Your garage door is your home’s first line of defense against bad weather, debris, and unwanted critters. It can also have a significant impact on your utility bills, especially during the winter and summer seasons. Ultimately, installing garage door weather stripping is a great way to protect your garage from the elements and keep its contents secure all year long.
In this blog, we’ll review everything you need to know about weather stripping for garage doors to help you choose the right products for your home.
What is Garage Door Weather Stripping?
Typically made from rubber or vinyl, garage door weather stripping lines the top, bottom, and side edges of your garage door or door frame. Its main purpose is to protect the overall stability of your door and the surrounding areas while keeping air from entering or escaping your garage.
Benefits of Garage Door Insulation Strips
There are many benefits of adding garage door weather stripping to your home. For starters, it keeps cool air inside during the summer and seals warm air in over the winter. Along with maintaining a comfortable interior temperature, high-quality weather stripping can also lower your utility bills.
By keeping the elements out, garage door insulation strips can help protect the interior of your garage from flooding. This is especially important during the winter months since standing water can quickly turn into damaging ice. Garage door bottom seals also keep the lower edge of the door from scraping against the floor, which can prevent damage and lessen wear and tear on both surfaces.
5 Types of Garage Door Weather Stripping
There are five main types of garage door weather stripping, which we’ll examine in more detail in the following sections.
1. Garage Door Bottom Seals (Door Sweeps)
These long strips of rubber or vinyl attach to the bottom edge of your garage door via a steel, PVC, or aluminum retainer. When the door is closed, they compress against the floor to create a tight seal that helps keep water, dirt, debris, hot/cold air, and pests out.
It’s important to note that garage door bottom seals are typically nailed directly to the lower edge of wooden doors, rather than installed within a retainer. Along with garage door bottom weather stripping, side and top seals are attached to the remaining jamb around the garage entrance.
2. Garage Door Threshold Seals
Garage door threshold seals attach to your garage floor (rather than the door itself) and can be used alone or in conjunction with a bottom seal. Usually made from rubber, vinyl, or aluminum, threshold seals are installed directly behind the garage door with a strong adhesive or concrete fixing screws.
If your driveway slopes down towards the door opening, threshold seals are a great way to help keep water out of your garage. They’re also particularly effective for filling large gaps underneath your door or leveling out an uneven garage entrance. If you frequently hose out or sweep your garage, keep in mind that door threshold seals can be mildly inconvenient, although not an impediment.
3. Garage Door Stop Weather Stripping
These rubber or vinyl door insulation strips are attached to the wooden door stop molding located on the garage door jamb. The flap on the door stop molding presses against the closed garage door to create a tight seal around the top and sides, helping to keep the elements out.
4. Garage Door Stops with Integrated Weather Stripping
Typically made from vinyl, these products combine a wood-look molding strip with a flexible, weathertight flange. They’re a great option for older doors with stops that need to be completely replaced and updated with more durable insulation.
5. Garage Door Panel Weather Stripping
Like the name suggests, these products are designed to seal the gaps between individual panels when your garage door is closed. They’re made from flexible rubber and are V-shaped to create a tight, even seal. While newer doors have interlocking edges to prevent air loss, many older wooden doors have flat-edged panels that benefit greatly from the addition of panel weather stripping.
Why Garage Door Weather Stripping Maintenance Matters
Garage door weather stripping will become dry and brittle over time (leading to cracking) or may fall out entirely due to wear and tear. It’s important to replace weather stripping as soon as you notice damage since it’s a low-cost repair that has many benefits in the long run.
You should check your weather stripping at least twice a year, preferably at the start of summer and winter due to the extreme temperatures each season can bring. To start, close the door and examine the top, bottom, and side weather stripping for the following:
- Breeze from outside air coming in
- Light coming through from outside
- Missing sections
- Cracking, flaking, or brittle sections
- Puddles of water near the outside of the door
- Rusted or brittle metal on/around the door
Replacing Your Garage Door Weather Stripping
Garage door seal replacement is an integral part of maintaining your door and ensuring the longest lifespan possible. To ensure a tight, consistent seal, be sure to replace the entire section of weather stripping at the same time, even if only a small portion is affected.
In the following sections, we’ll take a closer look at how to replace garage door seals and specific types of weather stripping. You’ll find information on a variety of topics, including:
- How to keep water from coming in under garage doors
- How to make garage doors airtight
- How to insulate around garage doors
1. Garage Door Bottom Seals (Door Sweeps)
You can choose from a variety of garage door bottom seal types and door bottom weather stripping to suit your specific needs. Doors with metal frames usually have an aluminum channel on the bottom edge that contains a U-shaped rubber gasket (also known as a T-style or astragal seal). These gaskets are very easy to install and simply slide into place using two small channel tracks.
Wooden garage doors often use a strip-style product with angled edges that seal shut between the bottom edge of the door and the garage floor. These garage door bottom seals are typically installed with galvanized or aluminum roofing nails. With true-swing garage doors, the astragal seal is attached to the active section to cover and seal the seam between panels when the door is closed.
2. Garage Door Threshold Seals
Vinyl garage door threshold seals typically come with a strong, high-quality adhesive that you can use to easily attach them to your floor.
3. Garage Door Stop Weather Stripping
This kind of weather stripping comes in rolls and can quickly be cut to length with a utility knife and installed using screws or galvanized nails. Once attached, make sure the weather stripping flange is pressing tightly against the door to ensure the best seal.
4. Garage Door Stops with Integrated Weather Stripping
Door stops with integrated weather stripping can easily be cut to length with a saw and installed using galvanized or stainless steel nails. Start by attaching the top piece, then overlap the ends of that section with each of the side stops. To install, simply push the molding towards the door so the weather strip flange is slightly compressed, then fasten it to the door.
5. Garage Door Panel Weather Stripping
This product is sold in rolls and is self-adhesive, making it one of the easiest DIY garage door weather stripping options available. To install, all you have to do is attach door insulation strips to the top or bottom edge of each panel.
