French Door Astragal Replacement — Stop Drafts Between Double Doors
You can see daylight down the middle of your French doors, feel cold air there in January, or find water on the floor under the center.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
French door astragal replacement fixes the draft and daylight where two exterior doors meet. JMB Builders sets the doors so they meet evenly, then replaces the worn weatherstrip, the bottom pad or the whole astragal, moving the flush bolts to the new one. We do it on French patio doors and double entry doors across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per door pair, quoted from photos.
- Priced per door pair
- Weatherstrip, bottom pad or whole astragal
- Doors set to meet evenly first
An astragal is the strip on the edge of the fixed door of a pair. The active door closes against it. On exterior French doors and double entry doors it carries a weatherstrip that the active door presses into, a pad or seal at the bottom that closes the gap over the threshold, and usually the flush bolts that lock the fixed door to the head and sill.
The weatherstrip flattens and tears over the years, the bottom pad falls off, and a wood astragal rots at the bottom where water sits. Then daylight shows down the center, air whistles through, and water runs in under the middle of the doors. A bead of caulk does not fix it.
Before anything is replaced, we check that the doors meet evenly top to bottom. A sagging active door leaves a wedge-shaped gap no seal can close, so the hinges are set first. Then the weatherstrip is pulled from its kerf and replaced, a new bottom pad goes on, or the whole astragal is swapped and the flush bolts moved to it.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- A photo of the center of the doors closed, from inside, and a close-up of the bottom where they meet
- The door brand if you know it, and whether the doors swing in or out
- A photo of the flush bolts at the top and bottom of the fixed door
What JMB supplies
- Hinge and strike adjustment so the doors meet evenly
- New astragal weatherstrip pressed into the kerf
- New bottom pad or end seal over the threshold
- Whole replacement astragal when the old one is split or rotted
- Flush bolts moved to the new astragal and their strikes reset
- Photos of the finished doors in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Weatherstrip only vs. bottom pad vs. whole astragal
- Wood, composite or metal-backed astragal, and how hard it is to match
- Flush bolts that need moving or replacing
- Hinge sag or frame movement that has to be corrected first
- Threshold condition under the center of the doors
Priced per pair. A photo from inside with the doors closed, and a close-up of the bottom center, is usually enough to quote.
How long it takes
Weatherstrip and bottom pad: an hour or two. A whole astragal with flush bolts moved: half a day, plus time for a matching part to arrive.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Weatherstrip only
When the astragal itself is sound, the flattened or torn weatherstrip is pulled from its kerf and new strip pressed in to the length of the door.
Bottom pad or end seal
The small pad at the bottom of the astragal closes the gap over the threshold. When it is missing, water and air come in under the center. A new one is fitted and set to the threshold.
Whole astragal replaced
A split, rotted or bent astragal is replaced with one matched to the door thickness and height. The flush bolts are moved over and their strikes reset at the head and sill.
French Door Astragal Replacement — Stop Drafts Between Double Doors: questions, answered
Why can I see light between my French doors?
Either the weatherstrip on the astragal is worn flat or missing, or the doors no longer meet evenly because the active door has sagged. If the gap is wider at the top or bottom, the hinges need adjusting first. If it is even, the weatherstrip or astragal needs replacing.
What is an astragal on a double door?
It is the vertical strip fastened to the edge of the fixed door in a pair. The active door closes against it, and on exterior doors it holds a weatherstrip, a seal at the bottom and usually the flush bolts. It is what closes the gap where the two doors meet.
Can an astragal be replaced without replacing the doors?
Yes. The astragal is fastened to the fixed door's edge and comes off on its own. A new one matched to the door thickness and height goes on, and the flush bolts move over. The doors and frame stay.
Why does water come in at the bottom between my double doors?
Usually the pad or end seal at the bottom of the astragal is worn or gone, so there is an open gap above the threshold at the center. Sometimes the threshold itself is low or cracked there. A new bottom seal fixes most of it; a bad threshold gets replaced.
Will new astragal weatherstrip stop the draft?
If the doors meet evenly, yes. New weatherstrip fills the gap the old flattened one left. If the doors are out of line or a door is warped, the strip cannot close a wedge-shaped gap, so the hinges are set first and a warped door is pointed out.
Do the flush bolts come with the astragal?
On many exterior French doors the flush bolts are mounted in the astragal. When the astragal is replaced, the bolts are moved to the new one or replaced if worn, and their strikes in the head and threshold are reset so the fixed door locks tight.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
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Door Replacement & Installation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: