01 / DOORS
The best door sweeps, sorted by the gap they actually close
Screw-on, adhesive and brush sweeps compared against the one number that decides the purchase: how far your door sits off the floor.
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For most exterior doors, a screw-on aluminum sweep with a reinforced rubber blade is the right part: it handles a gap of roughly a quarter inch to three quarters, and rubber keeps sealing when it is cold. If your floor is uneven, buy a brush sweep instead. If you cannot drill the door, buy an adhesive silicone sweep.
Almost every disappointing door sweep is a sizing failure, not a quality failure. The part arrives, it is well made, and it does not touch the floor — or it drags so hard the door will not close. Which is why this page is organized the way it is: measure the gap first, then read the table.
Measure first. It takes thirty seconds.
- 1Close the door and look at the bottom edge from inside, kneeling down so your eye is at floor level.
- 2Slide a tape measure or a folded piece of card into the gap at the latch side, and note the number.
- 3Do it again in the middle, and again at the hinge side. Doors are rarely square and floors are rarely level.
- 4Take the largest of the three. That is the gap you have to close.
- 5If the three numbers differ by more than about a quarter inch, your floor is uneven and you want a brush sweep, not a blade.
Match the part to your gap
Measure at the widest point. Then read across. If your measurement sits on a boundary, take the larger band — a seal that is slightly too big compresses, and one that is too small does nothing at all.
| Your gap | Part type | Our pick | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1/4 in | Slim vinyl blade sweep | Frost King B59/36H Premium Aluminum and Vinyl Door SweepA short 1-5/8 in face is all you need, and it looks like trim rather than hardware. | CHECK PRICE |
| 1/4 in to 5/8 in | Aluminum and rubber blade sweep | Frost King A79/36H Premium Aluminum and Reinforced Rubber Door SweepThe standard exterior fix. Rubber holds its shape through a freeze where vinyl stiffens. | CHECK PRICE |
| 1/2 in to 1 in, floor uneven | Aluminum and brush sweep | Frost King SB36 Extra Aluminum and Brush Door SweepBristles bend to a floor that rises across the swing. A blade would drag on one side and gap on the other. | CHECK PRICE |
| Any gap, no drilling allowed | Adhesive silicone sweep | Suptikes Door Draft Stopper Under Door SweepTrimmed to your gap on install. Needs a clean, smooth, dry door face to hold. | CHECK PRICE |
Decide the type before you decide the brand
A sweep mounts on the face of the door and hangs down past its bottom edge. A door bottom seal wraps around the bottom edge itself. They solve the same problem differently and they are not interchangeable on every door — the full comparison is here, and it is worth two minutes before you spend money.
| Type | Seals best on | Mounting | Fails when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubber blade | A flat, sound threshold | Screws | The floor rises across the door swing |
| Vinyl blade | A small, even gap | Screws | Deep cold — vinyl stiffens and stops conforming |
| Nylon brush | An uneven floor, carpet, tile transitions | Screws | You want a genuinely airtight seal on flat ground |
| Adhesive silicone | Anywhere you cannot drill | Adhesive strip | The door face is textured, dusty or freshly painted |
Quick picks
Ranked for fit, not for hype. Tap a row to jump to the full write-up, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Product | Best for | Gap range | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frost King A79/36H Premium Aluminum and Reinforced Rubber Door SweepA screw-on aluminum carrier with a reinforced rubber blade — the version of this part that survives a winter of a storm door slamming into it. | Exterior doors, screw-mounted | Roughly 1/4 in to 3/4 in | CHECK PRICE |
| 2 | Frost King SB36 Extra Aluminum and Brush Door SweepBristles instead of a blade, which is the difference between sealing a floor that is flat and sealing a floor that is not. | Uneven floors and carpet | Roughly 1/2 in to 1 in | CHECK PRICE |
| 3 | Suptikes Door Draft Stopper Under Door SweepA silicone blade on a strong adhesive strip — the sweep you use when drilling the door is not an option. | Renters and no-drill installs | Roughly 1/8 in to 1 in | CHECK PRICE |
| 4 | Frost King B59/36H Premium Aluminum and Vinyl Door SweepA vinyl blade on a slim aluminum carrier — quieter and tidier than rubber on a door that already sits close to the sill. | Narrow gaps on a flat sill | Roughly 1/8 in to 1/2 in | CHECK PRICE |
| 5 | Frost King C35PH Plastic Brush Door SweepThe cheap plastic-carrier brush sweep: right for a bedroom or basement door, wrong for anything facing weather. | Interior doors | Roughly 3/8 in to 3/4 in | CHECK PRICE |
| 6 | Frost King Matte White Aluminum Door SweepThe same aluminum-and-blade idea in a matte white finish, for the very common case of a white exterior door where brushed metal would shout. | White doors | Roughly 1/4 in to 5/8 in | CHECK PRICE |
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Exterior doors, screw-mounted
Frost King A79/36H Premium Aluminum and Reinforced Rubber Door Sweep
Published gap range
Roughly 1/4 in to 3/4 in
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A screw-on aluminum carrier with a reinforced rubber blade — the version of this part that survives a winter of a storm door slamming into it.
