About kerf mounted bubble seal and door bottom

Question

I have ~25 year old oak double front doors and some of the original foam weatherstripping in the middle (astragal??) has deteriorated badly. I can see daylight and feel wind through the bottom half of the door, and also along the bottom threshold of the door.

I was able to peel away a small section. The kerf is ~1/8" wide and ~1/4" deep in the aluminum astragal. It looks like the original weatherstripping was simply taped over kerf; I don't see anything in the kerf itself (all still shiny in the channel). One of the photos shows the original foam; it can be lifted on the right side (that's a screwdriver to show that it comes up). I think that it is similar to your item 58-180. The width of the flattened out foam is ~1/2".

Would a kerf mount bubble seal provide better insulation (#58-053)? How compact will it compress to? Any recommendations on which one to buy?

The other problem is the bottom threshold. There is very little clearance between the bottom of the door and the threshold, but I need something there to seal the gap. The door is 1.75" thick, and has a "door shoe with drip cap". The channel is 1" wide. Do you have any suggestions of your products? It needs to go on the bottom of the door shoe, and not into the threshold.

Bob · Accepted Answer

Thanks for posting. Starting with your door sweep, we once had a sweep that would fit into that channel insert, but I am afraid it has been discontinued and is no longer available. What I recommend you do is remove the aluminum channel insert and then install something like our 58-176. This sweep wraps around the bottom of the door and is installed with screws. For your weatherstripping, you have a few different options. You could see if our kerf-mounted seals with a similar design, our 58-201 and 58-056E, could work for you; but you also could consider our 58-169, which has a flange you install via nails. One of our senior experts uses this on a door similar to your own. Take a look and see what you think.