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Weather sealing your doors is a simple trick to keep your house energy efficient (according to energy star it can save up to 20% in heating and cooling costs) and keep drafts (as well as creatures) from making their way into your home. Here a few tips to weather seal your door.
Tip # 1
Measure your door jamb and figure out the width between the door and the jamb. This will help you figure out how thick of weatherstripping you will need for your door. Then you will want to figure out your jamb width. The jamb width will tell you how wide the weatherstripping needs to be.
Tip # 2
Make sure to purchase at least 10% more than you need. This a trick many carpenters use because – well – things happen. It’s better to have a little extra than having to run to the hardware store again. It will save you time and money. Remember two things about the extra material. One you can save the extra for when the weatherstripping degrades and two you can always return any uncut materials to the hardware stores.
Tip # 3
There are a variety of weatherstripping materials. The most common and most expensive is rubber weatherstripping. Rubbers is the best because it will hold up best over time and insulates the best. The cons of getting rubber weatherstripping (besides the cost) is they usually need to be nailed into place. This can be tricky for those who are not as familiar or comfortable with using power tools.
The next best weatherstripping material is high-density foam. (Check out Amazon for this material) These usually have a sticky side that can easily be placed around the door. The downside, of course, is the durability. You will find yourself weatherstripping your door more often than if you’d use the rubber ones.
The least expensive of the options is felt weatherstripping. While being the easiest to cut and install and the least expensive it is the least durable of materials. We don’t recommend using it, but if you’re on a budget this may well suit your needs for a short period of time.
Tip # 4
Do not place the weatherstripping on your door. It is meant to be placed on the door jamb to seal the door when it’s closed.
Tip # 5
Install a door sweep on the bottom of your door. This will help seal the door on the bottom. This part of the weather stripping should be installed on the bottom door. Make sure to position your sweep so that it sits tightly against your threshold.
Bonus: Most people pick the black or brown weatherstripping because it hides the dirt better than the white. In the end, the color is up to you.
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