Where the number comes fromFrost King does not publish a numeric working range for this sweep. The 2-inch face and the rubber blade's projection put it in the quarter-inch-to-three-quarter-inch band once mounted; the blade must touch the threshold under light compression, not bend flat. Measure before you buy.
- Carrier
- Aluminum
- Blade
- Reinforced rubber
- Published size
- 2" x 36"
- Mounting
- Screws (supplied)
- Maker's claim
- Lifetime guarantee on weathersealing ability
- Mounting
- Screws through the door face, above the threshold
What it does well
- Screws, not adhesive — nothing to peel off in July
- Cuts down with a hacksaw for a narrower door
- The rubber blade is replaceable in practice; the carrier is what lasts
Where it fails
- You are drilling into the door face — renters should look at an adhesive or slide-on option
- No published gap range, so measuring first is not optional
- Aluminum shows a hard line on a painted door; the finish choice matters
Who this is forAn exterior door you own, with a gap you can see daylight through and a threshold that is basically flat.
Uneven floors and carpet
Frost King SB36 Extra Aluminum and Brush Door Sweep
Published gap range
Roughly 1/2 in to 1 in
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Bristles instead of a blade, which is the difference between sealing a floor that is flat and sealing a floor that is not.
Where the number comes fromFrost King publishes the 2 in x 36 in size but no numeric gap range. A brush seals by bending, so it tolerates a gap that changes across the door swing — which is exactly the case a rubber blade fails at. Set it so the bristle tips just brush the floor.
- Carrier
- Aluminum
- Seal
- Nylon brush
- Published size
- 2" x 36"
- Mounting
- Screws
- Slotted holes
- Height adjustable after mounting
- Mounting
- Screws through the door face
What it does well
- Brush deals with a floor that rises across the swing; a blade cannot
- Sweeps over carpet and tile transitions without dragging
- Slotted mounting holes let you drop it a few millimeters after the first test
Where it fails
- A brush leaks more air than a compressed rubber blade on a flat threshold
- Bristles flatten with heavy traffic over a few seasons
- Not the pick if you are chasing a fully airtight seal on a flat sill
Who this is forA door that scrapes on one side and swings free on the other, or one that opens onto carpet.
Renters and no-drill installs
Suptikes Door Draft Stopper Under Door Sweep
Published gap range
Roughly 1/8 in to 1 in
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A silicone blade on a strong adhesive strip — the sweep you use when drilling the door is not an option.
Where the number comes fromThe seller publishes 2" W x 39" L and no numeric gap range. The blade is trimmed to your gap on install, which is where the flexibility comes from: too little and it drags, too much and it does nothing.
- Blade
- Silicone
- Published size
- 2" W x 39" L
- Mounting
- Adhesive, no drilling
- Trim
- Cut to door width with scissors
- Doors
- Exterior and interior
- Mounting
- Self-adhesive strip on the inside face of the door
What it does well
- No holes, so no deposit argument at move-out
- Silicone stays flexible far below freezing where cheap vinyl stiffens
- Trims to width in one cut
Where it fails
- Adhesive needs a clean, smooth, dry surface — it will not hold on a textured or freshly painted door
- A door that gets kicked open will peel it eventually
- No published gap range; you are sizing it by eye against your own gap
Who this is forRenters, and anyone who wants the draft gone tonight without a drill.
