links to door sealing best practices?

strider3700 · 09-12-11, 08:07 PM

The sun is getting lower in the sky this time of year and today I saw that I can see light pushing in from around the entire top 2' of my basement door. I've previously spray foamed the frame to the framing to stop those leaks but now it's the door to the frame that needs looking at. There is weatherstripping there and it looks to be in good shape but the door and frame seem slightly warped allowing the top of the door to be 1/4" in compared to at the latch.

So I'm thinking thicker weatherstripping is the way to go but what is best? Does anyone have any links or info on best practices for getting this sealed properly? I'm sure the other two doors in the house have similar leakage issues.

Ryland · 09-12-11, 09:17 PM

If I were you I would pop the trim off the door and cut the foam you put in there and straighten the door frame so the door seals tight, then weather strip.

Daox · 09-13-11, 10:26 AM

I think I have to do this with my front door too. The top outside corner doesn't seal at all between the door even with the weather stripping.

strider3700 · 09-25-11, 07:49 PM

So I took 15 minutes today and fixed this.

There was no trim on the inside to begin with.

First off I took a close look at the frame and found where it was attached to the studs. 1 screw in that corner it turns out. a couple of seconds with a small screw driver and the putty was gone then I simply backed it out.

I then used a small really pointy saw and cut my spray foam lose around the entire corner.

Next up I used a prybar and removed the brick mold on the outside.

my first attempts at moving it with a hammer and 2x4 didn't accomplish much so I moved on to prying with the prybar. It moved pretty easy but kept springing back into the old position. So one hand pried it to where I wanted then another drove the screw back in.

A few checks showed that the only visible light coming in is in the corners where the weather stripping on the sides squish the stripping on the top creating a small gap. I took a small chunk of foam and put it behind the top strip as a test and sure enough this is enough to close that gap up when the door is closed. I'll be buying a few feet of foam backer rod for a different project but I'll make sure I get enough to put 2" in each corner of every outside door. I still need to dig out some caulking and redo the brick mold on the outside and I'm not sure what to do since I cut a slit in the spray foam. I may scratch it out and redo it when I get another can on the go.

Next up was the upstairs front door. After close examination it was obvious the door was sagging even though the top hinge screws were super tight. So I cut some shims out of plastic packaging I had in the recyling bin and moved the bottom hing out a little over 1/16". That was enough to make the door close nicely and close up the little gap that had opened there. due to dragging the bottom sweep needs replaced but other then that it looks good.

So in the end the weather stripping on all 3 doors was fine. some backing rod and adjusting would get rid of all the issues I originally found. the only real money needing spend is for the sweep.

09-12-11, 08:07 PM	#1
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	links to door sealing best practices? The sun is getting lower in the sky this time of year and today I saw that I can see light pushing in from around the entire top 2' of my basement door. I've previously spray foamed the frame to the framing to stop those leaks but now it's the door to the frame that needs looking at. There is weatherstripping there and it looks to be in good shape but the door and frame seem slightly warped allowing the top of the door to be 1/4" in compared to at the latch. So I'm thinking thicker weatherstripping is the way to go but what is best? Does anyone have any links or info on best practices for getting this sealed properly? I'm sure the other two doors in the house have similar leakage issues.

09-13-11, 10:26 AM	#3
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I think I have to do this with my front door too. The top outside corner doesn't seal at all between the door even with the weather stripping. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

09-12-11, 09:17 PM	#2
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	If I were you I would pop the trim off the door and cut the foam you put in there and straighten the door frame so the door seals tight, then weather strip.

09-25-11, 07:49 PM	#4
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	So I took 15 minutes today and fixed this. There was no trim on the inside to begin with. First off I took a close look at the frame and found where it was attached to the studs. 1 screw in that corner it turns out. a couple of seconds with a small screw driver and the putty was gone then I simply backed it out. I then used a small really pointy saw and cut my spray foam lose around the entire corner. Next up I used a prybar and removed the brick mold on the outside. my first attempts at moving it with a hammer and 2x4 didn't accomplish much so I moved on to prying with the prybar. It moved pretty easy but kept springing back into the old position. So one hand pried it to where I wanted then another drove the screw back in. A few checks showed that the only visible light coming in is in the corners where the weather stripping on the sides squish the stripping on the top creating a small gap. I took a small chunk of foam and put it behind the top strip as a test and sure enough this is enough to close that gap up when the door is closed. I'll be buying a few feet of foam backer rod for a different project but I'll make sure I get enough to put 2" in each corner of every outside door. I still need to dig out some caulking and redo the brick mold on the outside and I'm not sure what to do since I cut a slit in the spray foam. I may scratch it out and redo it when I get another can on the go. Next up was the upstairs front door. After close examination it was obvious the door was sagging even though the top hinge screws were super tight. So I cut some shims out of plastic packaging I had in the recyling bin and moved the bottom hing out a little over 1/16". That was enough to make the door close nicely and close up the little gap that had opened there. due to dragging the bottom sweep needs replaced but other then that it looks good. So in the end the weather stripping on all 3 doors was fine. some backing rod and adjusting would get rid of all the issues I originally found. the only real money needing spend is for the sweep.