How to Winterize Garage Doors
Garages get a lot of use and are often a four-season workspace extension of the house, so keeping the garage as comfortable as possible during the winter is a must. Luckily, you can purchase garage door winterizing kits from most hardware and home improvement stores. Because these kits are common and easy to use, there is a good chance your door already has weather stripping. Simply remove the old material and tack on the new stuff. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Weather stripping/winterizing kit for garage doors
- Utility knife
- Locking pliers or 2-by-4
- Hammer
- Pry bar
- Tape measure
- Paint
Instructions
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1
Open the door to a convenient working height and attach locking pliers to the track, or prop it open with a 2-by-4.
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2
Remove the old weather stripping, if any. The old stuff is nailed to the door, so insert the tip of a flat pry bar between the old strip and the door and gently tap on it with a hammer. Take care not to damage the door by hitting too hard.
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3
Cut a length of weather stripping that matches the width of the door and nail it in place. Open and close the door a couple of times to test it out.
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4
Close the garage door. Measure pieces for each side and the top of the garage door frame. Bevel the plastic by cutting the pieces on the side of the frame at a 45-degree angle where they meet the top strip, then nail them in place.
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5
Open and close the door to make sure the stripping doesn't interfere with the door's operation. GarageHowTo.com recommends testing it again in a few days to make sure it still doesn't interfere.
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6
Paint the weather stripping to match the garage door frame.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If the bottom of your garage door is made of wood, you may want to seal it with primer or paint before attaching the new weather stripping.
Use roofing nails or wide-head box nails to attach the weather stripping if the kit doesn't come with any.
References
- Photo Credit luxury house image by yong hong from Fotolia.com
