01 / DOORS
The best weather stripping for French doors and double doors
Two leaves means two bottoms, a meeting joint a single door does not have, and a three-way corner at the threshold that defeats most seals. Each takes a different part.
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Check the flush bolts on the passive leaf first — a leaf that is not fully bolted leaks at the meeting joint whatever you fit. Then put a silicone bulb seal on the passive leaf's stop, replace the astragal seal only if it has failed, and fit a separate bottom seal to each leaf.
Why a French door leaks differently from a single door
A single exterior door closes against a frame on three sides and a threshold on the fourth. Every edge meets a fixed surface. Seal those four edges and the door is sealed.
A French door is two leaves in one frame, and that changes everything about where the air gets in. One leaf — the active one — has the handle and latches. The other — the passive one — is held shut by flush bolts at the top and bottom of its meeting edge. The two leaves close against each other down the middle, and the vertical strip covering that joint is the astragal.
The passive leaf is only pulled tight at the two points where its bolts engage. Between them, the meeting joint depends entirely on the astragal and whatever seal it carries. When the seal hardens or the leaves drift out of line, the draft comes straight down the middle of the door — which is usually where people feel it, and usually the last place they look.
The four air paths on a French door
- 1The head and outer jambs. Identical to a single door. The weatherstrip goes on the stop, and the parts are in best weather stripping for doors.
- 2The meeting joint. Unique to a double door. Sealed by a bulb on the passive leaf's stop, the astragal's own seal, or both.
- 3The bottom of each leaf. Two separate bottoms, because the leaves swing independently.
- 4The three-way corner. Where both leaf bottoms, the meeting stile and the threshold meet. The hardest joint on the door and the one foam never holds.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astragal sound, draft along the meeting joint | Silicone bulb on the passive leaf's stop |  Protalwell Silicone D-Section Door Seal, 3/8 in W x 5/16 in T, 20 ftThe first fix and the cheapest. The active leaf compresses it on closing. Try this before buying any astragal part. | $11.99 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Astragal seal hardened, torn or missing | T-astragal seal, silicone insert |  Pemko 355CS84 T and Overlapping Astragal Seal, Silicone Insert, 84 inPublished 1.375 x 0.25 x 84 in section. Silicone stays flexible in the cold. | $66.17 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Leaves meet tight in one place, open elsewhere | Nylon bristle weatherstrip |  Pemko 18061CNB84 Aluminum and Nylon Bristle Weatherstrip, 84 inA brush follows a joint that changes width. A rigid gasket cannot. | $34.83 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Both leaves open as one wide doorway | Split astragal, EPDM |  Pemko 305CN84 Split Astragal Meeting Stile Gasketing, EPDM, 84 inA pair, one strip per leaf, meeting on the gasket. For doors with no fixed passive leaf. | $47.73 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Gap under each leaf, no slot in the bottom edge | Self-adhesive double bubble bottom |  Randall Self-Adhesive Double Bubble Door Bottom, 36 in, fits 1-3/4 to 2 in doorsPublished: gaps up to 1/2 in, doors 1-3/4 to 2 in thick. One per leaf. | $24.99 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Gap under each leaf, kerf slot present | Kerf double bubble bottom, 2 pack |  Briwooody Kerf Door Bottom, Double Bubble with Vinyl Fins, 36 in, 2 PackTwo in the box — one per leaf. Pull the old bottom and check for the slot first. | $26.99 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
Stop seal or astragal seal
Most French door drafts at the meeting joint are fixed by a bulb seal on the passive leaf's stop, not by replacing the astragal. The stop is the narrow strip the active leaf closes against; a silicone bulb there gets compressed squarely every time the door shuts, which is exactly the condition a compression seal needs. It is also the cheapest part on this page.
Replace the astragal seal itself when you can see it has failed — hardened and cracked, torn away, or simply missing on an older door. That is what the Pemko meeting-stile parts are for. They are specification-grade parts from a maker that publishes a full section, and they cost several times a roll of bulb seal, which is why they come second.
Choosing between the three astragal parts
- T-astragal seal with a silicone insert — the default replacement for a single active leaf closing against a fixed passive one. Silicone keeps its flexibility through the winter.