Narrow gaps on a flat sill
Frost King B59/36H Premium Aluminum and Vinyl Door Sweep
Published gap range
Roughly 1/8 in to 1/2 in
#ad · how we are funded · no live price right now
A vinyl blade on a slim aluminum carrier — quieter and tidier than rubber on a door that already sits close to the sill.
Where the number comes fromPublished as 1-5/8 in x 36 in with no stated gap range. The short face and soft vinyl blade suit a small gap; on a large one the blade will not reach without hanging the carrier below the door edge.
- Carrier
- Aluminum
- Blade
- Vinyl
- Published size
- 1-5/8" x 36"
- Finish
- Brown
- Mounting
- Screws
- Mounting
- Screws through the door face
What it does well
- Slim profile reads as trim rather than as hardware
- Vinyl is quieter across a tile threshold than rubber
- Brown finish disappears on a stained door
Where it fails
- Vinyl hardens in deep cold and seals worse than rubber or silicone below freezing
- Very little reach — useless on a large gap
- No published gap range
Who this is forA door with a small, even gap where you want the fix to be invisible.
Interior doors
Frost King C35PH Plastic Brush Door Sweep
Published gap range
Roughly 3/8 in to 3/4 in
#ad · how we are funded · no live price right now
The cheap plastic-carrier brush sweep: right for a bedroom or basement door, wrong for anything facing weather.
Where the number comes fromPublished as 1-3/4 in x 36 in. Frost King states no working gap range. The narrow 1-3/4 in face limits how far you can drop the carrier, so a gap much past 3/4 in will not close.
- Carrier
- Plastic
- Seal
- Nylon brush
- Published size
- 1-3/4" x 36"
- Mounting
- Screws
- Use
- Interior doors
- Mounting
- Screws through the door face
What it does well
- Cheapest way to quiet a whistling interior door
- Plastic carrier will not mark a painted door edge the way aluminum does
- Light enough that two screws hold it indefinitely
Where it fails
- Plastic carrier is not a weather part — UV and cold make it brittle
- Narrow face gives you very little adjustment range
- No published gap range
Who this is forAn interior door where the problem is noise, light or a cold draft from an unheated room — not rain.
White doors
Frost King Matte White Aluminum Door Sweep
Published gap range
Roughly 1/4 in to 5/8 in
#ad · how we are funded · no live price right now
The same aluminum-and-blade idea in a matte white finish, for the very common case of a white exterior door where brushed metal would shout.
Where the number comes fromFrost King publishes the finish and the aluminum construction but no numeric working range. Treat it as a standard face-mount sweep: it closes the gap the carrier can be dropped into, and no more.
- Carrier
- Aluminum, matte white
- Mounting
- Screws
- Trim
- Hacksaw to width
- Finish
- Matte white
- Use
- Exterior or interior
- Mounting
- Screws through the door face
What it does well
- Matte white sits flat against a white door instead of glinting
- Aluminum carrier survives outdoor exposure
- Cuts to width like every other Frost King carrier
Where it fails
- No published gap range
- White shows dirt at floor level faster than brown or bronze
- Still a drilled install
Who this is forA white exterior or garage-access door where you care what the fix looks like.
What we would skip, and why
Nobody in this category ever declines to recommend something. That is what makes universal praise worth ignoring. Here is what we would not buy.
Any sweep sold without a published size
Half this category ships with a photo and no dimensions at all. If a seller will not tell you the face height and the blade projection, they are asking you to buy a part that may not reach your floor. Every pick above publishes at least its section.
Adhesive sweeps on a textured or newly painted door
This is where the one-star reviews come from, and it is not the product's fault. Pressure-sensitive adhesive needs a smooth, fully cured, dust-free surface. On a wood-grain steel door or paint that is under 30 days old it will peel, usually in the first cold snap. Use a screw-on sweep instead — see our sweep-versus-bottom-seal comparison.
Brush sweeps on a flat, sound threshold
A brush is the right answer to an uneven floor and the wrong answer to a good one. On a flat sill, a compressed rubber blade seals better and lasts longer. Buying the brush 'just in case' costs you air-sealing performance for a problem you do not have.
