How to Replace Rubber Seal on Door Threshold

Replacing the rubber seal on an exterior door is a straightforward and easy process, provided you have the right tools and a little bit of help to move the door. But replacing this rubber seal is an essential part of weatherstripping your home, and as the autumn turns to winter you’ll be glad that you spent the time to replace this rubber seal, keeping the warm air in and the cold air out.

There is a two part process in replacing the rubber seal around the door: first, replacing the rubber that goes around the door, and second, replacing the rubber seal against the threshold. The first part is very simple and won’t take any time at all. The second step will take a little finesse, but we’re sure that by following the directions we give below you can get the job done. 

Step 1. Removing the Door

Depending on the type of door you have, this process may change slightly, but with most doors there are (typically) three hinges holding the door in place against the jamb. With many doors, you can remove the pins from the hinges, freeing the door from the jamb. To do this, you will typically use a hammer and either a chisel or a flat-head screwdriver, and gently tap up on the head of the pin until it comes free from the door. This is most easily done if you work from the bottom up, because if you work from the top down pressure from the bending door will make it more difficult to remove the bottom hinges.

If your door does not have hinges with removable pins, then you will need someone with you to hold the door in place, open it all the way, and then unscrew all of the hinges from the jamb. Again, this is best done working from the top down. Once all of the hinges are removed, you can take down the door and put it aside for later (you’ll likely want to lay it across a large workbench or sawhorses.)

Step 2. Installing the Rubber Seal in the Door Frame

This rubber seal should run from the base of the door on one side, up to the top, across the top, and back down to the base of the door on the other side. If there is already a worn out rubber seal you will need to remove it before you can put in the new one. The rubber seal will either have been installed with staples or screws, and you can remove them with either a screw gun (for the screws) or a flat-head screwdriver (for the staples). 

Once the old rubber seal is removed from your exterior door, you can begin to install a new rubber seal on your exterior door. This is a very simple process in which you simply roll the rubber seal up from the base of the door, screw it in place (screws are preferred to staples, and it’s recommended that you don’t use the old screw holes but drill new ones), and then continue up and around the door until you go all the way to the other side. It is best to use one continuous strip of weatherstripping rubber seal rather than leave gaps, so when you get down to the bottom of the door on the other end you will want to cut the rubber seal to fit snugly at the bottom and fix it in place with the final screw. 

Step 3. Preparing the Door For The Threshold Rubber Seal

Putting your door up on sawhorses or a workbench, you can address the bottom seal. If your door is a prefab door then the rubber seal is probably already attached with screws and you can simply remove those screws and replace the rubber seal on your exterior door with ease. 

However, if your door is an older wooden door, then you have the option of putting in a high quality rubber seal that will be much stronger, last longer, and will be more energy efficient for your home. 

To do this, you will need to dado the bottom side of your door. Use a square to mark out a ⅝”
Inch-wide dado centered in the door’s bottom edge. You will use a router for this project and if you don’t have a router, they can be rented for day use at most big-box home improvement stores. Set the router’s guide so a ½-inch bit will cut next to the top mark when the guide rests on the door’s top face.

Then slowly make a pass from left to right. On the second pass, let the guide ride on the door’s opposite side, and move from right to left. Continue these passes until you reach a depth of 1-⅛” inch.

Step 4. Attaching the Channel and Installing the Sweep

Now you will need to attach the aluminum channel that fits inside the dado. You don’t want to cut it the full width of the door, but keep it 1-8” shy on both sides. Then all you need to do is place the aluminum channel into the dado, center it, and screw it into place. 

The sweep is the rubber seal that will ride along the floor and touch the threshold of the exterior door. If everything has been done right, then all you need to do is slide the sweep into the aluminum channel. It should glide in easily and snugly. The aluminum channel will have plastic ends that you can snap onto the edges (which is why you wanted to cut it ⅛” shy on both ends). 

Step 5. Rehang the Door

The final step is to rehang the door. This process is as simple as reversing what you did to remove it, whether you pulled out pins or whether you unscrewed hinges. This time you will want to start from the top and work your way down, making sure that it all hangs perfectly square.

From there you should have a completely weather-proofed exterior door, with a rubber seal around the inside of the jamb, and a rubber or silicone sweep at the threshold. This will keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 

Conclusion

Replacing the rubber seal on an exterior door threshold is an easy process if you’re using the right tools and take some careful time. By following the instructions we’ve listed above you should be able to remove the door, replace the rubber seal around the frame, dado the bottom edge and install the sweep, then insert the glides, and finally replace the door.

For all your Door Seals needs see our Rubber Door Bottom Sweeps or our Automatic Door Bottoms.