How to Install Weather Stripping

How to Install Weather Stripping

A massive amount of heat (or cool air) can be lost through the gaps around your doors. This not only will cause you to get shivers in the winter and sweaty in the summer, but it is also going to cost you a lot as your air conditioner and furnace try to keep up with the rapid temperature loss. Multiply this loss against all the exterior doors in your home and you could end up spending hundreds extra in utilities because you haven’t installed weather stripping on your doors. 

Fortunately, installing weather stripping around doors isn’t an overly complicated task. It can be done by one person (though you may find it easier to have an extra pair of hands helping you, especially when you’re installing it across the top of the door frame), and requires no real knowledge of carpentry.

Here’s all the tools you’ll need to install weather stripping on your door:

• Coping Saw
• Hacksaw
• Hammer
• Door Sweep
• Weatherstrip kit

There are three common types of weather stripping for exterior doors. The first two are the wrapped foam type. These use wrapped foam as the weather stripping, and then have a flange. In the first type, there is a wood flange, and in the second type there is a metal flange. The third type uses a vinyl bulb and a metal flange. Generally speaking, wrapped foam is the best option in terms of heat loss, and the choice between wood or metal flanges is an aesthetic choice. The vinyl bulb has its uses, but is less common.

Step 1. Prepare the Door

The first thing you need to do when weather stripping a door is to prepare the door for the installation of the stripping. One of the first things you should do--before you even go out to buy weatherstripping--is to check your hinges for loose screws. Loose screws could also be the cause of heat loss and drafts in the home. So tighten your screws and make sure that that isn’t the problem.

When checking the hinges, lift the door upward slightly and see if it moves or if it’s stuck in place. If it moves, you’ve got a hinge problem. And if, when trying to tighten the screws you find that they won’t tighten, then you may need to glue wood plugs into the holes and drive new screws into the holes. 

Step 2. Measure the Door

You want to get the measurements of the door in its closed position, and from the exterior. So step outside, close the door, and measure across the top and down the sides of the door jamb. You want to be as exact as possible, because the goal is that there will be no gaps left. 

Step 3. Prepare the Top Piece of Weather Stripping for Your Door

Now that you know the dimensions of your door, it’s time to cut the top piece. We begin with the top piece because it is easier to start from the top and work down than start from the bottom and work up.

To prepare the top piece, you need to cut the weather stripping into the exact dimensions that you have measured. You’ll remember that the weather stripping has two parts--a foam or vinyl part, and a wooden or metal part. For the foam or vinyl, use sharp scissors to cut. Then, following the same line, use a hacksaw to cut the wood or metal part of the weather stripping. (Trying to cut the foam or vinyl with the saw would tear it rather than cut it cleanly, and you’ll end up wasting a large section of the weather stripping kit.)

Step 4. Fix the Top Piece into Place

This is where an extra pair of hands can be useful. Hold the weather stripping in place (or have someone hold it for you) and then nail or screw it into the door jamb. If you’re using wooden weather stripping, you’ll want to use 1-½” nails, and if you’re using metal, use the screws that come with the weather stripping kit. 

However, at this point you don’t want to nail or screw the top piece completely in. You’re simply tacking it in place so that you can properly position the pieces of weather stripping on the sides of the door. 

Step 5. Cut the Side Pieces of the Weather Stripping

Now comes the coping saw. You’ll have noticed that the weather stripping you have just attached to the top of the door jamb isn’t perfect flat or flush against the jamb--it juts out a little bit because of the thickness of the wood or metal, and depending on the weather stripping, it may have a taper or curve to it. A coping saw will help you make an exact cut that matches the profile of the top weather stripping. 

Carefully draw the profile of the top weather stripping onto the side weather stripping with a pencil, and then carefully use the coping saw to cut through the wood or metal to fit the right shape. While the coping saw will likely not tear the foam or vinyl, it’s still a good idea to cut that part with a pair of scissors. 

When you’ve made the cut, sand it smooth, and make sure that it fits properly into the side of the door. 

Step 6. Secure the Weather Stripping On the Door

Now is time to fully secure all of the weather stripping in place, using either nails or screws. Make a tight fit into the corner where you have just made the special cut with the coping saw, and then tack the side in place. If you’re using screws, attach them in all the pre-drilled holes. If you’re using nails, nail one two inches from the bottom and top of the door jamb, and then approximately every twelve inches the rest of the way. 

Important Note: Remember that you’re only tacking everything into place right now. Now is the time to open and close the door numerous times to see if the fit is tight and secure against the foam or vinyl. If it is, then you are now free to hammer those nails fully in. If there are gaps, then adjust the position of the weather stripping to fit and then hammer them in. 

With that, you are done weather stripping your door. It may have taken some time on a Saturday, but your utility bills will thank you for it!