How to Weatherproof a Garage Door

How to Weatherproof a Garage Door

Weatherproofing your garage door to keeping it in the best possible shape for as long as possible. Below, the Overhead Door Company of Augusta has listed three easy tips that you can do to weatherproof your space and keep the elements out.

Time to Strip

The garage door bottom seal (or door sweep) is a long strip of rubber or vinyl that attaches to the bottom edge of the garage door. The flexible material compresses when the door closes, sealing the gap along the floor to keep out water, dirt, cold breezes, and critters. You’ll know it’s time to replace the bottom seal when you can see daylight below the bottom of the door when it is closed.

Wood garage doors typically use a simple strip-style seal with angled edges that seal against the front of the door and the floor. These typically are installed with galvanized or aluminum roofing nails.

Metal garage doors typically have an aluminum channel on the bottom of the door that holds a U-shaped rubber gasket, sometimes called a T-style or astragal seal. The gasket simply slides into two small tracks on the channel for installation. You can also install a metal gasket channel onto a wood garage door so you can use this type of gasket.

Seal Everything

Your garage door isn’t the only place that could be costing you money on heating and cooling. Windows, doors, and even something as small as electrical outlets are sneaky pathways that let out the climate-controlled air from your home. While, individually, these areas might not cost you an excessive amount of money, together they can. Adding additional sealant to these areas — such as caulk or other foams — is an easy, cost-effective way to weatherproof.

What’s Your Threshold?

A threshold seal serves a similar function to the bottom seal on a garage door, but it is attached to the floor rather than the door. Thresholds can be used alone or in conjunction with a door seal. Thresholds often are used to keep out surface water when a driveway slopes down toward a garage. They can also help fill a large gap below a door.

A good-quality vinyl threshold seal can be more durable than a door seal. It is installed with an adhesive that is usually included with the threshold.

Keep in mind that thresholds block water going out of a garage, just as they keep it from flowing in. This can be inconvenient if you like to hose out your garage. A threshold also makes it difficult to sweep dirt and debris out of the garage.

To weatherproof your garage, contact the Overhead Door Company of Augusta.

(706) 736-8478