Broken guide or track for sliding screen door
by PJ Bonfield
Question:Our sliding screen door was becoming very difficult to close or open. It finally popped off. The Screen and rollers seem intact. Checking the guide/channel where door fits on the bottom, we could see a strip of plastic was bent. In trying to straighten it out, it cracked into many little pieces. How do we find and/or replace this guide? Sounds like this is a vinyl patio door with a vinyl screen door track. The problem with thin vinyl tracks is that they get brittle with exposure to the sun and finally break in pieces. I usually repair them with an track made from a small aluminum angle thats normally used when trimming out a new storm door. You can sometimes find these angles at a company called "Metals Supermarket". It's a franchise that sells offcuts of metal to homeowners as well their regular machine shop customers. The angle size I use is 3/8" x 3/4" but any angle close to that size will work. You will need to cut away the old screen door track so the surface is nice and flat for the new angle to be installed. A good glass shop should be able to do this work for you if you prefer.
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