol :-)) Smashing vid :-)
Yeah, these are popular here, but only for non-weight bearing walls. They are pretty easy to construct, with 1" studs on either side of the door pocket, and of course there is less room to hide wires and pipes. Wall switches need to be on the other side. Thank you for watching!
For some reason these two remarks are not appearing in the video thread. It must be another one of the seemingly endless Google plus software mistakes.
spelunkerd Oh well, you managed to see my jibberings :-)) Your videos are allways appreciated, your calm and logical way of discribing problems and there repair is enjoyable to watch, some people just jibber on and lose the focal point, you dont :-))
This was great, thank you!! One tip for saving your caulk though -- I would suggest using Glad Press 'n' Seal wrap instead of the duct tape. It seals & holds really well, easy to apply, and much easier to remove! Plus it won't gunk up the nozzle and you could even reuse it. :)
Melissa Thanks for dropping by! I agree, duct tape wouldn't be a good choice; I've tried that before and it's too porous to vapor and the caulk dries out. The red tape I used is a unique and very expensive specialty tape designed to meet building code requirements for vapor barriers in home construction. It's completely impermeable to gas, and it sticks like nothing else, forever. I wouldn't suggest buying that tape for this single purpose. I have it on hand because of other home construction projects. As you say, wrap might work almost as well if you can get it to stick over the long term. I can tell you that in the past when I've tried saran wrap, it eventually lost it's stick and the caulk dried out.
spelunkerd Glad Press 'n' Seal is completely different from average saran wrap. It is designed to stick to itself and also most smooth surfaces and seals very well and although it is not completely impermeable to gas it has kept many of my caulks, paints, liquid nails, etc. from drying out for months and longer. Give it a try, I've found hundreds of uses in the shop, more than I've found in the kitchen. ALSO, great video and very helpful, great focus on those key points to avoid damage and additional headaches.
Finally got around to trying this. It went well until the part where I had to remove the door. I cut away the trim on the wrong side. My rollers are the ones where you lift to you and then push up. For some reason I assumed it didn’t matter what side. Most videos I watched didn’t mention the side you choose as being important. Or more likely I just forgot. Great video, thank you sharing this.
@@spelunkerd When you see the wheels’ exposed side, pull the bottom towards you a little ways, (~ knee high?) and then push up. The trick is to jiggle it very hard! I didn’t want to break it, so I was being extra careful. Apparently too careful. Again, for reference, my roller set is a two wheel on the same side design, nothing on the opposite side. Now I gotta go buy hardware and a new door. Hopefully the other two in the house don’t give me this much trouble.
I like the helpful hints such as using Silicone Spray to help the doors slide better and the red duct vapor barrier tape to seal caulk tube that has left over. Thank you for the video it is very helpful.
I remove those staples (or finish nails that won't push through) with vice grips. you can either just bend the fastener back & forth until it breaks at the wood surface, or carefully just pull them through. With staples, I've been able to often pull on one side & the other end of the wire just slips right through. Messy caulk job is easily fixed, with a damp paper towel (using the caulk you recommend.) Also, saving a caulk tube for later, I usually just put a screw in the hole & tape over it with painters tape.
Pulling the nails through is a lot better than pounding out. Can't do it with staples but pretty much every other finishing style nail. Leaves a clean finished side most of the time. I'm assuming this has been said already.
Thanks. It will be very useful . Re brad nails. I have found that its often best just to grab them with a side cutter or pliers and pull them through the wood. This way if you have to lane or sand that steel brad nail won't hurt the blade or paper.
You make a good point, Alex. It's certainly worth considering, especially if you are planning on more complete finishing with sanding. With my brad nailer, I find the nails very hard to pull all the way through without causing more damage, especially from pry marks on the finished surface. With harder wood and small nails, pulling through would be worth considering.
I've got 3 pocket doors that all need to be repaired. After watching your video I'm confident I'll be able to handle the job my self. I assume I can just go to a local hardware store and purchase new hardware? I think I'll need new rollers and clips that mount on the door. I'm hoping I can get ones that will work in my track so I won't have to replace that as well. Because replacing the track will mean cutting a hole in my wall..right??
There is a method to getting the old track out where you DO NOT have to cut into the wall. It involves removing one side of the trim (or casing) and removing the split jamb so you can reach in with a screwdriver and/or ratchet. Replacing the track with a heavy duty RIGID track (not those thin metal ones that deform) means you don't need all the screws way back inside the wall, either, just the ones in the door opening, and maybe 2 back in the wall a ways. The Johnson hardware is much better than, say the Everbilt, in this case, and actually has FOUR rollers, instead of three, per piece. For a 36" or smaller hollow core door, the hardware kit is only (2018) about $30 for the Johnson. You can get cheaper, thinner tracks, but you don't want them!
Very good video, I'm just disappointed I have to remove molding to get to the wheels! My door just squeaks. I can't reach the wheels, so I'll start by lubricating the track and see if that helps.
Many spray lubricants come with a red plastic directional nozzle to get into tight spaces. WD40 will get it moving and the sound will disappear, then chase it with a silicone or lithium spray which should last longer. Good luck!
