Home Maintenance tips

4 Easy Steps to Installing Weather Stripping

Applying weather stripping around doors and windows is a low-cost way to stop drafts and cut down on heating and cooling costs. Here’s what you do:

1. Learn the different kinds of stripping — adhesive-backed V strips that can be cut with scissors or a utility knife; compression strips; tubular gaskets; magnetic stripping for metal- or steel-clad doors.
2. Measure the length of all seams to be weather-stripped, add a couple of inches for each seam and add the numbers together to determine how much you need.
3. Cut the weather stripping to fit each seam. Apply the stripping all the way around a window by using adhesive, nails or screws. Attach the stripping to the jamb or the stop.
4. Apply the stripping to the sides and the tops of doors. Use a weather-tight threshold or door sweep to seal the bottom. (A door sweep is a metal or wood bracket with a plastic or vinyl flap that hangs to the floor to stop airflow.)

Other Tips

* Choose the weather stripping best suited to your needs. Ask store personnel for recommendations.
* Clean the surface to which you’re going to apply adhesive-backed weather stripping (if it’s dirty or damp, the adhesive won’t stick for long).
* Foam and felt varieties of weather stripping don’t apply easily and don’t seem to last nearly as long as alternatives.