- Nylon bristle weatherstrip — for leaves that have warped and no longer meet evenly top to bottom. A brush follows a changing gap; a rigid gasket touches in one spot. It slows air rather than stopping it completely.
- Split astragal with EPDM — for a pair of doors where both leaves open and there is no fixed passive leaf. It mounts as a pair and seals where the two halves meet.
The bottoms: one per leaf
Each leaf needs its own bottom seal, and the first question is whether the leaf has a kerf — a narrow slot machined along its bottom edge. Steel and fiberglass prehung French doors usually do; older solid wood doors usually do not. Pull the old bottom off one leaf and look.
With a kerf, a slide-in bottom is the tidy answer and comes in a two-pack that covers both leaves. Without one, a self-adhesive bottom that wraps the door edge is the option, and the one here publishes a gap ceiling of 1/2 in and a fit for doors 1-3/4 to 2 in thick. Measure the gap under each leaf separately — the two do not always sit at the same height.
The picks
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 | Protalwell Silicone D-Section Door Seal, 3/8 in W x 5/16 in T, 20 ftSilicone rather than EPDM or foam: it costs more per foot and it is the one profile that does not stiffen when the temperature drops. | Cold climates | Published 5/16 in thick; suits a measured gap of roughly 3/16 in to 5/16 in | $11.99 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| 2 | Pemko 355CS84 T and Overlapping Astragal Seal, Silicone Insert, 84 inA specification-grade astragal seal with a silicone insert, for the joint between the two leaves when the stop-seal fix is not enough — and the one here that publishes its full section. | A failed or missing astragal seal | Not published as a working gap range; published section 1.375 in W x 0.25 in H x 84 in L | $66.17 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| 3 | Pemko 18061CNB84 Aluminum and Nylon Bristle Weatherstrip, 84 inNylon bristle in an aluminum carrier, for the meeting joint that is a different width at the top than at the bottom — where a rigid gasket touches in one place and gaps everywhere else. | Warped or uneven leaves | Not published as a working gap range; published 1/4 in W x 1-3/8 in H x 84 in L | $34.83 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| 4 | Pemko 305CN84 Split Astragal Meeting Stile Gasketing, EPDM, 84 inA split astragal — a pair of strips, one on each leaf, meeting on an EPDM gasket — for a double door where neither leaf stays shut while the other opens. | Both leaves swing | Not published as a working gap range; published section 0.875 in W x 1.25 in H x 84 in L | $47.73 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| 5 | Randall Self-Adhesive Double Bubble Door Bottom, 36 in, fits 1-3/4 to 2 in doorsA stick-on double-bubble bottom from a named maker that publishes a gap figure — rare in this category, and the reason it leads for the bottom of each leaf. | A leaf with no kerf slot | Published: seals gaps up to 1/2 in; fits doors 1-3/4 in to 2 in thick | $24.99 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
| 6 | Briwooody Kerf Door Bottom, Double Bubble with Vinyl Fins, 36 in, 2 PackTwo slide-in kerf bottoms in one pack — which is the number a French door actually needs, and cheaper than two single units. | Two kerfed leaves, one box | Not published — the listing states a length and a profile, not a gap | $26.99 · CHECK ON AMAZON |
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Cold climates
Protalwell Silicone D-Section Door Seal, 3/8 in W x 5/16 in T, 20 ft
Published gap range
Published 5/16 in thick; suits a measured gap of roughly 3/16 in to 5/16 in
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Silicone rather than EPDM or foam: it costs more per foot and it is the one profile that does not stiffen when the temperature drops.
Where the number comes fromThe listing publishes a 3/8 in width and a 5/16 in thickness across a 20 ft roll. Thickness is the figure that matters: our general rule, published at /how-we-pick, is that a compressible seal works from about half its thickness up to its full thickness, which puts this one at roughly 3/16 to 5/16 in.
