While every building is different, it is safe to say that nearly all of them have door gaps.
It can be door design with a gap between the door bottom and the floor for ventilation that moves fresh air into or through the enclosed space,
or the door gaps can be caused by door installation related problems such as misaligned bottom plates, improper framing, and uneven floors.
So why should we seal the door gaps, and what are the solutions?
Door Gaps are Big Energy Wasters
The key objective of door sealing and weatherstripping is to make the building much more energy efficient.
In short, effective sealing of door gaps can improve the efficiency of heating and cooling by:
- stopping the cold air from getting in during winter, and preventing the hot air from getting out the house during winter.
- keeping the heat out during summer, and preventing the cold air from getting out the house during summer.
Recommended read: 15 House Insulation Videos Packed with Superb Expert Tips
During cold seasons, there is always additional expense resulted by the needs to keep our rooms and the entire house as warm as possible. However, with the presence of door gaps, the heat produced by your heater will easily escape through these gaps. So the absence of seals on doors has always been associated with an increased cost on interior heating.
Besides helping to draft proof your home, door gap filler can also prevent dust and insects etc from entering through the gaps of door.
Here are various examples of different door gap seals and fillers that you can consider:
#1: Door Sweeps and Slide-on Vinyl Door Bottom
Door sweeps are attached to the outside side of the doors, and slide-on vinyl door bottom that can slide easily on to wood / aluminum / steel doors.
In the following video, Sam demonstrates how to seal gap bottom of door using slide-on vinyl door bottom, which is normally fitted from the interior of your door using screws.
#2: Adhesive Gap Seal for Bottom of Doors
Another type of draught-proof door gap seal is designed in such a way that you can screw them on your bottom section of your door, or you can use an adhesive type by attaching it to the bottom section of a door. Both options are easy to install.
As shared by Lish Fejer in the DIY video below, adhesive type of door seals works well for internal doors, while external doors might need something a bit tougher.
In case you are wondering what is the measurement device that she used to detect the draught and air leakage as shown – the device is called a thermal imaging camera.
Recommended read: Top 10 Benefits of using Thermal Camera for Home Improvement
#3: DIY Plastic Strip with Cloth Material for Door Bottom
You can make this door seal by covering two pieces of plastic / foam strip with cloth material.
This removable seal ensures that no air gets in and none goes out, while it also prevents dust from whisking into your living room.
Check out this video that shows the various DIY steps of cutting, arranging, stitching, etc:
#4: Self-Adhesive Weather Stripping for Door Edge
With this method to seal around the door, choose weather stripping seals with thickness that match the space left by the door. Make sure the surface is nice and clean so that the adhesive holds.
When you close the door after seal installation, it should be a little bit resistant and form a nice tight seal.
Recommended read: 9 DIY Home Energy Audits with Thermal Camera to Save Money
Check out the demo video below, in which all the seals are attached using adhesives except the sweep seal at the bottom.
Here is another example of using draft seal and weather strips for gaps around the places where the door jams.
The weather-strips are meant for the bottom door gaps because they are resistant to weather changes such as moisture and heat.
With the weather strips, you need to screw them while the draft seals are better stuck using adhesives, as shown in the video below:
#5: Efficiency Seals
They come in brown, white and clear. They also come in different thickness.
This merges with frame color and thickness of the gap it leaves. It is used to seal all around door gaps, and it is effective given that it does not yield to the effect of weather changes.
Others: Fixing Uneven Gaps Between Door and Frames
You can also seal gaps on doors by ensuring that the right frames and hinges.
This means that the door must perfectly fit into the surrounding frame. The hinges must be partially embedded into the frame.