# Weatherstripping - Link: https://selectslidingdoors.com/glossary/weatherstripping/ - Published: 2024-08-16T17:26:05+00:00 - Author: Rowdy [Home](https://selectslidingdoors.com/)/[Glossary](https://selectslidingdoors.com/glossary/)/ Weatherstripping Glass and weather # Weatherstripping Also called: weather seal, pile seal, brush seal **Quick answer:** weatherstripping on a sliding door is the soft pile (a strip of short brush) that runs along the panel edges and where the two panels overlap. Many strips also have a thin plastic fin in the middle. Together they close the small gaps a sliding panel needs to move. What it keeps out Drafts, dust, insects and wind-driven rain, while still letting the panel slide. What wears it out Every slide rubs the pile. Sun, grit and time press it flat until it no longer touches. Buy it by size Pile height and backing width must match the old strip, or the door drags or leaks. Where the seals sit, seen from above 1. **Interlock pile**, where the two panels overlap when closed 2. **Lock-side pile**, where the sliding panel closes against the frame 3. **Fin**, a thin plastic blade inside the pile that blocks air 4. **Backing**, the base strip that slides into a slot in the frame Coral marks the pile. The same strips also run along the top and bottom rails. ## How to check your weatherstripping Work in this order. The first two checks take a few minutes and need no tools. 1. Feel for air on a windy day 2. Run your hand along the edges and the middle overlap with the door closed and locked. 3. Safe to do yourself 4. Look at the pile 5. Flat, matted, torn or missing sections mean the strip no longer touches. 6. Safe to do yourself 7. Check with a light at night 8. One person shines a flashlight along the edges from outside. Light coming through marks a gap. 9. Safe to do yourself 10. Replace the worn strips 11. Match the old pile. Strips on the panel itself mean lifting it out of the track. 12. Take care: two people ## Fix it yourself or call a pro * **Safe yourself**Vacuum dust out of the pile and replace strips you can reach in the fixed frame without moving the panel. * **Take care**Many strips sit in the panel edges, so the panel has to come out. Glass panels are heavy and tempered glass can shatter: two people at least, or call a pro. * **Call a pro**Drafts that stay after new strips (often a panel out of line), water coming in, or pile you cannot match. More on this: [why a sliding door is hard to open, and how to make it slide easier](https://selectslidingdoors.com/sliding-door-hard-to-open/). ![Close-up of a sliding glass door edge with a dark pile weatherstrip running along the frame](https://selectslidingdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sliding-glass- door-detail-and-rail-embed-2023-11-27-04-59-52-utc-768x1152.jpg) The dark brush strip along the panel edge is the pile weatherstripping. ## Types of sliding door weatherstripping Plain pile Lets the panel glide with little drag Air can pass through it once it flattens Pile with fin The fin blocks air and dust far better Needs the right height, or it bends and drags Vinyl or rubber strip Seals tight where the door presses shut Grips and drags where the panel slides past Most sliding patio doors use pile with a fin along the moving edges. ## Feeling a draft at the door? Select Sliding Doors replaces worn weatherstripping as part of [sliding door repair](https://selectslidingdoors.com/sliding-door-repair/) across Dallas-Fort Worth. Mon to Sat, 7am to 10pm. [Call 469-915-5230](https://selectslidingdoors.com/glossary/weatherstripping/4699155230) [Sliding door repair](https://selectslidingdoors.com/sliding-door-repair/) ## Questions people ask How do I know which weatherstripping to buy? Pull out a short piece of the old strip, or measure it. Note the backing width, the pile height and whether it has a fin. Take the sample with you, or have a technician match it. Can new weatherstripping make the door hard to slide? Yes. Pile that is too tall presses hard on the frame and the door drags. If a door got stiff after new strips, check the size first. More causes in our guide to a [sliding door that is hard to open](https://selectslidingdoors.com/sliding-door-hard-to-open/). Can I use foam tape instead? Not on the moving edges. Foam tape is made for doors and windows that press shut. On a sliding panel it tears, drags and soon falls off. Use pile made for sliding doors. ## Related terms [Door bottom seal](https://selectslidingdoors.com/glossary/door-bottom-seal/)[Sliding door alignment](https://selectslidingdoors.com/glossary/sliding-door-alignment/) [Track lubrication](https://selectslidingdoors.com/glossary/track-lubrication/)[Insulated patio doors](https://selectslidingdoors.com/glossary/insulated-patio-doors/) Photo: own media library. Diagram: Select Sliding Doors.