Screen Door Installation and Sliding screen door replacement
The first step in screen door installation is usually the actual screen door removal. This page will give you basic screen door installation and replacement techniques for the four most common patio screen doors that the homeowner is likely to run into. Read these carefully, in some types of screen door you can damage the patio door if the sliding screen door replacement is not done properly.
You might run into types of doors than are not described here. If you need specific information about your sliding screen door installation, don’t hesitate to send me a message using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
4 Common Screen Door types
Screen door on the outside - see information below
Screen door installation or removal if your screen door is on the outside
These are the simplest types of screen door installation and removal. Here the screen door is on the outside and is easy to get at. More than likely, the screen door will have two rollers or plastic glides at the bottom and two at the top which will have to be loosened so that they dont break when the door is removed.
Usually there is some kind of adjustment screw at the edges of the door or sticking up above the roller as in the pictures on the left hand side. Loosen the adjustment screw until the roller moves in and the door becomes easier to move up and down. If the screws are rusty, spraying them with WD40 or penetrating oil may help loosen them.
Lift the screen door up slightly, you should see the bottom rollers or wheels just poking out the bottom of the screen door. Just like they are in the pictures.
Take a flat blade screwdriver and slide it under the spring loaded rollers and gently lift them up. Carefully pry the bottom edge of the door and the roller out over top of the screen door track where the rollers glide. Lift the entire screen door frame up and out of the bottom screen door track.
Once you have the screen door out, check the rollers to make sure all of them roll easily and adjust properly. Some screen door rollers require that the frame taken apart before they can be removed. Better to know that now than after you have completed your sliding screen door installation job.
To reinstall the screen door do all of the above steps in reverse order. Start by installing the door in the center of the patio door. Get the rollers on top of the screen door onto their track. Then push the door back to the vertical position. Dont force the bottom rollers on to the bottom track. Use a flat screwdriver to gently pry them over and onto their track. Then adjust the rollers to raise the door. Adjust the rollers until the vertical bar with the screen door handle is perfectly parallel to the vertical patio door frame on the lock side.
With the door reinstalled, screw in the adjustment screws until each roller lifts the screen door up off the track. Usually 1/8” is all that’s needed. Adjust both bottom rollers so that the door closes squarely in the frame. Adjust the lock if there is one. You may need to adjust the position of the lock hasp to get the screen door lock to function again.
The information presented here should cover most types of door installation and removal. If you run across different, please contact me. I will try to offer whatever assistance I can.
If you are in a situation where the screen door needs to be replaced, I can ship you a new screen door kit that you can easily put together. Fill in the form below with all the details about your screen door.
Screen King
920 Brant Street, Unit 13
Burlington, Ontario