Making Sense of Andersen Gliding Door Weatherstrip

by Stephan Miller

Finding the Right Replacement Weatherstrip for Andersen Gliding Doors

This is a job, to say the least. After looking through catalog after catalog of Andersen gliding door parts and not finding much information elsewhere, we wrote this article to help you decide which set of weatherstrip you need for your Andersen gliding door.

First off, Andersen gliding door weatherstrip is a different animal than hinged door weatherstrip. Since the doors pass each other, a strip of foam or a bulb type weatherstrip will not do the job. Instead, they use a system of interlocks where the panels meet when closed.

We will start off by identifying the door you have.

58072 Gliding Door

This was a wood door manufactured by Andersen from 1963-1965. Very limited parts are available.

Prefinished Terratone and Primed Wood

These doors were manufactured by Andersen from 1966-1982. They are both wood doors. The Prefinished Terratone door came from the factory painted a brownish-gray color or Terratone. The weatherstrip for this door is gray in color. The primed wood door was made to be painted in the field and came with tan weatherstrip.

3 Panel Door Weatherstrip Identification

These doors used four pieces of weatherstrip on a 2 panel door. Eight pieces on a 3 panel door. One was a pretty heavy piece of plastic (Interlock) that snapped into the door with a barbed section. The other, a thin piece of plastic (Interlock Weatherstrip), also snapped in with a barb. It sat below the first piece and faced it as shown in the picture below, which shows the profile of the door. If your Interlock attaches with screws instead of barbs, this is not your door.

If this is your door, all you need to know now is:

• The color you need.
• Whether it is a 2 panel or 3 panel door.
• Whether it is a RH or LH door (for the Interlock Weatherstrip only).

The first two are simple.

If viewed from the outside, if the operating panel is on the right, you have a RH or OX door. If the operating panel is on the left, you have a LH or XO door. Andersen 3 panel gliding doors are always left handed with the active panel in the middle.

With this information, you should be able to find the right weatherstrip, unless, of course you have a different door.

Perma-Shield Gliding Doors 1966-1978

These doors used similiar looking interlocks and weatherstrip as the Primed Doors above, except it was white, since this door only came in white, and it's interlocks attach with screws instead of barbs, so if your interlock attaches with screws, this is your door.

For a full set of weatherstrip, you will still need 4 pieces for a 2 panel door and 6 for a 3 panel door. And you will need to know the handing of your door to get the right pieces.

Perma-Shield Gliding Doors 1977-6/2000

In 1977, Andersen changed the type of weatherstrip they used on the Perma-Shield gliding door. There are two color choices: Terratone and White. Those built after 1982 had a third choice of colors: Sandtone.

Once you have determined that your Andersen door uses this type of weatherstrip, determine the height your gliding door.

• 6' 8 " (PS5, PS510)
• 6' 11 " (PS6, PS8, PS9, PS12)

For more accurate measurements, measure the exposed glass in the door. That is the glass that is visible in any one of the panels.

• 6'8" Exposed Glass = 72"
• 6'11" Exposed Glass = 74-7/8"

Two panel doors will use 2 pieces of weatherstrip and three panel doors will use 4 in total with a cutout in the pieces on the lock stile.

For the operating panel weatherstrip you will have to measure the thickness of the glass. For dual pane 5/8" glass, it will use a 2-7/16" wide weatherstrip. for triple and dual pane 1" glass, it will use a 2-11/16" wide piece.

Perma-Shield Gliding Doors 6/2000 to Present

Currently, these are only available as sets and the prices are lower than the vintage pieces. So to order weatherstrip for this door, you will only have to know the size of your door and the color. There are two color options: White or Gray.

There are three height options. The numbers in parentheses are model numbers.

• 6' 8 " (PS5, PS510)
• 6' 11 " (PS6, PS8, PS9, PS12)
• 8' (PS3080, PS4080)

For more accurate measurements, measure the exposed glass in the door. That is the glass that is visible in any one of the panels.

• 6'8" Exposed Glass = 72"
• 6'11" Exposed Glass = 74-7/8"
• 8' Exposed Glass = 80-1/4"

Frenchwood Gliding Door 1987-Present

This one is pretty simple. If you have a gliding door built after 1987 that says Andersen on it and it's wood, there's a good chance this is your door. If the interlock weatherstrip looks like one of the profiles below, then it is your door.

There are two generations of the Frenchwood gliding door weatherstrip. The first generation was used on Frenchwood doors built from 1987 to 1990. There are two color choices: White and Terratone. There is only one size, so color is the only option you have to worry about.

The second generation was used from 1990 through the present day. It's profile is very different, so identifying which Frenchwood Gliding door you have should be relatively simple.

There are three sizes and three colors available for this door. The colors are White, Terratone, and Sandtone. To determine which height you need, measure the exposed glass in the door. That is the glass that is visible in any one of the panels.

• 6'8" Door - Exposed Glass = 63-1/8""
• 6'11" Door - Exposed Glass = 66"
• 8' Door - Exposed Glass = 79-1/8"