Quick answer
To fix a sliding wardrobe door: find the adjustment screws on the bottom wheels (at the bottom of the door edge or the profile), turn to raise or lower each side until the door is vertical and the wheels sit on the track, vacuum and clean the bottom track, lubricate with silicone spray and, if a wheel is broken or flattened, replace it with one of the same type (Leroy Merlin, hardware shop or the wardrobe brand). If it comes off at the top, check the top guide.
What you need
- Long Phillips screwdriver and a 4 mm Allen key (IKEA systems)
- Torch
- Vacuum cleaner with a crevice nozzle
- Spirit level
- Needle-nose pliers
- A second person for mirrored doors or doors over 2 m
- Silicone spray or dry PTFE lubricant (not oil or classic WD-40)
- Replacement rollers or wheels for the same system (Leroy Merlin, Bricodepot, hardware shop, or IKEA for PAX)
- Replacement aluminium bottom track if it is bent
- Stops and soft-close dampers if they have been lost
Step by step
- 1
Identify the system
There are two families. Top-hung doors: the weight is on top wheels running in a ceiling track and at the bottom there is only an anti-tip guide; this is usual in built-in wardrobes and IKEA PAX. Bottom-rolling doors: the weight is on bottom wheels running on a floor track and at the top there is a guide that stops them coming out; this is usual in flat-pack wardrobes from Leroy Merlin and cheap wardrobe fronts. Look at where the wheels that carry the weight are.
- 2
Watch what the door does
If it rubs on the floor or on the other door on one side, it is out of level: height adjustment. If it is hard to slide and squeaks, dirty track or worn roller. If it comes off the bottom track when pushed, the top guide is missing or loose, or the track is bent. If it comes off at the top on a top-hung door, the top track is loose or a carriage is broken.
- 3
Clean the tracks
Vacuum the bottom track thoroughly: hair, dust, beach sand and crumbs are the number one cause of doors that will not slide. Wipe the track and the wheels with a damp cloth and dry. On top-hung doors, check the top track with the torch in case there is a dropped screw or a piece of wheel.
- 4
Find the adjustment screws
On bottom-rolling doors, at the bottom of the door edge or the aluminium profile, there is a hole for each wheel; inside, a screw that raises or lowers the wheel. On top-hung doors, the adjustment is on the top carriages, sometimes reached from the top edge or from inside the wardrobe. On IKEA PAX, a 4 mm Allen key at the bottom of the profiles.
- 5
Level the door
Put the level on the vertical edge of the door. Turn the adjustment screw on the low side clockwise to raise it (on most systems) until the door is vertical and sits 3-5 mm off the floor evenly. Check that the two doors are parallel to each other and that the overlap in the middle is the same at the top and bottom.
- 6
Refit a door that has come off
Bottom-rolling door: with the second person, lift the door until the bottom wheels clear the track, tilt it so the top goes into the top guide and lower the wheels onto the bottom track. Top-hung door: feed the top carriages into the track from the end, or through the fitting gap if it has one, and seat the bottom in the anti-tip guide. Never force a mirrored door: it will crack.
- 7
Replace the broken wheel
If a wheel is flattened or broken, or the roller does not turn, take the door off, unscrew the wheel bracket (two or three screws on the edge) and take the part to the hardware shop or Leroy Merlin to buy the same one. IKEA PAX ones are ordered as spares. Fit the new one, put the door back and level.
- 8
Lubricate and fit the stops
A short squirt of silicone spray on the track and the rollers, and slide the door ten times. Check that the end stops are there and that the door does not hit the side of the wardrobe. If it had a soft-close damper and it has been lost, replacements cost 10-20 euros.
Diagnosis: why the sliding door comes off or will not slide
| Symptom | Usual cause | Fix | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubs on the floor or on the other door on one side | Wheel out of height adjustment | Turn the adjustment screw on the low side | 5 min |
| Hard to slide, squeaks | Dirty track, sand or hair; dry roller | Vacuum, clean, silicone spray | 10 min |
| Comes off the bottom track when pushed | Top guide loose or broken; bottom track bent | Tighten or replace the top guide; straighten or replace the track | 20-40 min |
| Comes off the top track (top-hung door) | Top carriage broken or track loose from the ceiling | Replace carriage, screw track into plugs | 30-60 min |
| Jumps as it slides | Flattened wheel or one with a flat spot; dent in the track | Replace wheel; straighten track | 20-30 min |
| Drifts open or closed on its own | Wardrobe not level | Pack the wardrobe; on PAX, adjust the feet | 15 min |
| Mirrored door twisted | Aluminium profile opened at one corner | Tighten the corner screws on the profile | 10 min |
Common mistakes when fixing a sliding door
- Forcing the door back onto the track. It bends the aluminium track and, on mirrored doors, cracks the glass. Always by lifting and with two people.
