A Comprehensive Guide to Retainer Door Seals

Weather Seals protect garages, facilities, and similar structures from dirt, pests, the elements, drafts, and more, but prior to installation you'll need a retainer to hold the seal in place. Choosing the right retainer can be daunting with so many models on the market, but North Shore Commercial Door makes it easy! Read on to learn about our array of retainers and what seal works best for each. We carry Vinyl, Rubber, TPE, TPV Flex Brush and Standard Brush seals that easily fit our astragals so you’ll never have to struggle with forcing a seal through an unsuitable retainer again. 

Retainer Seal Basics

A retainer is defined as a piece made from either aluminum or plastic (vinyl) and installed on the top, bottom, or sides of an access point, often a facility or garage door. The retainer presses the seal to the exterior of the appliance to create a reliable and protective garage door seal. The angle and size needed depends on the access point and brush being used. North Shore carries brush and vinyl seals from Action Industries and can stop 99% of air infiltration, as shown below.

A retainer-seal combo is great for weatherproofing sectional overhead doors, garages, rolling steel doors, commercial doors, passage sweeps, and dock levelers. NSCD carries seals that fit with the top garage door manufacturers like Wayne Dalton, Clopay, Martin, and more. 

Retainer Seal Sizes, Compatible Seals, & Shapes

NSCD's retainers come in Standard, Large and Slim-line lengths, with each fitting their respective sized seal (standard seals fit with standard retainers and so on). Several of our retainers come in custom shapes to seal whatever style an access point requires. Depending on the size, North Shore retainers can come in shapes of 45 Degrees, Straight, Offset, 90 degrees, and Reverse 45. See below for a more thorough description of each retainer type.

• 45 Degree retainers: best for sectional overhead garage doors. 
• Straight retainers: holds the side and top seals flush with the door. Perfect for doors with irregular surfaces, like rolling steel doors, corrugated doors, and roll-up doors. 
• Offset retainers: lifts the Weather Seal away from a door’s jambs for an extra wide seal channel. Great with commercial and industrial applications. 
• 90 Degree retainer: ideal for sealing loading dock levelers and holds garage door seals perpendicular to jambs. This holds Top seals and Side seals flush against the exterior of a garage door to plug the possible gaps in loading dock levelers. 
• Reverse 45 Degree: presses Weather Seals directly into the gaps where a closed garage door meets the side and top jambs.

Standard (#4 Channel) Retainers 

North Shore's Standard retainers have a #4 channel that fits all standard-sized Vinyl, Brush, and Rubber seals from Action Industries. Made with high-quality aluminum, Standard retainers are durable and easy to install on both residential and commercial garage doors. Our Standard retainers come in five shape variations: 45 Degrees, Straight, Offset, 90 Degrees, and Reverse 45.

Large (#7 Channel) Retainers

North Shore carries Large retainers from Action Industries that are made from high-quality, solid aluminum and provide long-lasting Weather Seal mounts for commercial and residential garage and facility doors. These Large retainers come in four shapes: 45 Degree, Straight, Offset, and 90 Degree and will fit the #7 Large Brush, Large EPDM, Brush, and Weatherblock Seals.

Slim-line (#2.5 Channel) Retainers 

North Shore's Slim-line retainers come in: 45 Degree, Straight, Offset, and 90 Degree sizes. Each retainer will fit the #7 Large Brush, Large EPDM, Brush, and Weatherblock Seals available from Action Industries.

North Shore's Slim-line retainers are made from solid aluminum and creates a long-lasting and secure mount for slim-line Weather Seals. Slim-line retainers are available in two variations: 45 Degree and Straight. The Slim-line's channel is a size 2.5 and compatible with all seals that are designed for 2.5 sizes at Action. This includes Brush Seal, Flex Brush, Vinyl Seal, and Bulb Seal. Slim-line retainers are smaller in size but more economical than Standard retainers.

Bottom Seal Retainers

North Shore's garage door bottom seal retainers work with residential garage doors, rolling doors for facilities, and corrugated doors for barns and storage units. They come in either our anti-corrosive, heavy-duty aluminum or plastic. Both variations are made to fit Action's Vinyl, T-style Rubber, and Bulb Seals.

Aluminum Seal Retainers

Aluminum facility and garage door seal retainers won’t rust and will hold garage door seals firmly in place thanks to the aluminum being pressed into shape using a die. This process makes our aluminum retainers extra durable and able to withstand extreme temperatures.

Bottom Seal Plastic Retainers

Whether you’re renovating a home or are a facility owner wishing to increase workplace energy efficiency, North Shore's Plastic Bottom seal retainers are a great economical solution. Plastic retainers are a lighter weight than aluminum retainers, which allows them to be cut to size on-site to the exact size a job needs to save time and remove the need to pre-measure. The plastic Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is also resistant to cracking and warping from everyday use and exposure to extreme temperatures.

Rolling Steel "Z" Header Seal Retainer

Custom installations require custom parts. You can give full clearance to rolling steep doors that open above the header with our specialized Rolling Steel "Z" retainer that protects up to a 3–4-inch gap (standard size) or a 6–12-inch gap (large size) in your access point.

How do you Replace a Garage Door Retainer

When replacing a garage door retainer, make sure the new retainer matches the door if aesthetics are important to you. Measure the size of the door to know the required length needed. You can also check the owner's manual to learn the measurements needed to replace your door’s retainer.

How to Install a Retainer Seal

To install your retainer, follow these handy steps from Action Industries!

1. Measure the header of your garage door.
2. Lay down your retainers end to end and mark the length of the header.
3. Trim off the excess material.
4. Install the retainer using the fasteners included in your kit. Start at one end and work your way across the header.
5. Repeat for the second retainer.

Still Curious About Retainers?

Please ask! Our in-house customer service team can help you with your questions. Get in touch with our support crew:

• Call: 800-783-6112
• Email: support@northshorecommercialdoor.com

North Shore has you covered when it comes to quality retainers. Be sure to check out the top brands we sell!