Replacing weatherstripping on your external doors is a significant first step to keeping your space comfortable and avoiding costly utility bills. It will keep your home well insulated by blocking cold outside air from entering your home during the winter months, and it also helps keep dust and insects out. 

Save Money & Protect Your Home

The basic cost to Install Door Weather Stripping yourself is $36.69 – $98.91 per door in March 2022 but can vary significantly with site conditions and options.

Weatherstripping helps seal openings such as doors, windows, and garage doors from the elements. The term can also refer to the materials used to carry out the sealing processes. Weatherstripping aims to prevent rain and water from entering entirely or partially and accomplishes this by either returning or rerouting water. A secondary goal of weatherstripping is to keep interior air in, thus saving energy on heating and air conditioning.

How do you replace weatherstripping around a door?

Start by removing the old weatherstripping. New weatherstripping must be applied to a clean, dry, flat surface to adhere properly.  Take a piece of the old weather stripping with you to the home improvement store so you can easily match it.  The weatherstripping in newer doors fits in a groove in the door casing. To remove it, pull it out. When cutting weather stripping, remember to measure twice; cut once.  Cut a new piece to length and insert it in the groove.  Use a single, continuous strip along each side. Make sure that the weatherstripping fits snugly together at the corners.  When in place, the door should fit tightly against the weatherstripping without being challenging to open.

Older doors can be retrofit using rolls of self-adhesive foam weather stripping from The Duck Brand.  Foam tape is a good choice for irregular-shaped corners and cracks. Reinforced foam weatherstripping is good for frequently used doors.

How do you replace weatherstripping on the bottom of a door?

Weatherstripping tip: Sometimes, these strips are stapled on, so it may be easier to remove the door and set it on its side while performing this project.

Remove the old weatherstripping first to give the new material a flat, clean surface to which it can successfully adhere. 

Depending on the weatherstripping you choose, you may also need to remove your current threshold or plane the bottom of the door.  In this situation, you may want to call in the professionals.

Measure the length of the door and install your new weather stripping. Mark and drill pilot holes if you are screwing them to the bottom of the door.  Attach the weatherstripping to the bottom of the door, tightening the screws firmly.  We use staples instead of screws to attach the new weather stripping; it is much faster and just as robust.

Ensure that the door closes and opens easily, and adjust if needed.

You can apply DIY weather stripping door seals yourself, or if you are in the Howell, MI area, contact us at 810-588-8571, and we can install it for you.