Step By Step Process Of Sealing Gap Between Door & Frame
The gap between the door & its frame is one of the major concerns that can happen & its main reason is that the hinges of the door remain loose. So, in order to prevent the gap between the door & its frame from happening, you need to tighten the hinges. When the gap between the door & its frame occurs, first of all, you will notice that the door won’t close snug and tight. It will allow cool air out during the very hot summer days and the cold air in during the very cold days of winter. Your home's heating, as well as cooling efficiency, will also suffer.
Things You Will Need
- Screwdriver
- Wood Plugs (Optional)
- Weather-stripping
- Damp Rag & Paint Scraper
- Measuring Tape
- A Pair Of Scissors
- Hammer And 1 ½’’ Nails
- Vinyl Or Metal Door Sweep
Step 1: Tighten The Door Hinges
First of all, examine whether the door is loose or not by raising it by the doorknob. If you are able to move it upward with little effort, then you can use a screwdriver in order to tighten its hinges. It is important to tighten the hinges, due to the reason that the gap betwixt the door and its frame occurs only due to loose hinges. If you find out that the screws are turning or whirling round quickly without tightening the hinges, then it indicates that the wood in the hole is hollowed out. Then, you need to purchase wider or longer screws that can turn over into that portion of the wood that is not stripped out.
Step 2: Remove And Replace Old Weather Stripping
If you have previously installed weather stripping on the door, then the existence of the gap strongly suggests that the stripping is damaged. Pull out the old stripping by cutting it away from the top, bottom, as well as sides of the door with the help of a paint scraper. Using a damp rag, clean the edges of the door as well as the door frame. After that, you need to buy new stripping, for which you have two choices, wrapped foam and metal. Wrapped foam is long-lasting and can be used to fill gaps of numerous sizes. Metal stripping is hard to work with and is not considered a good choice for those who have never sealed a door before. However, if have experience in sealing doors, then it will be better to use metal stripping that comes with a flexible vinyl flap. It is easy to work with for experts and provides a seal that is more secure as well as durable.
Step 3: Measure The Door
Close the door before using a tape measure in order to take measurements through both sides of its frame. Also, take measurements through the top of its frame. Make sure that you calculate & evaluate the ‘frame’ of the door, due to the reason that it is separate from the ‘door’ itself that ends at the starting of the latch. Open the door and calculate its bottom with the help of a tape measure. You should be facing the inside of the door when you are taking this measurement, due to the fact that this is the surface where you will apply the weather stripping.
Step 4: Mark The Measurements On The Weatherstripping
Now, you have four measurements, two are on the sides of the door, whereas the other two are on the door’s top as well as the bottom. With the help of a tape measure and pencil, mark all four calculations or estimations on the weatherstripping.
Step 5: Cut The Weatherstripping
Next, at the marks, you measured out, cut the weatherstripping with the help of scissors. The cuts should be as flat & smooth and clean as possible. One end of each side of the weather stripping and both the ends of the top side should be angled in order to adjust to each other. You don’t have to angle the lowest point or side.
Step 6: Install Weatherstripping
Move into your room before closing the door. Place the top piece of weatherstripping through the top side of the door and nail it into place. You would need to hammer the nails in. The length of the nails should be 1 ½’’ and must be placed 2’’ from both sides in order to avoid splitting. As the door remains closed, fasten the side pieces of the weatherstripping using the nails along the sides of the door’s frame. Exactly what you have done with the top piece, you would once again have to fasten the side pieces into place with the help of nails and a hammer. As soon as you finish hammering in all four sides of the weatherstripping into the door frame, open and close the door in order to be fully satisfied that the seal is holding.
Step 7: Screw The Door Sweep Along The Bottom Edge Of The Inside Of The Door
If you have purchased a metal door sweep, it will already have holes fastened or tightened in it with screws. Mark the place of these holes through the bottom edge of the inside of the door with the help of a pencil. Then, pull out the metal sweep and with the help of a drill bit, drill holes into these positions. After that, position the sweep in opposition to the bottom threshold of the door and fasten or attach it with the help of a screwdriver.
Final Step: Test The Seal
Exactly the same way as you check the weatherstripping, open and close the door numerous times in order to test the comfortableness of the door sweep. If you have gone through all the steps carefully, your door should be sufficiently sealed by now, leaving no gap betwixt itself and the frame.