ER Project House: Door Sealing

SVOboy · 10-05-09, 07:32 AM

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Sealing the House Last year, I hung a new basement door for the outside access. This was needed because the original door was wooden and had begun to rot. I had installed weather stripping along the door stop and left it at that because [...]Post from: EcoRenovator.org

ER Project House: Door Sealing

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Ryland · 10-05-09, 04:15 PM

I can only assume you used the old frame because of the step down in the middle of the door way?
to get a better seal between the top of the step and the front edge of the door what I would do is glue, with some polyurethane caulk, a strip of aluminum flashing to the concrete so you have a smooth strip for the seal to hit, with a good thick bead of caulk then close the door on it so it forms to the door, creating a smaller gap for the gasket to smoosh in to.
I would also do away with the metal weatherstripping and get some magnetic weather striping as it looks like you got the metal door, this weather striping is like a fridge door seal, it pulls the door in to it and seals tight!

Daox · 10-05-09, 05:28 PM

I used the old frame because all I had was the door itself, no frame came with the new door and I didn't take the time to rip it out and make a new one myself. I have very little experience with doing any work like that too.

I love the aluminum flashing idea. That is actually exactly what I need. Even with the weather stripping it does not seal completely. The wedge isn't quite parallel to the door and on one side it seals extremely tight, and the other side there is still a small gap.

I'll have to check into that magnetic weather stripping. That sounds like good stuff. Thanks Ryland.

Ryland · 10-05-09, 09:22 PM

I installed 21 replacement sash kits in my house last spring and I have wood sills with aluminum wrapping them, but it doesn't come all the way inside, under the inner sash, so I made two inch strips of flashing that fit the width of the window sill, glued it with a wide bead of polly caulk like I suggested above, then closed the window on it, smooshing it in to the low spots, letting it stay thick were it needed the fill and it turned out perfect, great weather tight seal, this winter should be warm in my house!

10-05-09, 07:32 AM	#1
SVOboy Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 291 Thanks: 3 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	ER Project House: Door Sealing This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Sealing the House Last year, I hung a new basement door for the outside access. This was needed because the original door was wooden and had begun to rot. I had installed weather stripping along the door stop and left it at that because [...]Post from: EcoRenovator.org ER Project House: Door Sealing More...

10-05-09, 05:28 PM	#3
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I used the old frame because all I had was the door itself, no frame came with the new door and I didn't take the time to rip it out and make a new one myself. I have very little experience with doing any work like that too. I love the aluminum flashing idea. That is actually exactly what I need. Even with the weather stripping it does not seal completely. The wedge isn't quite parallel to the door and on one side it seals extremely tight, and the other side there is still a small gap. I'll have to check into that magnetic weather stripping. That sounds like good stuff. Thanks Ryland. __________________ 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.

10-05-09, 09:22 PM	#4
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	I installed 21 replacement sash kits in my house last spring and I have wood sills with aluminum wrapping them, but it doesn't come all the way inside, under the inner sash, so I made two inch strips of flashing that fit the width of the window sill, glued it with a wide bead of polly caulk like I suggested above, then closed the window on it, smooshing it in to the low spots, letting it stay thick were it needed the fill and it turned out perfect, great weather tight seal, this winter should be warm in my house! Last edited by Ryland; 10-05-09 at 09:29 PM..

10-05-09, 04:15 PM	#2
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	I can only assume you used the old frame because of the step down in the middle of the door way? to get a better seal between the top of the step and the front edge of the door what I would do is glue, with some polyurethane caulk, a strip of aluminum flashing to the concrete so you have a smooth strip for the seal to hit, with a good thick bead of caulk then close the door on it so it forms to the door, creating a smaller gap for the gasket to smoosh in to. I would also do away with the metal weatherstripping and get some magnetic weather striping as it looks like you got the metal door, this weather striping is like a fridge door seal, it pulls the door in to it and seals tight!