Installing Weatherstripping on Exterior Doors

During the winter you will notice every little leak inside your house. Air that penetrates your house from the outside to the inside will make areas drafty, cold, and uncomfortable. Any source of air that penetrates inside your home will cause your furnace to work harder to overcome the cold air entering your house. This will lead to increased utility bills as your furnace tries to heat the cold outside air that enters your home.

There are many ways to combat the cold air entering your home. You can replace windows, caulk around window and door opening, use expanding foam insulation, and so on. Perhaps the simplest method for blocking outside air from entering your home is to check and install weather-stripping on all exterior doors.

All exterior doors have weather stripping on them from the factory. This weather stripping provides a solid seal between the door and the door frame when the door is in the closed position. This solid seal blocks out cold air from entering the home. However, over time the weather stripping begin to age, harden, crumble and deteriorate. This old weather-stripping will allow air to pass by.

The easiest method for testing the seal of your weather stripping is by placing a dollar bill between the seal and the door jamb. Then close the door and attempt to remove the dollar. If it removes easily, you should replace you weather-stripping. If it is difficult to remove, your weather-stripping is sound and not in need of replacement yet. Check using this test method around the entire surface of the door. Focus on the corners of the door.

If you have determined that you need to replace the weather-stripping, you will need to gather the materials needed for the job. Typically, you will only need a mild cleaner to clean the door surface, and some weather-stripper with a self adhesive backing. There are several types of weather-stripping available: some are expensive and difficult to use others are cheap and effective. I recommend the cheap and effective type of gray foam weather stripping with a self adhesive backing. Remember, weather-stripping serves one purpose to block incoming air; you should not be concerned with the aesthetics of the product.

The gray foam will be applied around the door stop, where the door makes direct contact with the door frame. Usually, this area will already have weather-stripping on it. You can choose to remove the existing weather-stripping, or install additional weather-stripping on top of it.

Run a continuous strip of the gray foam around the door stop. Make precise cuts at the corners if needed. Repeat this process for every exterior door. Now test the fit by closing the door and doing the dollar test again. You should notice that the door is more difficult to close and requires a firm push to close it. The dollar should also be held firmly in pace.

You have completed the job of weather-stripping your exterior doors. In doing so, you have blocked a significant amount of exterior air from entering your home and causing your furnace to work overtime.

A few simple tasks can make your home more efficient and cost you less money in the long run.