Having to pause regular life due to heavy rainfall is the worst experience. And things become even bad for anyone who uses the door a lot as that is basically an invitation to water for entering the home.
The door drafts might solve the trouble of water entering through the door. But it’ll cause chills and cold air to enter your home as well, ruining warmth in midwinter.
To solve that, people use weatherstrip and cut down the heating and other bills. And installing it is easy with the help of an expert. But, when it comes to a DIYer, this becomes hard unless they get a detailed guide.
So, how to weatherstrip an exterior door? Let’s Find Out!
How To Weatherstrip an Exterior Door
Weatherstrip is a great solution to reduce coldness in the winter season. It not only lets you stay in a warm environment but also confirms comfort.
Here are some reasons why people like to weatherstrip the exterior door:
- Saves energy bills by up to 20% which is a lot.
- Stops hot air to flee from home.
- Sheild from the rain under the home entrance.
- Prevent bugs to enter the house.
Attaching this item would be easy, however, you need to think of prep. This process includes organizing, safety measurement, cutting course, and others.
The steps are quite similar to front door weather stripping procedures. So, gather all the tools and start prep.
| Tools | Material |
| Coping Saw | Door Sweep |
| Hacksaw & Hammer | Bulb (Vinyl) |
| Measuring Tape & Scissor | Weatherstrip Kit |
Under this sector, I’ll explain in detail all the things you need to do before installing a weatherstrip on an exterior door. Let’s Go!
Step 1 – Pick the Best Weatherstrip Kit.
Start by, selecting a top-notch kit of weatherstrip to have all the gears ready at once. It needs to have good length, quality, lasting ability, and affordable price range. So, think of all the traits then pick one.
FYI, a good weatherstrip on the exterior door will last for at least 5 years.
For example, if you plan to install foam weather stripping around a door, look for a foam weatherstrip set that is rigid, good-quality, and lasts long.
If you can’t find one, then try the TMH”Q” Foam Kerf Weather Stripping has good traits at a cheap price and the quality is top-level.
Step 2 – Make Sure Hinges Are Tightly Fitted.
Hold On! Don’t just get ready to buy the materials and tools from a store. Before that, inspect the door draft. Make sure the hinges are tight and ready for the further installation. Here’s how to tighten the hinges:
- Use pressure to lift the door holding the doorknob and see if the hinges are loose or not.
- The upward movable door will need tightening at the top hinge screws. Plus, ensure the bottom screws are fitted.
- Screws that don’t have biting might need glue wood plugs. Place it into the holes for screwing the nuts.
Step 3 – Determine the Door Jamb Size.
Next, you need to measure the door jamb of your door. Follow the given steps to do it rightly:
- Close the exterior door.
- Hold the measuring tape on the top of your door jamb in a horizontal line.
- In the same way, measure the side door jamb height using the tape. Write the sizes in a notepad.
Step 4 – Cut the Top Section.
If you happen to have a foamy weatherstrip, then just cut the top piece based on the previous measurement. Use scissors to do the job. However, for the wood and foam mix weatherstrip, the direction would be different.
- Mark using a marker on the weatherstrip.
- Use scissors to cut the foam area only to use on the top, bottom, and side of the door jamb.
- Then, grab a chopping saw to get the desired size wood flange.
- After that, attach the nails to all pieces of the flange to position them better. During the course, try to seal them lightly. And then, inspect if any changes are needed or not.
How to Install Weather Stripping On Exterior Door
Once you have completed all the above steps, it’s time to install weatherstripping on a door. No matter if you have metal, wood, or other exterior doors, the procedure is the same. The procedure takes up to 30 minutes and 1 hour.
Use tubular rubber, vinyl, or silicone weather stripping for metal exterior doors.
- Hold the weatherstripping on the door matching the seals.
- Tack them in the proper position. Attach the nails in 2 inches gap (from the first to the second nail). It will help reduce the chances of the split.
- Then, place other nuts in every 12”.
- Move the door 3 to 5 times. During the process, test if the sealing of the weatherstrip causes hassle in latching or not. If so, adjust it.
Frequently Asked Questions
– What size weather stripping for door?
There’s no specific size of weather stripping for the door. But a trick works which is by measuring the area of length, width, and depth might give a good idea of sizing.
– Are there different types of door weather stripping?
Yup, you’ll catch mainly 7 types of interior or exterior door weatherstripping types. And these are: V Strip or tension seal, felt, foam tape, door sweeps, vinyl, silicon, and tubular rubber.
– Is foam or rubber weather stripping better?
In comparison to foam vs rubber weatherstripping, the foam will win. Its effectiveness and strength to shoot out cold air make it superior to the rubber. But it’ll also take time to install.
Wrap Up
Adding new home fixtures like weatherstrip is fun as the cost is pretty inexpensive while doing something to fix the hassle effectively. Plus, the directions of fitting it seem fairly effortless which mostly need simple gears.
Hopefully now you know how to weatherstrip an exterior door with this guide and its easy for you to follow instructions. It’s Time to Bid Farewell For Now. Bye!
This is Adam Sullivan, the author of tchardwaretools.com! I started my days as a mobile carpenter to become a full-time shop owner, and have been living my professional life for more than 8 years now.
Here I want to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas through this platform. Stay Tuned!