@@spelunkerd Thank you, and I do have spray like that. The door is packed so tightly in the frame that I can't even see the wheels so I'll only be able to lubricate the track. I'm going to try to do it with a Q-Tip though, because I suspect any spray would end up on the carpet below and over time attract dirt.
One thing that seems to be missing, in this otherwise good video, are any tips on getting the actual door back on the rollers. I have a couple of these doors and they are both in a very tight location, which makes it very difficult to get them on and off.
Thanks for your note, Craig. Yes, I know some of these are really hard, especially those with an older design. I've always been able to get the door in first, then mount it on the rollers afterword. Please stop by after you get it done and let us know how you solved your problem. I know some systems require a more aggressive dismantling of the wall.
Great video, thanks! ... But I guess it does matter what side of the door you remove the casing from, right? Because don't you need the room to pull the top of the door towards that side and have it match the side that your brackets connecting to the rollers can slide out from??
That is what I was thinking when I took mine apart. But I remember thinking in retrospect that it could have gone on either way, because when the bolts are loose there is some wobble room to allow it to slide into place from either side. Your design may differ....
thank you so much for sharing the video, it was really helpful. I fixed my pocket door using your video. I dont understand my door wooble while closing . ANy ideas how to fixed the problem
Can you describe the wobble more accurately? Up down tilting wobble suggests there are more than two contact points, side to side would perhaps be some slop in the guide rail. There has to be some room for movement, otherwise with dust the mechanism will become too stiff. Most modern doors are pretty light, and a little wobble is common.
Well door moves backward and fowards when it slides (ope/close). sometimes ,We have to even pull the door to lock it . I found on internet sliding door guide will helps the door not to wooble. Hopefully it will works for me
If you have to pull door to lock, it sounds like you've got the height wrong on one of the two rollers. You can adjust the height by turning that nut where the roller is attached to the door. After adjusting, close the door and verify the edge of the door is parallel to the edge of the door jamb. Also be sure the bottom is not dragging on the floor.
Thanks for the video mate, my bull terrier pup ran into my cavity door and somehow knocked the runner out of the bracket and into the cavity so here I am having to work out how the hell I'm going to get the door out to replace the rollers.
If the door is in the open position, just remove the top casing to get access to the rollers, remove door jamb to take out the door. My door was stuck in the closed position. First I drilled a 3" hole trying to get access to the rollers. Hoping it would work but the roller brackets were bend out of shape and door won't budge. Plan B remove the the whole sheetrock wall exposing the complete pocket door frame, replace single track with new improved double track kit. Didn't cost much but lots of work.
I just had to pry off and damage some nailed in trim at the top of a sliding door so I could fix the wheels. Any trim I put on the top will now be screwed in for easier removal the next time.
Great video. We just installed a new pocket door. Frame is plumb and level. The door is plumb and level when closed, BUT when we open it and slide it into the pocket, the door is no longer plumb. It sticks out at the top, goes in more at the bottom. Any suggestions?
I guess I must have missed this one. Presumably the slider rail is not sitting completely true and straight, with a curve in the track for at least one of the cars. Or, perhaps the back car rides up in the slider as it reaches the deep end. Could there be an obstruction deep in the pocket that is preventing the door from sliding home? That could cause a tip of the door as it opens completely....
If I understand what you are saying, the jamb at the pocket side is not "plumb." OR the track is not held level along the entire length, possibly due to installation over a screw that was not removed way back at the back of the track (more likely if this is a thin metal, not a rigid, track.) It's even possible the rollers are coming OFF the track at the back, allowing the back end of the door to "dip" which could be a problem, because one day the rollers will refuse to go back on track so you can't close the door.
So how did you actually get the door back on? Did you slide in the two rollers first then mate the door to each roller then tighten both down? My door came off and i have to fugure out how to rw hang it.
Practice mounting those cars onto the door first, before you try to do it up in the air. You will likely need to bolt each car to the door after the car is placed on the rail. The cars go onto the rail easily if the door is not attached. Put one car onto the rail, hold it in place and slide the door under to allow you to bolt it to the door. Then push the door partly inside the slot, then do the outside car. The frustrating thing is the way those unrestrained cars want to roll inside the slot, where you'll need a long stick to drag them back out. It may help to have a friend slide the door into place as you hold the car on the rail.
My pocket door fell of the rail completely and I could not find anything that remotely loooked like rollers so I guess I am at stage one. the deconstruct was hoever excellant and I moved through that part without any problem. now i have to figure out how to mount rollers on my existing rail system. Home depot/lowes here I come.
Home Depot has the Johnson hardware system with the rigid track & 4 rollers per piece. It's good hardware, easily installed once you figure out to remove the split jamb to reach the screws. And, in fact, with this system, you don't really need the screw all the way at the back like you would with a thin metal track that easily deforms.
That's what i'm hoping, I think the screws at the back of the track have all come out, so I'm thinking with the Johnson replacement kit i can just put the screws in the door opening side, hopefully..
Yeah, take it apart and have a look. You might just find debris in the track, or cracked/broken treads. The tricky thing may be to find similar sized rollers, but the design is fairly standard. Good luck!
