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The wool pile weatherstripping in my patio door frame is disintegrating. The bristles are just falling off on contact. Parts of of it (most likely a section that deteriorated early) had previously been covered with a felt weatherstripping tape.

I've looked at instructions for how to replace it on a window and they all rely on being able to access an end of the strip to slide out the old one and slide in a new one. That won't work for me because this is an aluminum door frame that cannot be disassembled. The tracks run all of the way to the ends.

I have seen zipper pile products that look like they would work in this situation.

Is pile even the best solution in this situation? This isn't a sliding door, it is a normal hinged door, so it does not require pile for motion.

Would I get a better seal by simply removing the remaining pile and replacing everything with 3/4" felt?

Or should I be looking at a high density foam or rubber product? Priorites and technology has changed since 1969...I'm not convinced the pile is still the best option, and the cost differences are marginal.

Here's what the bottom corner looks like. The pile on the vertical is already gone, some is left on the bottom, but it falls off if you touch it. bottom corner

Here's a section showing where the felt tape is still in place as well as a section where the tape adhesive and the worn down pile underneath is showing. edge section

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  • Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Would you add a picture of the weatherstripping, with the view including a corner of the door? And, you should probably take our tour so you'll know how best to participate here. Oct 7, 2019 at 0:40
  • @DanielGriscom added images.
    – o.h
    Oct 7, 2019 at 0:57

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+50

Yep, the old stuff sure is worn out. I'd go with the peel and stick foam rubber weather-stripping. Those, have the most thickness options to get you to better than new. Since, they block air completely where a felt, pile or wool never did.

Keep in mind that weather-stripping is only air sealing and really not thermal insulation. So, you'll want maybe just a 1/8-inch thick ribbed weather-stripping...your door gap looks pretty tight in the pictures.

Just close the door and push it out/in to where the latch stops it and then measure the gap and match it with the similar thickness weather-strip. This, will pad the door out far enough to keep it tight in high winds and also keep tension for a secure seal.

However in your case, you'll also need to fully caulk the old wool pile slit flush, so the new stuff has a solid bed and not that currently existing very questionable super-thin nothing inner edge.

You can either stuff the slit's cavity with newspaper or even fill the cavity with spray foam and scratch its excess back a hair less than flush to still caulk it. Peel and stick likes caulk, glass, metal and paint, but not much else.

Also, finger force caulk into all of the corners (inside and outside) where those butt-edges are and immediately wipe the face clean with a damp paper towel to seal out air and water at those spots too.

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  • Silicone or latex caulk?
    – o.h
    Oct 15, 2019 at 17:32
  • Definitely latex, little sticks to silicone.
    – Iggy
    Oct 15, 2019 at 21:18

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