Front Door

Easy Steps To Weather Strip A Door

Whether a house is 50 years old or newly constructed, homeowners can benefit from installing weather stripping on exterior doors. Adding weather strips on a door is an easy way to block pests from crawling through small cracks and prevent drafts from blowing into the home. Weather stripping can be installed professionally by our certified technicians or homeowners can learn how to install it themselves by following the steps below.

MATERIALS:

The products needed for this project can be found at most hardware stores:

  • Wrapped Foam Wood Flange
  • 1 1/2 Inch Nails
  • Tape Measure
  • Door Sweep
  • Coping Saw
  • Sand Paper
  • 1/8 Drill Bit
  • Hack Saw
  • Hammer
  • Drill

STEP ONE:

Take a screwdriver and tighten the hinges on the door. This process may eliminate small gaps between the door and the frame before any stripping is added.

STEP TWO:

Using a tape measure, calculate the width of the outside door jamb. Start by shutting the door and measuring the top of the outside door from edge to edge. 

STEP THREE:

Mark the measurement for the top of the door on the wrapped foam wooden flange weather stripping. Then grab a pair of scissors and cut the foam on the marked line. Once the foam is cut, start sawing with the hacksaw on the measured line.

STEP FOUR: 

Position the weather strip along the top of the door so that the foam edging presses slightly against the entire length of the door. Gather 1 1/2 inch nails and use a hammer to tap the nails into the wood weather stripping about 2 inches apart from each other and attach the strip to the top outside of the door. Tack the nails in place to hold the wood, but do not fully drive the nail into the wood on this step.

STEP FIVE:

Measure from the weather stripping at the top of the door down to the threshold at the bottom of the door. Next, mark the measurement on the wrapped foam wooden flange weather stripping and cut it to size using a coping saw. Once cut, use a piece of sandpaper to create to a snug fit.

STEP SIX:

Position the side pieces and tap the nails into place 2 inches apart while ensuring the foam compresses slightly along the entire side length of the door. Once all the pieces are snugly in place, hammer the nails completely into the wood.

STEP SEVEN: 

Line up the door sweep on the outside bottom of the door with the vinyl seal brushing against the threshold. If the door sweep is too long, measure and cut it to size with a hack saw. Mark the holes with a pencil and drill 1/8 inch holes. Screw the door sweep into place.

Now that the weather stripping is installed, pests can no longer slip between cracks and the home is protected from drafts. If this process is not something you want to attempt on your own, call today for a free quote and our expert technicians can schedule an appoint to weather seal your door for you!