I bought a house recently. Nice place except it was clearly fixed up a bit before sale and the workmanship wasn't so high quality. Things look fine but don't work quite so well. One of the problems it the sliding door in the master bedroom.

The ceiling track was screwed into the plaster with some thin wood screws through the ?drywall?. The track obviously, doesn't support any of the weight of the door so the doors don't slide well.

I've removed the doors and the track and found the studs in the ceiling. I've bought some 25lb drywall screws that I was going to use to secure the track with. The track is over 11' long and it's got 12 holes in it. None of which line up w/ the studs except for 2 which appear to have been punched through the metal track after installation with a nail.

I've never installed a door before so before I do something I'll regret (or takes even longer to fix) I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

a) Can I install the sliding door ceiling track just by using the drywall screws? Will I need to worry about the weight of the doors? (there are 3 doors -- each about 4-5' across). I can't guesstimate the weight. I just don't have that talent. They seem heavy to me...

b) Do I need to sand or fix the 2 holes that were punched through the track? They look like small volcanoes that point into the ceiling from the track. I doubt I can get the track flush with the ceiling because of them.

c) Should I buy a metal drill and drill holes in the track where the studs are and use wood screws to secure the track in place? The ceiling studs appear to be every 2'.

d) There's ?stucco? (the bubbly textured stuff you find on some ceilings) between the track and the ceiling (probably left over from the original ceiling texture). Is it better if I remove it?

I'd like to just use the drywall screws (because it's less work) but I worry they won't support the weight of the doors and will sag over time. They're not mirrored/glass doors. Just partical boardy wood doors.

They're also kinda ugly... so, we may be replacing them soon. In which case, should I just wait? Or do all sliding doors pretty much use the same type of track?

Thanks a lot...

Ray

p.s. Oh, and if anyone can point me to some good reading on the net about sliding closet doors that isn't a place trying to sell me something or talking about patio sliding doors that'd be great. Most of the stuff I've found is very generic and lacking in detail. Some things are just hard to search for on the internet.

 

OK. let's go in order.
1) There should be a header above this door frame. Meaning there must be a solid piece of wood transversing the entire opening. I don't understand the "stud" situation. At any rate, the track will need to be supported solidly, and if all you have are rafters, you will need to drill new holes and insert the screws. I prefer using pan head screws, but drywall screws are just fine.
2)Lay the track flat on the floor and tap the "volcanoes" down flush with the back of the track.
3)See 1)
4)The bubbly stuff is probably popcorn. Take a 1" scraper and scrape the stuff off so you will have a flat surface.

Bypass mirrored doors are a snap to install. They come with top and bottom tracks, good instructions and look great. I have installed probably 10 sets in the past few weeks for customers removing bifolds.
Google Stanley Works. Theirs seem to be most prevalent at the big box stores.
Good luck with the project, and post back if we can help further.

 

There is definately no solid piece of wood across the entire opening. There's the ceiling and behind it studs (joists?rafters) that I can detect with a stud finder. They run perpendicular to the door track. But, I guess you're saying that I can use those to support the track?

And thanks for the info. Very useful.

 

Hi, The doors you have go to the ceiling and are about eight feet tall, right? You will attach the track to the ceiling joist.You can take the track down and scrape the texture off the ceiling or leave it in place if it looks ok. You can drill holes or us an awl to make the holes. drive a small nail behind the track inside the closet where no one will see, find the center of the joist and transfer the center to the track put in a small hole in the track then screw it in.Put one screw in every joist for maxium support.
I wouldn't worry about the existing holes. I would not take the track down if the track is 11ft long that would turn a simple job into a much harder one.
Good Luck Woodbutcher