Closet Doors Sliding off the Track?

One problem that is common among homeowners and renters alike has to do with closet doors: If you have the type that slide open and shut, chances are that you will at some point have trouble with them falling off of the track. If you have wood floors, a scraping closet door can cause scratches. If you have carpet, it can cause snags or even tears. Even if damage to the flooring is not an issue, it’s an annoying and frustrating issue, and once the doors fall off the track once, they tend to continue doing so. What can you do? Here are some ways that you can fix your closet doors:

Check the track for debris

This seems like common sense, and it is. If the tracks, either at the top or the bottom of the doors, are dirty or filled with dust, crayons, buttons or other debris, the gunk can accumulate under the doors, causing them to stick and skip. Take a stiff brush and clean out the tracks to see if that helps.

Check the track for bent edges

If you’ve moved something heavy in or out of the closet, you may have damaged the edge of the track. Examine it carefully to see if there is a bend or kink in the track. If so, you might be able to fix it by gently tapping it with a hammer (place a block of wood inside the track so you maintain the right shape) or even carefully bending it back with a pair of pliers.

Look at the wheels that allow movement

It’s possible that dust or hair has gotten stuck in the wheel, which is an easy fix. The screw holding the brace may be loose, which can cause the entire door to sag and catch on the bottom. If this is the case, try tightening the screw. You may need to replace the wheel or even the whole brace.

If none of these tricks seem to make a difference and your closet door is still falling off the track, you might consider investing in a different type of closet door. French doors or accordion-style doors may make more sense. If you are going to be having custom closets installed anyway, get the advice of the design and installation professional: Hinged doors allow for hooks, shoe racks and other closet accessories to be installed on the inside of the door itself.

No matter what you decide to do, use caution: These doors may be quite a bit heavier than you think, and moving them to check the track or to remove them from the doorway altogether can lead to a crushed toe or other injury. Get someone to help you before you attempt a repair, because if the door begins to slip, it’s an unwieldy and awkward size to catch on your own. Take care to be safe, but unless the door needs to be replaced, fixing your closet door track may be a do-it-yourself job that you can accomplish in a couple of hours or less.