- Material
- Silicone
- Published width
- 3/8 in
- Published thickness
- 5/16 in
- Published length
- 20 ft
- Profile
- D-section
- Mounting
- Self-adhesive
What it does well
- Silicone keeps its flexibility through a hard freeze, which is the whole reason to pay more than foam
- Publishes both the material and the section, which most listings in this category do not
- Does not chalk or crack in sunlight the way vinyl does
Where it fails
- More expensive per foot than foam or EPDM
- Adhesive on silicone is fussier than on rubber — surface prep matters more
- Black only in this section, which shows on a white frame
Who this is forA door or hatch in a house that gets a real winter.
A failed or missing astragal seal
Pemko 355CS84 T and Overlapping Astragal Seal, Silicone Insert, 84 in
Published gap range
Not published as a working gap range; published section 1.375 in W x 0.25 in H x 84 in L
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A specification-grade astragal seal with a silicone insert, for the joint between the two leaves when the stop-seal fix is not enough — and the one here that publishes its full section.
Where the number comes fromPemko publishes the section (1.375 in wide, 0.25 in high, 84 in long) and the insert material (silicone), not the gap the insert will close. What decides it is the joint between your two leaves: this seal is applied along the meeting edge so the other leaf closes against the silicone. Silicone is the insert to want here for the same reason as anywhere else on this site — it stays flexible in a hard freeze.
- Published section
- 1.375 in W x 0.25 in H
- Published length
- 84 in
- Insert
- Silicone
- Carrier
- Clear anodized aluminum
- Published gap range
- None
- Mounting
- Surface-applied along the meeting stile
What it does well
- Silicone insert keeps its flexibility through the cold months when a French door draft matters
- Pemko publishes the full section, so you can check it against the meeting edge before ordering
- 84 in covers the full height of a standard French door leaf in one piece
Where it fails
- Costs several times a roll of bulb seal, which the stop fix uses and which may be all your door needs
- No published working gap range, so check the clearance between the leaves by eye first
- A commercial-grade part: fixings and trimming to length are on you
Who this is forA French door whose astragal seal has hardened, torn or was never there.
Warped or uneven leaves
Pemko 18061CNB84 Aluminum and Nylon Bristle Weatherstrip, 84 in
Published gap range
Not published as a working gap range; published 1/4 in W x 1-3/8 in H x 84 in L
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Nylon bristle in an aluminum carrier, for the meeting joint that is a different width at the top than at the bottom — where a rigid gasket touches in one place and gaps everywhere else.
Where the number comes fromOld French doors warp, and a warped leaf meets its partner tight at one point and open elsewhere. A compression gasket cannot follow that; a brush can, because the bristles flex into a gap that changes along its length. The trade is the one we state everywhere on this site: brush slows air, it does not stop it as completely as a compressed seal on a true joint.
- Published section
- 1/4 in W x 1-3/8 in H
- Published length
- 84 in
- Seal
- Nylon bristle
- Carrier
- Clear anodized aluminum
- Published gap range
- None
- Mounting
- Fixed along the meeting stile
What it does well
- Follows a joint that changes width along its length, which no rigid gasket can
- The cheapest of the three Pemko meeting-stile parts here
- Tolerates a leaf that has dropped slightly on its hinges
Where it fails
- A brush leaks more air than a compressed silicone or EPDM insert on a joint that is true
- Bristle flattens with years of use and has to be replaced
- No published working gap range
Who this is forAn older French door whose leaves no longer meet evenly top to bottom.
Both leaves swing
Pemko 305CN84 Split Astragal Meeting Stile Gasketing, EPDM, 84 in
Published gap range
Not published as a working gap range; published section 0.875 in W x 1.25 in H x 84 in L
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A split astragal — a pair of strips, one on each leaf, meeting on an EPDM gasket — for a double door where neither leaf stays shut while the other opens.
Where the number comes fromSold as meeting-stile gasketing in split form, so the seal is made where two pieces meet rather than where one leaf closes against the other. That suits a pair of doors used as a single wide opening. Pemko publishes the section and the EPDM insert; it does not publish a working gap range, so confirm the meeting edges come together evenly top to bottom before fitting.
