An Easy Way To Fix Drafty French Doors, According To Our Expert

Keeping your living space free from drafts can feel especially important during winter months when you are trying to keep your home cozy and warm. However, fixing drafty French doors can be beneficial no matter the weather, as it can help cut down on heating and cooling costs. There are simple methods for insulating your interior doors, but what about French doors? House Digest spoke exclusively with Kyle Schurman, an experienced house remodeler, to hear his thoughts on an easy way to fix drafty French doors.

According to Schurman, removing drafts from your French doors can be as easy as raising or lowering the doors. Start by looking at the type of hinges you have — if you have hinges hidden inside caps, then this fix will likely work. Remove the cap from the bottom of the hinge and use an Allen wrench to make small adjustments to the height of the door. "To fix a draft, you'll only need to raise or lower it a tiny fraction of an inch, so you definitely don't want to overdo the adjustments," Schurman explained. "From there, it's just a trial-and-error process." Before adjusting, Schurman recommended easily checking your windows and doors for hacks with this brilliant trick. Simply raise a lit candle up to the different edges of the French door and watch for where the flame moves. This will help identify exactly where the draft is coming from and show whether or not the problem has been fixed. Schurman also suggested that you draw a small pencil line on the door and frame before adjusting it, so you can see how much you moved the door.

While this DIY adjustment is simple, when House Digest spoke exclusively with Kyle Schurman, he explained why this solution may not be great for everyone. "The biggest issue with using this method is that so many different types of hinges exist that you may have a different design than the Instagram video shows," Schurman said. Luckily, most French doors are built in a similar way. Before beginning this project, make sure to have multiple different Allen wrenches available so that you can easily reach the screw head. Schruman also shared that some French doors have multiple screw heads. One will likely move the door in and out and the other will move it up and down.

When adjusting your doors, Schurman also stressed the importance of making the same adjustments for each door or your doors will not lock properly. "Having doors that won't latch would be a bigger problem than having a slight draft in the doors," Schurman explained.

If adjusting the height of your door seems like too big of a project for the moment, there are other ways to keep drafts out of your home. During Kyle Schurman's exclusive interview with House Digest, he shared that another way to fix a drafty French door is to look at the weatherstripping. Weatherstripping can wear overtime and become loose. Replacing this weatherstripping can be an easy way to reduce drafts.

"If you simply cannot get them to line up properly and cut down on drafts, a local handy person should be able to do the work for you," Schurman shared. In the meantime, Schurman recommended covering the doors with a plastic film until you can better address the issue. This, of course, only works if you don't plan on using your French doors for a while. You can also try using this brilliant pool noodle hack to keep your home warm during frigid winter nights. Give one of these ways to fix a drafty French door a try, and if it doesn't work, you can always try another way or call someone to help!