Bottoms can be ugly or look great, and that often depends on your weather stripping. You know we are talking about door bottoms, right? The big box weatherstrips that seal exterior door bottoms really detract from the beauty of a door. I did not even realize automatic door bottoms existed until I started researching how to help sound proof a thick door I was installing. I needed to seal a transition area between rooms that was flat. I also wanted the seal to be minimally visible since it was going on a beautiful door. And the seal needed to drop about a half inch so the door would clear any carpet or throw rugs. These criteria meant the usual aluminum thresholds were not going to work. Plus, they would have been ugly on a vintage door. Thankfully, I found Zero International, makers of automatic door thresholds, among other devices that seal sound and weather. Their automatic thresholds come in several styles, including surface-mount, flush, and fully mortised. I chose the fully mortised option since it was the least visible on the door. Once installed, a little brass bolt pushes into the door jamb when the door closes. This mechanism then automatically drops a seal into place to firmly seal the door. Magic! They are also great for door transitions with granite or tile, where a threshold would be hard to install or aesthetically undesirable. Support beautiful bottoms and try one for your door today! The automatic door bottom I chose was about $70 directly from Zero International’s Western Distribution Center. They also have a dealer locator online.
