Cold drafts, a freezing foyer and Christmas guests? Check your weatherstripping first.
Weatherstripping is the rubber and foam seal around your exterior door. It keeps cold air, rain and noise out. It wears out slowly, so most people don’t notice until the entry feels chilly or the heating bill jumps.
The good news: checking it takes about ten minutes, and most problems are easy to spot.
Look for visible gaps
Wait until it’s dark outside. Turn off the lights in your entry and close the door. Then look closely around all four sides.
If you can see daylight or outside light anywhere around the door, air is getting in too. Pay close attention to:
- The top corners
- The latch side, near the lock
- The bottom corners, where the door meets the threshold
- The gap under the door
Simple rule: if light gets through, so does cold air.
Feel for drafts
On a cold or windy day, run the back of your hand slowly around the edges of the closed door. A damp hand is even more sensitive. You’ll feel cold air where the seal isn’t doing its job.
Try the paper test too. Close the door on a strip of paper at several points around the frame. If the paper slides out easily, the seal isn’t tight at that spot. If it holds firm, the seal is working.
Other signs of a draft:
- The door whistles or rattles in the wind
- Frost or condensation forms along the inside edges of the door
- The floor right inside the door feels much colder than the rest of the room
Inspect the seals
Open the door and look at the weatherstripping on the frame. Healthy weatherstripping is soft, springy and in one piece. Replace it if it is:
- Flattened: It doesn’t spring back when you press it.
- Cracked or brittle: It feels hard, or crumbles when you bend it.
- Torn or missing: Pieces are split, chewed or gone.
- Peeling or loose: It’s pulling out of its slot in the frame.
- Stained or mouldy: This often means moisture is getting in.
Don’t forget the small foam corner pads at the bottom of the frame on each side. They’re easy to miss and a very common spot for leaks.
Check the door sweep
The door sweep is the seal along the bottom of the door. It closes the gap between the door and the threshold. Look for:
- Fins or flaps that are torn, curled or worn down
- Light showing under the door when it’s closed
- Water stains, dirt or leaves blowing in at the bottom
- A sweep that no longer touches the threshold
If the sweep looks fine but there’s still a gap, check your threshold. Many exterior doors have an adjustable threshold with screws you can turn to raise it slightly to meet the sweep.
Is it the weatherstripping or the door?
Sometimes new weatherstripping won’t fix the draft because the door itself has shifted. Watch for these signs:
- The door rubs on the frame or sticks when it closes
- The gap is wide at the top on one side and tight at the other
- The door has to be pushed or lifted to latch
These usually point to loose hinge screws, a sagging door or a frame that has moved. Tightening the hinge screws is a good first step. If the door is warped or the frame is out of square, a new seal won’t fully solve the problem.
Fixing it before the holidays
Most exterior doors use weatherstripping that presses into a slot in the frame. Pull out the old piece and press the new one in. Sweeps either slide into a slot on the bottom of the door or screw on.
The tricky part is finding the right match. Weatherstripping comes in many shapes and sizes, and they vary by door manufacturer.
- Cut a small piece of the old weatherstripping, or take a clear photo of it from the end.
- Measure the height and width of each side of the door, and the width of the door for the sweep.
- Note the door type: steel, fiberglass or wood.
Need help finding the right seal?
Bring a sample and your measurements to our Surrey showroom, and we’ll help you figure out what you need. If your door is drafty because it’s worn out, we can help you compare replacement entry doors too. Questions? Email us at info@a1doors.ca.
Getting your front door ready for the holidays? See our guides: What Size Wreath Fits Your Front Door?, How to Hang a Christmas Wreath Without Damaging Your Front Door, and How to Clean Your Door Hardware Before Christmas Guests Arrive.