Weather seals do not last forever on your doors. With time, they can rip, compress, bend, or just wear out. This will allow cool winter air to enter or your air-conditioned air to escape in summer. Luckily, sealing a doorway is a fairly straight forward DIY project. And of course, it is much less expensive than putting up a new door.

Even a small gap can be enough to cause a problem so you want to fix it as soon as you can. All a well-sealed door requires is some weatherstripping (covers the sides and top of the door) and a sweep (fills the space between the threshold and the door bottom).

Though there are an array of products available for sealing a doorway, many professionals like a system that includes tubular silicone weatherstripping and a twin-fin silicone sweep that fits under the door. Silicone is a good choice because it is both durable and soft and it has no compression memory. That means that it will stay tight as the door swells and shrinks. Explore this easy to follow guide to weatherstripping a door.

1. Measure the gap

Measure the gap that is between the door and the jamb and the door and the stop when the door is closed. Measure along both the side jambs and the head jamb. Choose weatherstripping that is big enough to fill the largest gap.

2. Cut a groove

Smooth out the stop and the jamb by pulling a paint scraper along them. Make sure the surfaces are free of any protruding nails or other debris.

Use a grooving tool and put the V-shaped base of it into the corner formed by the jamb and the stop and point the bit up. With the motor on, push the tool up to the head jamb. This will create the slot for the weatherstripping. Repeat the same process on the opposite side.

You can clean out any wood chips or debris left behind with a flat head screwdriver.

3. Insert the weatherstripping

Push the barbed tongue of the weatherstripping into one end of your slot. Work the stripping up the slot being careful not to stretch it. When you a couple of inches from the end of the slot, gauge the length of your weatherstripping and trim it with a pair of scissors. You do not need to miter the ends of the weatherstripping as a butt joint will give you the best seal.

Use a spine roller to push the weatherstripping into the slot. You can check your installation by closing the door from the outside and looking for any gaps.

4. Rout the dado

You need to seal the door bottom as well. Place the door on sawhorses and with a square, mark out a 5/8 inch wide dado in the center at the bottom edge of the door. Set your router’s guide so that a ½ inch bit will cut next to the top mark when the guide is resting on the door’s top face.
The first time, move the router from left to right. The second time, the guide will ride on the door’s opposite side and the router will move from right to left. Pass the router back and forth multiple times until you reach a depth of 1 1/8 inch.

5. Attach the channel

The exposed wood in the dado should be primed and painted at this point. Next, cut the sweep’s two aluminum channels about 1/8 inch smaller than the width of the door. This will allow room for the end caps later. To get a clean cut, clamp the channels in a miter box and use a hacksaw with a waxed blade. Put one channel into the dado and center it end to end before screwing it in place.

6. Install sweep

Fit the black silicone sweep into the free channel and then slide the glides into the channel I the dado. Hang the door up before installing the sweep to avoid any damage to the sweep. Make adjustments to the glides until you cannot see any light between the threshold and the sweep when the door is closed. Snap plastic caps into the ends of the channel and put squares of adhesive-backed pile against the bottom of the jambs.

7. Adjust the glides

The glides are the secret to the sweep’s adjustability. They allow the sweep to lift or lower by about ¼ inch. Open the door to adjust the fit. Remove the end cap of the latch slide and slide out the sweep. Turn the glides clockwise to raise the sweep and counter-clockwise to lower it and then slide the glides back into the attached channel.

If you would like more information on sealing a doorway so that they are not letting air in or out, contact the professionals at Real Seal for the best professional advice.

Boat window leaks will lower the value of your watercraft. Boats that are of high quality construction still eventually develop leaks because boats are not rigid structures. Boats twist and flex making it possible for water to get in. Sometimes the owner puts caulking around the window frames to try and prevent further leakage. This will make a mess of the boat and it also a waste of time as surface remedies will not fix the problem.

Boat window leaks usually occur when the seal between the window frame and the fiberglass of the boat is broken. Breaks in the seal can be undetectable because they are so tiny. Water can still be drawn into really small cracks and water will continue to leak in. Water may enter at one point and come out somewhere other than the source of the leak.

Aluminum window frames on boats are usually the major source of leaks. Here are some things to look for before you start trying to fix a leak:

• The window frames are all that holds up the flying bridge
• The side decks are weak. The deck and house side pull away from the window frame when you are walking on the side decks.
• The frame is not channelized, but consists of just the frame and glass clamped against the house side with screws.

You have to use non-hardening caulking so that it will move when things expand. You will have to remove the frames, re-bed them and refasten them making sure they do not fit as tightly as when they were first installed.
Use non-hardening silicone epoxy and 3/32” shims so that the frame is not completely flush. Draw the frame tight against the shim and let the caulking set for about a week before pulling out the shims. Once you pull out the shims, fasten things a little more tightly so there is a gasket for the frame to be drawn up against.

Removal

Completely remove the frames and clean all surfaces before you apply the bedding. You can use acetone to make sure it is sufficiently clean. If you notice any corrosion, sand it off.

Bedding Glass

If water is leaking under your windshield, you have to remove the glass and re-bed it. Remove the glass and clean the channel and the frame where the glass sits. It is important to get all debris and corrosion removed so that your efforts are not in vain.

When you are ready to reset the glass, use silicone based window glazing that is specifically designed for this purpose. Use an alcohol based glass cleaner to clean the edges of the glass – Windex will work. Place the window and press it firmly into position so that any excess silicone will be squeezed out. Once it is cured you will trim the excess silicone away with a razor blade.

Go to the exterior and place shims under the bottom edge of the glass so that it will not rest on the bottom of the frame. That way if the frame moves, it should not affect the glass. Allow the bedding to set overnight and then you can apply the final glazing to the exterior. Snap-in exterior moldings should not be put on until the next day so that you do not disturb the position of the glass. The idea is to create a free-floating window pane to allow for some movement without resulting in leaks.

For more information on how to deal with boat window leaks, contact Real Seal to speak with their professional staff.