5 Window and Door Weatherstripping Tips for Homeowner

Weatherstripping is one of the key components in a home’s ability to retain energy and maintain even temperatures. In fact, many homeowners discount the importance of weatherstripping and then wonder why their energy bills are so high. Although there are also a plethora of other reasons why weather stripping is so important. For instance, it prevents moisture and condensation from building up in the window casements – moisture that can cause mold, mildew and a number of other unsettling problems. However, it is important to have a few tips and tricks before you start the weatherstripping process – the last thing you want is to do a subpar job. Here are five window and door weatherstripping tips for homeowners.

1. Know if your doors need weatherstripping. Besides obvious visual clues that your door frames need stripping, there could be less obvious clues that you may disregard completely. Yet, there are some methods to bring these clues to light – quite literally. For instance, if at night you shine a light towards your door and see any areas where beams of light are coming through, it is about time to re-strip your doors.
2. Know if your windows need weatherstripping. Like door frames, windows have their own visual clue, but there are also some non-visual clues that you should know about. For instance, if your windows have cold drafts, there is a good chance that your windows need to be re-sealed. You can usually use your hands to feel for some of these drafts – simply wave your hands over the window casings. If you still can’t feel any drafts, you may want to place your hand in water and then try again – having wet hands can make it easier to feel for drafts. Another option is to use a candle – if the flame wavers, you have a draft.
3. Determine what kind of weatherstripping you need. Weatherstripping comes in many shapes and sizes. For instance, you could purchase caulking for your window casements and you can also purchase adhesive-backed sealant for your door frames. There is also the option of purchasing metal weatherstrips for the bottom of your doors, which can be nailed into place. Oftentimes, the bottoms of our doors are overlooked in the weatherstripping process.
4. Make sure to thoroughly remove the old stripping before you place on the new. This is especially important with old windows and doors where the stripping has completely crumbled and caked into the paint. In fact, you may have to totally prep and paint your old windows before you seal. Regardless, you want to have a clean area to work with or else you won’t be able to properly seal your windows and doors.
5. Clean up areas after you place on the weatherstripping. Once you are done resealing your doors and windows, you not only want to clean up the workspace – you also want to remove any excess caulking and paint from the windows. This can usually be done with a small razor blade. What’s the point of weatherstripping if doesn’t look great afterwards?