Home > Video Channel > Repairing Aluminum Sliding Glass Door

Repairing Aluminum Sliding Glass Door

Charles King of AMPM Door Service helps Bob revitalize the original aluminum sliding doors on the Miami condo. The aluminum is corroded and badly pitted on the exterior from exposure to salt air. King and his crew rub magnesium ore aluminum polish across the surface with cloths, then with abrasive pads, to clean off the residue. The interior aluminum shines up nicely, but King advises a quick coat of spray paint on the exterior to give a polished look and seal off the aluminum. The doors no longer slide well and have too much play, so King removes the doors to examine the rollers and clean the tracks. The nylon rollers need replacing, but the task is simple and saves Bob from replacing the doors completely. King finds a similar roller in his kit and fits it to the door, is able to use the existing rubber gasket, screws the roller housing to the bottom of the door, and reinstalls it. Now revitalized, the sliders work and look like new.
Get Adobe Flash Player to see this content.

Clip Transcript For:

Repairing Aluminum Sliding Glass Door

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" I was sliding doors on the apartment. Are probably the original ones and even though they're aluminum this one's been shined up a little bit by the fellas but even though they're aluminum there's still a lot of this -- they don't slide very well so we've asked Charles king and his am PM company here. To help us out Charles what's the first thing that you're doing on the corroded aluminum."

" While Bob what we're trying to do here is. There are worse than they've got a little bit of the salt air here from they're corroded yes so what are you using -- isn't Rhode. This little magnet wheel aluminum polish. Okay don't -- magnesium or aluminum. Polished just a compound that you can find. -- automotive supply house or something. We'll -- and you just rubbing it on with a towel you're not using an abrasive or steel we are trying the abrasive pads over here to see if that would do a better job. Announcing the beginning evidence it's -- and it. So in some areas this is as good as it's gonna get in other areas I noticed you've already done here and it looks really nice Leo. Of course this is the inside. Yes inside is effective little salt air right this may require a little better pay and you're here you're aerosol sprays right cleaning up and know what OK."

" We'll see after you've finished doing that but the big problem that we have is it doesn't really function very well the tracks. Are dirty and worn and I it seems to me like the rollers probably need to be replaced and also there's a lot of play in the door shall not make sure that when the doors shut. And we got a storm outside we we you know we can be nice and dry in here what do you do about that."

" Well -- things so. The rollers we're gonna take out the door down. And take a look at the rollers OK. Chances are that they're probably the original doors were no need replace it. As sort of hard to get the door out of the channels you gotta take off one of the dead now right yes. Dave can help here and it -- So Charles. What's it look like down here. Well within its thickness and nylon rollers. And me don't look good little wobbly too wobbly for my liking. And since we already have the doorbell which is half the work we're just. -- these out and see if we can match him up to some what was the truck."

" Excellent. All right so we're replacing this roller which is all corroded it's the original thirty some odd year with this one. And so I guess the point Charles is that you don't have to throw away your old doors you can fix them up."

" Right right even well that this company may be out of business now. In the rollers aren't available you can just take any other roller and by simply adding something is like a -- For example with a slide this roller and it lines up maybe put a rivet in to security."

" So that's ethnicity -- done on this side -- a couple of rivets in place to hold it so that it doesn't move and now let's put it back on the bottom of the door. -- The rubber gasket is in good shape. That's nice. OK now just put the screws back on that and we've got a revitalized door. Thank you gentlemen -- with."

 [-]


More Videos »Related Videos

Hanging Doors and Installing New Door Trim
Hanging Doors and Installing New Door Trim

Bob meets with Ryley on the third floor of the Cambridge House to re-hang the old doors (they've been stripped) and install the new trim.

