Shower Door Repairs: Most Common Fixes

My brother and I shared a bathroom in our rented home, where we lived with our parents at a very young age. And that’s when I experienced my very first problem with shower doors. Every time we grabbed the metal bar on the shower doors we noticed a little dull, pulsating current that was going through our hands.

We noticed that the electrical zap was even stronger when we got out of the shower. Since water and electricity were involved, it was a problem which we couldn’t ignore as it could be very dangerous and potentially lethal. We discovered that some wires were punctured by the screws that were holding the door frame. And that was the biggest problem, finding out what was wrong.

Once we discovered the cause of the problem, the fix was easy; we removed and replaced the complete frame and the wallboard surrounding the shower. Keep in mind that there are plenty of other problems that can occur also.

What’s your problem?

The shower doors are used often, and they are also in a very humid environment, exposed to many different materials and chemicals, such as gels, soaps, and shaving creams. Not only that, the temperature changes often and holds your wet laundry, towels, etc. So be it sliding or a swinging shower door, eventually, it will need to be repaired.

Here are some of the most common problems that can happen to your old shower doors and how they can be fixed.

Also, if you are interested be sure to read What Are The Standard Sizes For Shower Pans/Bases?

Sliding Shower Door Repair Issues

If your sliding shower doors won’t roll smoothly, as they are designed to do so, and you have to give it a good push, it looks like your shower doors need some attention, and here is what you could do:

Clean the Shower Door Tracks

A quick way to clean the tracks on your shower door is to pour some white vinegar on the tracks and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Be sure to somehow block the weeping holes on the door tracks, so the vinegar doesn’t just go down the drain. After that, rinse it and check if any crud comes off. If it does, repeat the process one more time.

Scrub Shower Door Tracks

If the simple vinegar and rinse didn’t help, then we’ll try a different method. Sometimes you will need to use something a bit stronger to rinse off the scale on the tracks. Solutions like CLR or Lime-away will help dissolve minerals/scales that are accumulated over time. Be sure tho, when scrubbing the tracks, not to use anything metal/sharp like screwdrivers, knives, or nails as you will surely scratch the track’s edges.

Use a simple wooden edge (like the one that can be used to hold the doors open). One more tip, the scrubbing, and rinsing will work better if you give time for the solution to soak for a few minutes.

Remove Any Debris from Tracks

Though it sounds too simple, small debris and pieces can be stuck in the tracks. Check them out with your naked eye, and if any debris is in the tracks, get them out with tweezers or anything that can be used to help you get the little pieces out of your tracks!

Check All the Wheels/Rollers

One of the most important parts of the sliding doors it’s the little rollers! Be sure to check them out and see if every single one of them is spinning properly as you move the door back and forth. Over the years, dirt, druid-up soap, and hair can get entangled in the wheels, which might get them stuck. If that is the case, use any of the solutions mentioned above, and for detailed cleaning, use tweezers or anything you can use to clean small objects.

Swinging Shower Door Repair

Keep in mind that the swinging doors that are being used a lot can wear out throughout the years, or they can just get broken from overuse. If that is the case, the repair is relatively easy.

The most common problems that you can face are the following:

• Shower door will not stay closed
• Shower door scratches the floor or the shower edge while opening/closing
• Shower door will need tightening if they are loose

All of the above problems are caused by loose hinges, screws, handles, or whatever is holding your door together. So what do you need to do? Find the loose part and tighten it up! The screws can sometimes be hidden by caps for decoration.

When tightening the screws, do not tighten just the loose ones; make sure you tighten every screw you see. You will also have to make sure that the latch on the door is clean. Vinegar should help you do the trick while scrubbing or brushing the area.

If your doors are magnetic, gummed soap or scale can decrease the strength of the door’s magnet. If you can not get your current magnet fixed, there is always a new one, in the form of a magnet strip, in the hardware store. Just be sure to glue it on straight and even, so it doesn’t look cheap! If your shower doors are damaged and they are visible to the naked eye; the right solution for you might be to replace the whole shower door.