- Published section
- 0.875 in W x 1.25 in H
- Published length
- 84 in
- Insert
- EPDM
- Form
- Split — a pair, one per leaf
- Published gap range
- None
- Mounting
- Mounted as a pair, one piece on each leaf's meeting stile
What it does well
- Designed for doors where both leaves open, which the single-leaf astragals are not
- EPDM is a durable weather gasket and cheaper than silicone
- Full section published by the maker
Where it fails
- EPDM stiffens more in deep cold than the silicone insert on the Pemko 355CS
- Two pieces means two meeting edges that both have to be true — a warped leaf defeats it
- No published working gap range
Who this is forA pair of doors used as one wide opening, where both leaves swing.
A leaf with no kerf slot
Randall Self-Adhesive Double Bubble Door Bottom, 36 in, fits 1-3/4 to 2 in doors
Published gap range
Published: seals gaps up to 1/2 in; fits doors 1-3/4 in to 2 in thick
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A stick-on double-bubble bottom from a named maker that publishes a gap figure — rare in this category, and the reason it leads for the bottom of each leaf.
Where the number comes fromRandall publishes two numbers that matter: a maximum gap of 1/2 in and a door-thickness fit of 1-3/4 to 2 in. On a French door, measure each leaf separately — the two leaves do not always sit at the same height — and remember you need one of these per leaf. Self-adhesive means surface prep decides whether it stays on.
- Published maximum gap
- 1/2 in
- Published door thickness
- 1-3/4 in to 2 in
- Published length
- 36 in
- Seal
- PVC double bubble
- Fixing
- Self-adhesive
- Mounting
- Self-adhesive, fitted over the bottom edge of the door
What it does well
- Publishes a gap ceiling, so you can check it against a measured gap under each leaf
- No kerf slot needed, which suits older wooden French doors
- From a maker already on this site under a named part
Where it fails
- One per leaf — a French door needs two, so double the price shown
- Adhesive failure is the usual end of stick-on bottoms; clean and degrease the door edge first
- PVC stiffens in deep cold more than silicone or EPDM
Who this is forA wooden French door with no slot in the bottom edge of either leaf.
Two kerfed leaves, one box
Briwooody Kerf Door Bottom, Double Bubble with Vinyl Fins, 36 in, 2 Pack
Published gap range
Not published — the listing states a length and a profile, not a gap
#ad · how we are funded · price as of October 17, 2026
Two slide-in kerf bottoms in one pack — which is the number a French door actually needs, and cheaper than two single units.
Where the number comes fromA kerf bottom slides into a slot machined along the bottom edge of the door, which is standard on steel and fiberglass prehung French doors. Check for the slot before ordering: pull the old bottom out and look. The listing publishes a 36 in length and a double-bubble-plus-fins profile but no gap figure, so compare the old bottom's height against the gap under each leaf.
- Pack
- 2 pieces — one per leaf
- Published length
- 36 in
- Profile
- Double bubble with vinyl fins
- Fitting
- Kerf slide-in
- Published gap range
- None
- Mounting
- Slides into the kerf slot in the bottom edge of each leaf
What it does well
- Two in the box, matching the two leaves of a French door
- Cheaper than buying two single kerf bottoms
- Slide-in fitting with no adhesive to fail
Where it fails
- Only fits a door with a kerf slot — useless on a solid wooden leaf
- Unbranded reseller listing with no maker data sheet behind it
- No published gap figure, and vinyl fins stiffen in deep cold
Who this is forA steel or fiberglass prehung French door with slotted bottom edges.
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.
Buying anything before checking the flush bolts
This is the fix that costs nothing, and it is the one most often missed. The passive leaf of a French door is held shut by two flush bolts, one at the head and one into the threshold. If either is not fully seated — painted over, bent, or the strike hole clogged — the passive leaf is being held by the astragal alone, and the whole meeting joint is loose. No seal fixes a leaf that is not shut. Open the passive leaf, work both bolts until they throw fully, and test the draft again. We cover this in sliding and French door drafts.
Sticking bulb seal onto the astragal itself
It looks like the obvious place, and it is the wrong one. A bulb stuck to the face of the astragal gets dragged as the active leaf swings past it, and peels. The bulb belongs on the passive leaf's stop, where the active leaf closes squarely onto it and compresses it rather than scraping it. If the astragal's own seal has failed, replace the astragal seal with a part designed to sit there, not with adhesive tape.