How we picked
- Start from the gap, not from the product. Every pick below is placed by the gap band it can physically close.
- Compile the published face height, blade material and length from each manufacturer's own listing.
- Eliminate anything whose published dimensions cannot reach the floor at the measurement in question.
- Rank what is left on mounting suitability for the surface you actually have, then on price per foot.
- State which one we would skip, and why.
We have not tested these products and we do not claim to have. The full method, including what we refuse to claim, is on how we pick.
Complete the kit
The parts that decide whether the seal you just bought actually holds. Skip these and you will be doing the job again in March.
Removing old weatherstrip adhesive
Goo Gone Pro-Power Adhesive Remover, 8 oz
The step everybody skips: the new tape will not stick to the residue the old tape left behind.
Medium frame gaps
Frost King EPDM Rubber Self-Stick Weatherseal Tape, D-Section, 5/16 in x 1/4 in x 17 ft
EPDM in a hollow D — the profile that keeps sealing at minus ten where foam tape has already gone hard.
Deep gaps before caulking
Frost King C21CP-C Caulk Saver Backer Rod, 3/8 in x 350 ft
Backer rod: the foam you push into a deep gap so the caulk over it is a seal rather than a bottomless hole.
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Fitting it so it lasts
- 1Clean the bottom of the door face with the adhesive remover in the kit above. Old sweep residue is the most common reason a new one fails.
- 2Hold the sweep against the closed door and mark the height where the blade or bristles just touch the floor under light pressure — not compressed flat.
- 3Cut to width with a hacksaw for aluminum, or scissors for adhesive types. Deburr the cut end.
- 4Screw the top hole first, close the door and check the drag, then fix the rest. Most carriers have slotted holes precisely so you can adjust after this test.
- 5Open and close the door ten times. If it drags, drop it 1/8 in. If daylight shows at one end, your floor is uneven and a brush sweep is the correct part.
One more thing worth knowing before you buy: a sweep only fixes the bottom. If you can feel air at the sides or the top of the door, that is a frame problem, and the part for it is weather stripping for the door frame. Most drafty doors need both.
Questions people actually ask
- How do I stop a draft coming under my front door?
- Measure the gap at its widest point, then fit a sweep whose blade or bristles reach that far. On a flat threshold a screw-on aluminum-and-rubber sweep is the standard answer; on an uneven floor use a brush sweep; if you cannot drill the door, use an adhesive silicone sweep trimmed to the gap. Step by step in how to stop a draft under a door.
- Will a door sweep work on an uneven floor?
- A blade sweep will not — it seals at the narrow end and gaps at the wide end. A nylon brush sweep will, because the bristles bend to different heights across the swing. That is the single clearest sizing rule in this category.
- Do door sweeps keep mice out?
- A rubber or silicone blade compressed against the threshold closes the gap a mouse needs, which is famously about a quarter inch. A brush sweep does not — bristles part under pressure. If exclusion is the goal rather than warmth, buy a blade sweep and make sure it touches the floor along the whole width.
- What is the difference between a door sweep and a door bottom seal?
- A sweep screws to the face of the door and hangs below the bottom edge. A bottom seal wraps around or slides onto the bottom edge itself, so it is hidden when the door is closed. Sweeps are easier to retrofit and easier to adjust; bottom seals look better and cannot be kicked off. Full comparison here.
- Can I fit a door sweep to a metal door?
- Yes, but pre-drill the screw holes with a bit sized for the fastener, and use self-tapping screws rather than the wood screws that sometimes come in the box. An adhesive sweep is the alternative if you would rather not drill a steel skin.
Sources
- Frost King — door sweeps, door bottoms and thresholds product category
- M-D Building Products — door sweep collection
Every specification on this page traces to a published manufacturer or retailer listing. Where a maker publishes no working gap range, we say so rather than estimating one.
Read next
How to measure a door gap properly
The index-card method, the three-point rule, and how to read your number against a published seal size.
Door sweep, bottom seal or threshold: which part are you actually buying?
Four parts sit at the bottom of a door. A table that tells you which one yours takes.
The best door draft stoppers when you cannot drill the door
No-drill stoppers ranked by published fit, including the one that states an actual gap range.