# Mount sliding closet door bottom guides on top of carpet?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-sliding-closet-door-bottom-guides-on-top-of-carpet/749219>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 17, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-sliding-closet-door-bottom-guides-on-top-of-carpet/749219 "2016-03-17T00:06:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-sliding-closet-door-bottom-guides-on-top-of-carpet/749219/1 "2016-03-17T00:06:37Z")

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I need to mount some sliding closet door bottom guides that [look like this](http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/049793/049793065636.jpg) to my closets.

The closet and hall area is completely carpeted. Do I just place the guides on top of the carpet and screw right through the carpet into the underlying wood floor? Or do I need to do something different. (I hope you don’t say cut a hole in the carpet for the guides!)

Thanks,  
J.

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-sliding-closet-door-bottom-guides-on-top-of-carpet/749219/2 "2016-03-17T01:00:48Z")

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Screw right through the carpet. If you have concrete floors there should be a piece of wood underneath the the carpet.

Slide both doors to one end, position the guide in place and screw in. It’s easy, don’t complicate it.

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**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-sliding-closet-door-bottom-guides-on-top-of-carpet/749219/3 "2016-03-17T01:25:56Z")

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Based on my experiences drilling through carpet, you may wish to cut an X through the carpet where the screws will go. Drilling through carpet sometimes causes the fibers to wind up onto the drill bit. It might not be an issue with screws though.

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**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mount-sliding-closet-door-bottom-guides-on-top-of-carpet/749219/4 "2016-03-17T15:16:35Z")

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I had to put a piece of wood under the door guides when I installed them. The plastic type shown in the picture will bend and possibly break. I used a 3/8" pieces of plywood cut to the same size as the guides then screwed them through the carpet and pad. Whether you need to do this will depend on the thickness of the carpet and pad.