Foam at the bottom corners
Where the two leaves meet the threshold is a three-way joint — two leaf bottoms, the meeting stile and the sill all come together in a couple of square inches — and it is the hardest point on the door to seal. Open-cell foam compresses once, takes a set and leaks by midwinter. A silicone bulb at the corner and a proper bottom seal on each leaf last; foam tape does not.
A single-leaf door bottom sized for the whole opening
A French door opening is often five or six feet wide, and it is tempting to buy one long sweep. Each leaf moves independently, so a single bottom cannot span both — it would have to be fixed to one leaf and would foul the other. Buy one bottom per leaf, sized to that leaf, and treat the gap where the two bottoms meet as part of the corner joint above.
How we picked
- We start from the joint, not the product. A French door has four separate air paths — the head and outer jambs, the meeting joint between the leaves, the bottom of each leaf, and the three-way corner at the threshold — and they take different parts. The picks are organized by which joint they serve.
- Within each joint we rank on published specification. Pemko publishes a full section (width, height and length) for all three of its meeting-stile parts, and Randall publishes a gap ceiling and a door-thickness fit for its bottom seal. Where a listing publishes no working gap range, the pick says so.
- We rank the cheapest effective fix first inside each joint. The silicone bulb on the passive leaf's stop leads the table because it is the fix most doors need and the one that costs a fraction of an astragal part.
- We did not test these. There is no lab and no owned inventory. Prices come from the live price layer and are dated, and the full method is published.
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 Spray, 16 fl oz, with Scraper
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.
Door and window frame sides
M-D Building Products V-Flex Window Seal Weatherseal, 3/8 in x 17 ft, White
V-strip folds into the gap and springs back, so it seals a jamb that never closes to exactly the same place twice.
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If the glass is the real problem
French doors are mostly glass, and glass radiates cold whatever the seals are doing. If the meeting joint, bottoms and corners are sealed and the room still feels cold near the door, the likely cause is cold air falling off the glass and running across the floor — which feels exactly like a draft but has no gap to find.
Seals cannot fix that. For a door that is not used all winter, a large shrink film kit over the whole opening puts still air in front of the glass; the kits are in best window insulation kits, and whether film is worth it at all is in does window film actually work.
Questions people actually ask
- How do you weather strip French doors?
- Treat it as four jobs. Seal the head and outer jambs like a single door. Put a silicone bulb seal on the passive leaf's stop so the active leaf compresses it. Fit a separate bottom seal to each leaf. Then seal the three-way corner at the threshold with a silicone bulb rather than foam. Check the flush bolts before any of it.
- What is an astragal on a French door?
- The vertical strip that covers the joint where the two leaves meet. On most French doors it is fixed to the passive leaf, and the active leaf closes against it. Its seal is what stops air coming down the middle of the door, and it is usually the part that fails first.
- Why is there a draft between my double doors?
- Most often the flush bolts on the passive leaf are not fully engaged, so that leaf is loose. After that, the likely causes are a hardened or missing astragal seal, or leaves that have warped and no longer meet evenly. Check the bolts first — it costs nothing.
- Do French doors need two door sweeps?
- Yes. Each leaf swings independently, so each needs its own bottom seal sized to that leaf. A single sweep across the whole opening cannot work. If the leaves have a kerf slot, a two-pack of slide-in bottoms covers both.
Read next
Sealing drafts on sliding patio and French doors
Meeting stile, jambs, track and astragal — where sliders and French doors actually leak, and what seals each.
The best weather stripping for sliding glass doors
Pile survives the sliding action; foam and bulb seals do not. The strips that publish a pile height, plus the interlock and screen-edge joints nobody seals.
The best weather stripping for doors, by published thickness
V-strip, D-section, silicone and foam placed against the gap each published thickness can actually seal.
The best door sweeps, sorted by the gap they actually close
Six sweeps placed by the gap they close, from a slim vinyl blade to a brush for uneven floors.