Storm-Ready Windows and Doors
Storm-Ready Windows and Doors

Doors and windows are vulnerable components of your homes protective shell or envelope because they are easily penetrated by wind-borne debris often generated by the high winds of storms like hurricanes. If that envelope is breached during a storm because of the failure of windows and doors, wind, wind-driven rain and debris can enter your home causing considerable damage to its interior and your property. A more critical issue develops when the envelope is breached -- high winds can enter your home and exert high pressure on your walls and roof. These internal pressures combined with the external pressure of wind blowing over your home can lead to catastrophic damage. You can protect your home's openings by installing impact-resistant windows and doors or installing impact resistant coverings, such as shutters over windows and doors. Impact resistant glass and shutters are specifically designed to meet a combination of impact and continuous pressure from the wind. Always use products that have been tested to one of these standards and have been designated as such through a recognized product approval system or evaluation report. Ratings SBCCI SSTD 12 ASTM E 1886 and ASTM E 1996 Miami-Dade Protocols PA 201, PA 202, and PA 203. Impact resistant windows usually consist of a clear plastic-like film sandwiched between two specially-treated pieces of glass, giving the window greater strength than glass alone. Equally important as the strength of the glass is the strength of the window's frame. An impact resistant window is tested as a unit that includes the glass, the frame, as well as the attachment hardware and the installation method. Impact resistant windows should always be installed following the manufacturer's recommendations. Exterior doors should also be wind and impact resistant or protected with an impact resistant covering. Garage Doors Garage doors are particularly vulnerable to high winds, because of the long span of opening they cover and the relatively lightweight material they are made of. Two options are available for strengthening garage doors. Replace the door and track with a system that is designed to withstand high winds and wind-borne debris. The second option is to protect the garage door with a tested and approved impact resistant covering.

Hanging Double Doors
Hanging Double Doors

The tricky part of hanging double doors is that they have to meet in the middle. After hanging each door, check to see how they come together. It's seldom perfect the first time. If they overlap by more than an eighth of an inch, you'll need to plane some off of both doors; for smaller overlaps, only one door needs to be planed and sanded until you get a perfect fit.

New Insulated Garage Doors
New Insulated Garage Doors

The garage doors are being replaced on the Norwell house. Although the project primarily involves adding an in-law suite to the home, homeowner Howard Brickman is replacing the original garage doors and installing two doors on the new garage. Bob talks with Brickman, who built this home 25 years ago on a fairly tight budget. Brickman estimated that construction costs probably ran about $50 per square foot, a figure that would not be possible today. The existing garage doors are fiberboard in a wood frame, with no insulating value. Bob talks with Robert Rainey of PJ Overhead Door about the installation of the new doors. All the hardware has been removed from old door so the sections can be taken out. The hardware is worn and the track is outdated so it will all be replaced with new hardware and operating mechanisms. The new door is a two-sided steel door with a 24-gauge exterior and a 27-gauge interior. The door features two inches of polyurethane insulation, which gives it an R-value of 13 �a vast improvement over the existing doors. The interior side of the door has an embossed wood-grain finish while the exterior has an embossed panel with a carriage-door design. This Amarr Classica 3000 door has the appearance of a wood door and the performance of factory-finished metal. A rubber gasket on the door will act as a seal to prevent air and water from entering the garage. The first panel is put in place and then the track is assembled.

Related Products & Services Showrooms

Do It Yourself Spray Foam Insulation
Do It Yourself Spray Foam Insulation

…rim joists, basements, pipe insulation and much more with Foam it Green. The spray foam creates a barrier that blocks outside air, moisture, pests and rodents from coming in. Foam It Green 602 The Foam it Green 602 kit pictured here provides 602…

Caulks and Sealants Protect, Beautify and Save Energy
Caulks and Sealants Protect, Beautify and Save Energy

…water and weather conditions. • Outside: it helps protect areas around windows…
…temperature extremes so they perform well outside. Check out White Lightning's comprehensive…
…caulk windows & doors on the inside AND outside. • Check around your home's foundation…

More Content »More Content

Recycled Nylon Carpet
Recycled Nylon Carpet

…show was taped), the manufacturer of the nylon fiber in the carpeting selected by First…
…environmentally friendly. The Infinity nylon carpet selected met both of these criteria…
…obvious in its very deep pile, and as Anso nylon produces no outgassing, it would in no…

Craftsman bandsaw rubber gasket problem

The rubber gasket on the top roller of my Craftsman 10" bandsaw walks off while runnning. The rubber appears to be in good shape. I'm not too familiar with bandsaws so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Nylon Solution
Nylon Solution

…hold tools on pegboard if you run out of pegboard hooks or have something bulky to hang up. Knot up one end, then feed the nylon through the back, and then loop it through appropriate holes for the tools you want to hang. The nylons will stretch nicely…

Replaced rubber gasket

Its a normal bathroom sink with overflow. I replaced the rubber gasket with a new one, and that seems to have fixed the leak. The new rubber gasket fit much tighter on the drain pipe than the one that was inlcuded with the sink. Perhaps the…

Browse Topics

Click on a letter to browse content by topic alphabetically.



About  | FAQ  | Contact  | Sitemap  | Privacy Policy  | Terms of Use  | Help

© BobVila.com 2009