How to Install Weather Stripping on a Door
Home energy costs can be reduced throughout the year by insulating your exterior doors with weather stripping. An insulated door will keep draughts and moisture out during winter and prevent cold air from escaping from your home during summer. Installing door insulation is an inexpensive, straightforward procedure. If you can drill holes in wood and use a screwdriver, you can weather-strip your exterior doors in an afternoon. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Steel measuring tape
- Weatherstripping
- Pencil
- Carpenter's square
- Utility knife
- Hacksaw
- 32-tooth hacksaw blade
- Metal file
- Cordless drill/driver
- Vix self-centering pilot drill bit
- Screwdriver bit
- Pair of heavy scissors
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Instructions
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Close the door and measure the height of the doorstop on the hinge side with a steel measuring tape. Transfer the measurement to a length of weatherstripping consisting of a reinforced silicone tubular gasket attached to an aluminum mounting strip. Mark a straight cutting line across the width of the weather strip with a pencil and carpenter's square.
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Cut through the tubular gasket with a utility knife and use a hacksaw fitted with a fine 32-tooth blade to cut through the aluminum strip at a low cutting angle. Smooth the rough edges off the cut aluminum with a metal file.
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3
Hold the weatherstripping with the aluminum mounting strip flat against the doorstop and the tubular gasket touching the door. Use a cordless drill/driver fitted with a Vix self-centering pilot drill bit. Drill pilot holes through the center of the elongated adjustable mounting slots on the aluminum strip.
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Loosely attach the strip to the doorstop with the tubular gasket touching the door. Attach the screws with a screwdriver bit mounted in the cordless drill/driver.
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Start at the top and adjust the weatherstripping against the door. Press the aluminum strip inwards to deform the tubular gasket slightly before tightening the topmost screw. Continue downward until all screws are tightened and the tubular gasket is in full contact with the door. Use the same procedure to cut and mount weatherstripping to the opposite doorstop.
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Measure the distance between the vertically installed weatherstripping on the top doorstop. Cut and mount the final length of weatherstripping on the top horizontal doorstop as described above. Open and close the door to ensure that the door closes easily against the tubular gaskets.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid cheap stick-on foam and felt weather stripping. These products are inefficient and have a short useful life.
Always wear eye protection when using a power drill or hacksaw.
References
- Photo Credit winter image by Jürgen Remmer from Fotolia.com
