Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Weather Stripping Doors
Here's a rundown on the most effective types of weather stripping most types of doors with basic installation techniques. A simple roll of weather stripping will lower your heating and cooling bills so it's the best bang for your buck.

Sealing Doors: If your door fits its jamb fairly well with a uniform gap of less than 1/8-in. between it and the jamb, install weather stripping on the sides of the jamb. If the house has settled and the door jamb is out of square with large gaps between it and the door, the best approach is to install weather stripping on the door stop. In either case, it's a two or three hour project, at best.

Chances are there's some sort of weather stripping already in place and that it's worn or damaged and no longer effective. Remove foam or rubber weather stripping, which has a relatively short life because it's repeatedly compressed and loses its elasticity. Remove old foam-faced wood weather stripping applied to the door stop, which also becomes ineffective as it weathers poorly or gets coated with layers of paint.

If there's spring metal weather stripping nailed to the jamb, it's possibly worth saving. Try to pry it out and away from the jamb so it makes contact with the door using a putty knife with a wide blade so you don't bend the thin metal. If the spring metal is bent or kinked or there are loose or broken sections, remove it.

Doors that fit the jamb: Most homes have exterior wood doors that are in pretty good shape. If yours fits the jamb and does not bind against the jamb when closed, then sealing it up is a straightforward project.

With the old weather stripping removed, clean and wash the jamb with a solution of TSP (trisodium phosphate) and water. Scrape away any loose or peeling paint, especially from the inside of the jamb where the new weather stripping will be applied. If there are areas of exposed bare wood, prime them with an oil (alkyd) based exterior primer and repaint the entire jamb.

The spring metal type of weather stripping is a good choice that has been around for years. There's a new version in vinyl with a self-sticking adhesive backing. If your door fits the jamb, this self adhesive V-strip material is very effective and the easiest to install.

V-strip material is sold in rolls that are long enough to weather strip a door or a few windows. The weather stripping comes flat in a roll and must be folded into a V and creased with your fingers. Fold the strip so the adhesive side is to the outside of the V.

With a door that fits the jamb tightly, install the strips close to the doorstop with the V pointing toward the door. If the door is slightly warped and doesn't butt up to the door stop evenly, install the weather stripping about a 1/8-in. back from the doorstop so it is between the door and jamb.

Measure the stripping to the width of the jamb top, and each of the jamb sides, then install the V-strip on the top of the jamb first. Peel off a foot or so of the paper backing from one end of the strip. Place the strip with the V pointing toward the door and press it in place. Keep the weather stripping in alignment and press it in place with one hand as you pull the backing away with the other.

Doors that don't fit the jamb: If your door is not square in the frame or is severely warped, don't use V-strip weather stripping; instead, apply wood or aluminum strips with extruded tubular vinyl weather stripping which can be bent to follow the contour of the door so it acts like a gasket. This type of material is a good replacement for the more traditional felt strips.

Doorstop gasket weather stripping is nailed on top of the door stop and presses against the face of the door to form a seal. Don't push it too tightly against the door especially at the top and bottom or you will worsen the warping.

Both the rigid and flexible door stop gasket type weather stripping are installed in the same way. Measure and cut the shorter piece of weather stripping to fit the top of the jamb. Cut the aluminum or vinyl extrusion to the exact size of the jamb but trim the vinyl weather strip so it is about a 1/16-in. long on each end. Close the door and then hold the material snugly against the door and nail it in place. Then measure, cut, and install it on the sides of the jamb.

Install a threshold: Over time, a wooden threshold wears down in the center where it gets the most traffic. Installing an adjustable aluminum threshold is the easiest, and probably the best method, to stop the flow of air.

It goes over an existing wooden threshold and provides a positive seal between itself and the bottom of the door. Since few old jambs are truly square anymore the height of the threshold can be adjusted independently at each end to compensate.

The threshold is thicker than the original so the bottom of the door must be trimmed off. The bottom of most old doors are pretty beat up with rounded corners that don't fit the jamb so trimming the door will make it more efficient. Measure the gap between the bottom of the door and the old jamb before you remove the door to install the threshold.

To trim the threshold to fit into the jamb usually requires a two-step cut. Assuming the door opens inward, cut the threshold to fit inside of the jamb where the door sits. Use a hacksaw with a fine blade (32 teeth per inch). Cut the adjustable threshold bar to the same width as the threshold. Before you make a cut put it in place in the threshold and align the installation holes in both parts. Then mark the protruding end of the adjustable bar so you are certain to cut off the right end.

You have to notch the threshold to go around the door stop. Put the threshold in the jamb and then mark the width of the stop on each side. Extend these marks from the front of the threshold to the pocket that holds the adjustable threshold. Cut away this part of the threshold to form the doorstop notch.

Most thresholds require that at least a 1-in. to 1 1/4-in. trimmed from the door bottom. If there is already a large gap between the door and threshold, trim off less. If you are using a circular saw, it's better to trim the door on the long side since you can go back and trim off a bit more. If you use a hand saw, cut the door a tad bit short because it's much easier to raise the adjustable threshold than to try to trim a 1/16-in. from the bottom of the door with a hand saw.

Place the threshold in the door jamb and install the vinyl gasket. Check the clearance between it and the door bottom. Raise or lower the adjustable bar until the door closes easily but seals tightly. Remove the vinyl gasket and install the mounting screws. Most thresholds have vinyl seals at their base but it's a good idea to run a generous bead of caulk down the inner and outer edges before you put it in place. Then secure the threshold with the mounting screws provided.

ATTIC DOOR: If you feel a draft at the opening around a foldaway attic stairs leading to an unheated attic, add V-strip weather stripping. Choose an adhesive-backed rubber gasket or tubular vinyl weather stripping. If the door overlaps its jamb, install 1/4-in. rubber gasket material on the backside of the door where it contacts the jamb. If it doesn't fit tightly, choose tubular vinyl material stapled to the inside of the jamb. Install the material so it protrudes lower than the face of the jamb, makes contact, and is compressed by the door.


Written by the editors of HouseNet

Copyright HouseNet, Inc.

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