Do you ever sit on your couch and feel the air coming in from outside? Have you ever had your air conditioner on and still felt hot? If so, then you probably need to replace the weather stripping in your home around your doors. This is very important to take care of. It prevents the cold from coming in, the heat from getting out, and the heat from coming in as well in the hot summer months. This is a easy project that you can complete on your own, with minimal cost.
When you go to your local hardware store you are going to find a lot of different kinds of weather stripping. If you’ve never done this before, the best kind (and easiest to use) for windows is made of foam, and even has an adhesive backing on it. It’s also more durable then the vinyl weather stripping. A lot of people prefer the vinyl because they like the way it looks. But they have to replace their weather stripping every few months due to wear and tear on the stripping.
Start in one room in your home and check what needs to be resealed. Measure the area, and cut the weather stripping to fit the area. If you’re working around a window area with the foam stripping with the adhesive backing, simply remove the backing and press the stripping into place. Place your hand by the stripping and see if you can feel any air on your hand or not when you are finished.
When you get to the doors, you might want to use something more durable then the foam stripping since that is where most of the air will be getting in, or escaping from. Also, the stripping here will have extra wear and tear from the door being used. For an area like this you will want to use stripping with metal or vinyl inserts in it. You will need tin snips to cut this stripping with. Once you measure the area that needs the stripping. Cut with you tins snips. Take you hammer, and use very small nails to attach the stripping to the door frame. Make sure you hammer the nail all the way into the door frame.
One way to check for a snug fit is to hold your hand by the area that you have applied the stripping to, and see if you can feel any air on your hand. As an added seal, you might want to add a bead of silicone caulking over the seal.
Pick either Fall or Spring and weather check your house once a year to see if you need new weather stripping or to fix any areas, you’ll be glad you did and happy to save money on A/C or heating costs.