French doors that won't latch in the middle, sag and drag, draft cold air, or whose multipoint lock won't engage? We realign, reseal and repair interior and exterior French doors across Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley — most jobs done in a single same-day visit.
Sagging pairs, failed multipoint locks, and drafty centre seams on French patio and entry doors.
Because the two leaves of a French door have to close against each other and lock together, it’s one of the most alignment-sensitive doors in a home. A few millimetres of sag or seasonal movement can make the handle hard to operate, let in a draft down the centre or stop the doors from locking. At Fix My Door Now Ottawa, French door repair is a service we're called for constantly, on both elegant interior doors and exterior garden and patio French doors.
Most French door problems are alignment and hardware issues rather than failing doors, so they can often be repaired without replacing the doors. When French doors won’t close evenly, the problem may involve the hinges, astragal or locking hardware, and we check how both panels fit before recommending repairs. We diagnose why the pair has fallen out of square — a dropped hinge, a worn astragal, flush bolts that no longer seat, a multipoint lock that's missing its keepers — and correct the cause so the doors close, seal and lock together the way they did when they were new.
This is the most common French door problem we see. When the two leaves meet at the centre and refuse to latch, the active leaf has usually dropped, or the passive (fixed) leaf has shifted so its strike no longer lines up. We reset the passive leaf with its flush bolts, adjust the hinges to bring the active leaf back up to height, and realign the strike and astragal so both doors close together and the handle latches easily without lifting or pushing the door.
If you can feel cold air — or see a sliver of daylight — between the two doors, the astragal weatherstrip down the meeting stile has worn out or the leaves have spread apart. In an Ottawa winter that centre gap is a direct line for heat loss and frost. We replace the astragal seal, draw the leaves back into square, and reset the weatherstripping top, bottom and centre so the pair seals tight. This often pairs with our weatherstripping & seals and threshold & sill repair work for a fully draft-proof entry.
Exterior French doors usually use a multipoint lock — lift the handle and hooks or bolts shoot into the frame at the top and bottom as well as the centre. It's a secure, weather-tight system when everything lines up, and a frustrating one when it doesn't, because every point has to meet its keeper at once. When a multipoint lock won't throw, it’s usually because the door is sitting low or out of line in the frame. We realign the door and the keepers so all points catch, and replace the multipoint gearbox when it has worn out or seized internally. This is closely related to our lock repair service.
French door leaves are tall, and the exterior ones carry heavy insulated glass, so the hinges carry a heavy load and gradually pull loose from the jamb. The result is a leaf that drops at the latch corner, drags on the threshold, and rubs the astragal so the doors won't close evenly. We reset or replace the hinges, drive longer screws into solid framing to pull the leaf back up, and plane or adjust where a door has swollen — so both leaves hang true and swing freely again.
The passive leaf is the one you normally keep shut, held by flush bolts (also called shoot bolts) at the top and bottom. When those bolts no longer seat into the head jamb and sill — or their keepers have moved — the passive leaf flexes, the doors rattle, and a strong wind can push them open. We reset the flush bolts and their keeper holes, add or realign the sill keeper, and make sure the fixed leaf is locked solid so the active door has a firm edge to latch against.
French doors won't lock or close, or letting cold air pour in? Call 613-265-3667 for French door repair across Ottawa & the Valley, with a flat-rate quote before we start — or request a free quote online.
French door hardware takes a lot of use — lever sets, mortise handles, ball catches and dummy handles all wear out over time. We replace tired or broken handle sets, fix latches that spin without catching, and swap interior ball catches that have stopped holding. If a sealed glass panel is cracked or has fogged from a failed seal, we can replace just the unit through our broken glass repair service, rather than replacing the whole door.
We repair both. Interior French doors — on offices, dens, dining rooms and primary closets — are about clean alignment, even reveals between the leaves, and latches or ball catches that hold without slamming. Exterior and patio French doors add the weather and security layer: astragal seals, multipoint locks, thresholds and drafts. Either way, the goal is the same: two doors that close, latch and seal together.
French doors share hardware and problems with several other door types. If your situation is a little different, these pages will help:
Real door repairs, installations, and security work completed by our Ottawa and Ottawa Valley team.
Send a couple of details and we'll reply with a flat-rate price — no obligation, no pressure.
Sticking, drafty, or won’t latch? Getting a door problem checked early may help prevent further damage.
Other door services we provide across Ottawa.
Patio door repair in Ottawa for sticking panels, worn rollers, damaged tracks, handles, locks and weather seals.
Lock repair and replacement across Ottawa and the Valley — deadbolts, knob sets, mortise, multipoint and smart locks fixed fast.
Weatherstripping and door seal replacement in Ottawa, ON — stop cold drafts, cut heating bills and protect your frame from moisture.
What Ottawa homeowners ask us most about repairing double French doors.
Call us about French door repair, or send a photo of the problem and we’ll give you a free, flat-rate quote.