Repair Shower Door Frame

Sometimes the problem isn’t in the shower doors themselves but in their frame. In that case, you can do the following:

Tighten Shower Door Screws

The first step is to tighten all the screws that you can find on the framing of your shower doors. Old screws can get rusted as well, so you might need to replace the old ones with brand new ones. Sometimes the holes in the frames can get too big over time, and you might need to drill the new ones. Keeping your old screws in their old holes plugs the holes.

Remove and Replace Old Adhesive

Old glue sometimes needs to be pried off, and new has to be applied. The first step is to remove shower doors, then use something sharp like a screwdriver or a knife to get the old glue off. Make sure you remove the old glue and sealant before applying a new layer.

You do not have to use glue again; you can screw the frame back on with screws. But if you apply glue, use a strong and quality one. Use caulk to get those edges sealed up as much as possible. When renovating your shower door frame, you may improve the door’s function. If you see any broken parts of the door/frame, make sure you repair or replace the parts.

How To Replace Shower Door Glass?

When buying glass shower doors, make sure you are buying tempered glass (a.k.a. safety glass). They are much better than regular glass and they are harder to break. The tempered glass is labeled somewhere on it, so you know. When getting your shower doors from home centers, you can order them to be cut with a piece of acrylic in your doors.

Tips On How To Repair Your Shower Door

If your shower door gets broken and you do not have time to repair it at the moment, you can always use a curtain instead of the doors. This is a very quick fix that can replace your shower door(s) for a while.

My real-life example; our shower doors at home got busted, so we used the shower curtains for literally a few months. And the funny part is that the curtain was installed OVER the busted shower doors.

If you want to customize your shower doors a bit, visit your local glass/window shop and go check out their offer. You can find stained glass, tinted glass, or maybe something else you are looking for! They accept orders, and you can easily install their glass on your shower doors. And if you can’t install it yourself, some shops offer you to bring your doors to them, and they install the customized glass for you.

How to Fix a Shower Door That Won’t Close Properly

Nothing is worse than cold air getting into the shower while you are showering or getting the floor wet because your doors just won’t close properly. As we said before, the most common problem with loose shower doors that don’t close properly is that the screws are loose because the doors are used daily. The screws at the top of your doors, also known as the level adjustment bar, give the door stability, so you should check those screws first if your doors won’t close properly.

After that, you should loosen the screws a bit, use some vinegar and water mix, and use something small like a toothbrush or a drawing brush to clean the area around the screws.

Next, get the screws tightened again, not too tight tho, because you need to adjust the doors so they can be appropriately closed, and the final step is to tighten the screws fully.

How to Fix a Shower Door Hinge

Suppose your shower door hinge stops working normally and your shower doors are creating a screechy noise, while they are opening or closing. That can be the reason why your shower doors are not closing probably as well. Again, use a toothbrush or a drawing brush with a vinegar and water mix to get the hinges cleaned. If the hinges are greasy, check your garage for some WD-40, spray it over the hinges and wait a few minutes for it to work, then just wash it all away with water.

Safety Tips for Shower Doors

Now that we have gone through the most common shower door problems and solutions, it would be advisable to get acquainted with other parts that are essential to their functioning such as regular maintenance. Nobody wants to have shattered glass pieces on their bathroom floor. For that reason, you should be careful while repairing your shower doors.

Here are a few safety tips when repairing the shower doors:

• Shower doors can be really heavy so when repairing them, make sure someone is assisting you.
• Watch where you step to avoid slipping and breaking the glass.
• Never slam your shower doors because the glass can easily be shattered.
• Never overload the knobs of your doors or the towel bars.
• Use WD-40 sometimes as a precaution, so you do not get creaky doors that won’t close properly.

FAQ: People Also Ask

Can shower doors be repaired?

The shower doors can usually be easily fixed. When doing so always clean them properly and tighten up the screws, if it doesn’t work you should consider calling in a professional to get it fixed. It should be reasonably cheap to fix any household problems that can be made over time.

Can sliding shower doors be repaired?

If your shower doors fell off their tracks, they can easily be fixed by lifting your doors and placing them back on their tracks. If your doors have no tracks but are only using the rollers, you should remove the doors from their hinges and replace the rollers if they are broken, or just adjust them if they went off balance! Hope that we helped and we are looking forward to making a new post for you guys!