Asked on Sep 05, 2012
I need a better seal at the bottom of my double entry doors.
by
Janice F
+3
About ten years ago we replaced our original double entry doors with mahogany leaded glass double doors. Up until recently, we had a wonderful seal around the doors, much better than with the doors they replaced. In the fall of 2010, we had someone refinish them. At that time, the refinisher removed the doors from their hinges to work on them. That was followed in the spring, 2011, with a massive renovation of our living areas, at which time the doors were left open for considerable lengths of time.This past winter we noticed a lot of cold air coming under the left door and realized they were no longer aligned and the left door allows cold air and rain (thank you hurricane Isaac) to come in. Especially worried about the wind-driven rain since I now have wood floors in my entry. What is the best approach to fix this problem; or should I just call out someone from the door company to make sure it gets done right? What most likely caused them to become uneven and lose contact with the threshold on the left? We didn't change hinges or anything - they were just taken off the hinges and rehung.
The space under my left double door.
6 answers
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Have you checked that the doors are plumb? Is the ga[ the same width all the way across the bottom? Place a level vertically at the edge of the door and see if it's level. That will be the easiest way to tell if the door is not hanging properly, which would be your easiest fix. Is it closer to the top jamb than the other door?
Leslie D
on Sep 05, 2012
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I had noticed a cold draft under my door, so I added a door sweep like this: http://tinyurl.com/9gj2fp3 It worked great for that, but it won't stop rain. As far as the source of the problem, I can't help you.
3po3
on Sep 05, 2012
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Leslie, I checked to see if the left door was plumb and, if it is out of plumb, it is only slightly so. The gap under the left door is pretty uniform. What is strange is that the doors are even at the top, and I have an older picture of the doors when they were much newer (2003) and the bottoms appear to be even. Can the bottom of a door shrink?
Janice F
on Sep 07, 2012
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If that is the case Janice...then maybe someone can answer this question ... can the frame at the top sag on one side over time?
Marg C
on Sep 07, 2012
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I don't know if the bottom of a door can shrink. It seems odd that one side would shrink and not the other. I remember your crazy rains from my year living in Louisiana, and I know water could be an issue with that gap under the door. I would recommend something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100666120/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053#.UEq0aK5gQ6A That should help.
3po3
on Sep 07, 2012
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@Janice F hi. I am thinking your door refinisher either REMOVED a door sweep or TRIMMED the bottom of the door. One door did not shrink with the other one remaining stable. Here's the source of your problem ----> "In the fall of 2010, we had someone refinish them. At that time, the refinisher removed the doors from their hinges to work on them. "
Donna
on Mar 07, 2015
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