Over time, those wonderful sliding doors we all come to love or hate sometimes just refuse to lock. This is a quick little technique/repair you can do yourself to fix the lock. 8 out of 10 times this is a simple adjustment of the locking mechanism.

It's always good to secure this type of door with a piece of towel or scrap wood placed on the non-sliding half. With ours I just cut a scrap piece of wood that measured up to the space where the sliding half fills. Even when the doors unlocked, with this wouldn't place the door is impossible to open. The lock provided with the door by itself won't stop someone from breaking in.

Together, with a working lock and a piece of wood acting as a deadbolt for the door, you have should be fairly secure. Always remember, your house is only as secure as the thinnest piece of glass! Regardless, it still is important to fix your lock as an insurance claim wouldn't pass if your doors were unlocked.

Most of these door locking systems use a Number 2 Philips head screwdriver. That's the one in the shape of the star. With the door open, you'll want to loosen the receiving latch on the frame of the door. Just loosen it enough so that the receiving latch can slide up and down. More than likely, the latch has been shifted upwards. You'll want to kneel at eye level so you can visualize we are the locking arm grabs the brace on the frame. Once you can see how these will line up, tightening the screws. You can only do this a few times before the screws start to strip. If this happens, simply go to your local hardware store and pick up a slightly longer screw. Test the lock by pulling on the door, if it feels secure than you've done a great job!

But if you haven't already, make sure to secure all your sliding doors with a piece of wood cut to size. The locking mechanism on the sliding doors won't stop a burglar. A secured locking mechanism is really only for the insurance companies.