- Lubricating with oil or classic WD-40. It attracts dust and sand and within a month the door is worse. Silicone spray or dry PTFE lubricant.
- Adjusting only one side. The door is vertical but rubs at the top or bottom against the other. Adjust both and check the overlap.
- Replacing the wheel with a similar one. There are dozens of systems with different diameters and fixings. Take the old part to the shop.
- Leaving the bottom track bent. The door comes off again within a month. A new aluminium track costs 10-25 euros.
- Forgetting the level of the wardrobe. If the wardrobe leans, the doors drift on their own and no wheel adjustment will fix it.
When to call a professional
Mirrored doors 2.4 m tall weigh 30-40 kg and crack if tilted badly. Built-in wardrobe fronts with tracks recessed into the ceiling, discontinued systems where wheels have to be adapted, broken tracks that have to be replaced with the door in place and flat-pack wardrobes badly levelled from the start are the cases where a 45-90 euro visit works out cheaper than a new mirror.
Manitas Costa prices: sliding wardrobe door back on its track 45-90 euros (includes levelling, cleaning, lubrication and wheel replacement with the part supplied by the customer), replacing hinges on hinged wardrobe doors 50-90 euros, and other adjustments in the same visit by the hour. Fixed price by WhatsApp with a photo of the track and the wheel, 6 months written guarantee.
More information in carpenter in Valencia, Alicante and the Costa Blanca and in how much a carpenter charges. If the wardrobe is IKEA and needs assembling or adjusting from scratch, see furniture assembly in Valencia and Alicante.
Sand, salt and wardrobes in beach homes
In flats in Torrevieja, Benidorm or La Manga, the sand that comes in with the towels and flip-flops ends up in the bottom track of the bedroom wardrobe and acts like sandpaper on the wheels. It is the number one cause of flattened wheels in beach homes. Vacuum the track once a month in summer and put a mat at the front door.
Winter damp with the house closed up swells the chipboard panels of flat-pack wardrobes: the doors go out of adjustment on their own and rub in spring. A dehumidifier or airing the place when you arrive helps, and a wheel readjustment during the seasonal check sorts it out. If the home is a holiday home, we include it in the monthly maintenance of our handyman by the hour service.
If the door that is failing is not the wardrobe but an internal timber door, the problem and the fix are different: door rubbing on the floor or frame: 4 fixes. And if the wardrobe moves or leans when you open the doors, it needs anchoring before adjusting anything: how to anchor furniture to the wall.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fix a sliding wardrobe door?
Putting a sliding door back on its track, levelling it, cleaning and lubricating the tracks and replacing a wheel costs 45-90 euros at a fixed price. Replacement wheels or track are paid separately (5-25 euros). Several doors in the same visit are quoted together.
Why does the sliding wardrobe door come off the track?
Almost always because the top guide is loose or broken and no longer holds the door, or because the bottom track has a dent. Less often, because a wheel is flattened and the door loses height as it passes. First check the top guide and the condition of the track with a torch.
How do you adjust the height of a sliding wardrobe door?
With the adjustment screw on each bottom wheel, reached through a hole at the bottom of the door edge or the profile. Turning clockwise usually raises the door. Adjust the side that rubs until the door is vertical on the level and 3-5 mm off the floor.
Where do I buy wheels for wardrobe doors?
Leroy Merlin, Bricodepot and hardware shops stock wheels for the most common systems, but there are dozens of models: take the old wheel with you. For IKEA PAX, they are ordered as spares in store or on the website. If it is an old built-in wardrobe, sometimes a bracket has to be adapted; we do that.
What lubricant do I use on the wardrobe track?
Silicone spray or dry PTFE lubricant, a short squirt on the track and the rollers. Never 3-in-1 oil or classic WD-40: they attract dust and sand and the door jams again within a few weeks. Clean the track before lubricating.