As a longtime sliding door contractor in the Bay Area, homeowners often ask A-1 On Track, which sliding doors are best? Selecting the right sliding doors for your home need not be complicated. Our recommendation is to stick with the major manufacturers, which include Jeld-Wen, Anderson, Pella, Milgard, and Marvin. By purchasing a name brand, you have reasonable assurance of quality and prompt warranty repairs, if necessary. Major brand products are also easy to find in stores or online. However, you’ll probably want to consider these other factors when choosing sliding doors that are suitable for your home: Pick the type of sliding door that matches the look of your home. For instance, ultra-modern doors may seem out of place in a craftsman-style home. Good news: There are so many styles of sliding doors available; it’s easy to find doors that complement your home. Vinyl is the one of the the most popular door materials because it’s easy to clean, and durable. Wood … [Read more...]

How to Clean Sliding Screen Doors Sliding screen doors get frustratingly dirty, what with all the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies between the screen and the glass door. However, keeping the doors relatively clean is important. Rollers can become worn from dust, dirt and debris in the track, making a slider difficult to open and close. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to clean sliding screen doors: There’s no way to avoid it - a thorough cleaning requires removal of the screen door. Loosen the screws at either the top or the bottom of the door just enough to be able to raise the door slightly within the frame, then pull the door out of the frame. Clean the metal wheels on top and bottom of the screen door with a wire brush. A toothbrush may not get the job done. Spray each wheel with silicone spray. Roll the wheels with a finger as you spray, to make sure the wheels are well coated. Use only a spray is silicone-based. Other lubricants leave gunk on … [Read more...]

  How Do You Size A Pet Door? It’s a reasonable question. As a homeowner, you don’t want to spend time and money on installing a pet door that Rex or Muffin can’t fit through. First, measure the width of your dog or cat at the widest point. Then measure the height of your pet. Animals lower their heads slightly when going through the door, so measure your pet from the top of the shoulders, not the head. Your pet should be able to pass comfortably through a door that reflects the animal’s measurements plus two extra inches each way. Most pet doors have a “lip” at the bottom that animals must step over, so remember to account for that when calculating the dimensions of the door. If your animal has trouble stepping over a lip, doors can be custom-made without a lip. Owners of puppies or kittens should take into account that their animals will grow. You may have to guess how large your dog or cat will eventually be, then size the door accordingly. It’s best to estimate … [Read more...]

Solutions for Moisture between Panes of a Sliding Glass Door Condensation between the panes of a double-pane sliding glass door is a sign that the seal between the panes has failed. Unfortunately, simply repairing the seal isn’t a solution. There are two ways to solve the problem of moisture forming between the panes of a sliding glass door: You can hire a sliding glass door contractor to replace the glass units. This can be expensive, but you may be able to save a lot of money if your sliders are still under warranty. You can attempt a procedure that is gaining popularity, but is only appropriate for certain sliding doors: drilling small holes in the glass to remove moisture. This repair requires the skill of a professional, who will drill small holes in one of the glass panes, usually in a corner. The technician will then inject a liquid into the space between the two panels to clean the glass and evaporate the moisture. The solution is then pumped out of … [Read more...]

Don’t Jam a Door Open In Its Hinges Sliding, bifold and hinged doors can be subject to much abuse in households. Punishment from constant opening and closing takes a toll and sometimes doors simply stop operating properly. Homeowners can take steps to keep doors of all types operating smoothly, but quick solutions aren’t always the right ones. For example, jamming a door open in its hinges can be very damaging. Screwdrivers, shims, coat hangers or any similar object inserted into a door’s hinges keep it propped open temporarily, at best. A permanent fix comes only after you correctly diagnose the problem. Hiring a sliding door specialist is the best bet for homeowners who have little experience in door repair. A contractor has seen it all and can make most types of repairs. It costs relatively little money to have all the doors in your home working perfectly. A door that hangs poorly could have one of several problems. It may simply need trimming at the bottom. This is … [Read more...]