What do you do to cure a hard-to-open pocket door ?
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Recently, a pocket door in my 1958-built home has become very difficult to open from the closed position. Once the door has been moved from the completely-closed position, it is fairly easy to move, like it should. Moving to the closed position takes no more than normal effort. Other than to remove a portion of the wall to try to lubricate the track assembly, I am open to any suggestions. The home has plaster walls.
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can you put wd40 with the straw attached -on the track? Is the back wheel off the track? House no. 2 had a pocket door....it was forever popping off the track, esp the the one wheel furthes in. I can’t tell you how many times I had to take the door off the track to chase the pulleys and position them to hang to door.
Yup - what Dfm says - that's what I do with my pocket door. It's a love/hate relationship. ; )
After years of use, rollers tend to dig out "divets" on the rod they are rolling in/on. Particularly at the ends where they stop. For today's sliding doors they make a new track that you can just place over the existing one and remount the door. For yours, I'm not so sure. The easiest solution would be to just create a new stop position. That is if you don't mind the door being open a 1/2". To add the stop, I would just take a small piece of wood (or anything firm) and place it on top or the rail, at the end of the track. Or if yours is attached at the bottom you could do it there. Check and see after installation if this works. If so permanently attach with glue or a nail,etc.
Go to your hardware store and purchase (paste style) graphite normally used on sticky doorknob assemblies. Cover your flooring to catch any that may drop off whatever you use to reach up to the track. If you can reach in along the open side of the track just use your finger to apply two 2" long smears of the graphite down where each roller will roll thru the smears as door closes. A tooth brush will work well also if the finger doesn't fit thru. One smear about a foot from the closed position so the first roller rolls thru it when it closes. Door needs to be about 1/2 way closed when you do that position,then reach over toward the next roller position coming out of the wall and do the same thing. Make that smear with a little more graphite so the rear roller carries it back into the wall along the bottom of the track. It will lubricate any "divets" that may have developed over the years. If this doesn't work for you then you have a mechanical problem with the actual hardware. Paste style graphite has never failed me.