Winter seems to be knocking early this year. Temperatures in the deep south are colder than we are used to for this season. I mean, we normally wear shorts on Thanksgiving! But, here I am sharing how to winterize your home during a freeze advisory.
Walking by my front door a few days ago, I noticed a crack of light shining through when the door was supposed to be closed. I gave the door a shove only to find that the door was indeed shut all the way.
RELATED: Winterize Your Whole Home Step by Step
Imagine me… Not a happy person. Where there is light shining around a closed door or window, there is money flying out into the cold air!
So, I visited my local Lowe’s store and was surprised to find that supplies for winterizing your home are cheaper that you think. So inexpensive, in fact, that you are probably wasting more money each week by NOT buying them than you would if you bought them today.
Winterizing your front door is simple too.
Winterizing Your Front Door
Purchase an insulated “kerf” weatherstrip from your local hardware store. For us, the vinyl-covered foam strip cost less than $5. Actually, it was barely over $4! I was stunned.
Don’t forget to winterize your whole home! Click here for ideas.
So, once home with your insulated strip, pull the existing string from the space between the door’s facing and frame. You will notice a small space called the “kerf.”
Then, slide the ridged edge of the new insulated strip into the kerf.
Press the ridge into the crack all the way down the door.
Our door was slightly shorter than the vinyl-covered foam strip but it was simple to cut with a plain pair of scissors. I did not even measure. I just trimmed a little, checked it, and trimmed a little more.
Remember, you can always cut more off but you cannot get an effective seal if you cut off too much. Start with a little at a time.
No glue is required. No caulk. Just the string of weather stripping and about two minutes.
Now all I need is a new coat of paint!
Thanks. I have the same problem. Now I know how to make the repairs. Gotta run to local hardware store.
I’ve been noticing over the years, yes, years…cold air coming in from 3 of our doors. One even has snow coming in at times if the wind blows in that direction. I just couldn’t figure out what to do about them other than put some tape over it. But that didn’t work well enough. Thank you for making this something anyone can do. Going to Lowe’s tomorrow!!
Would this work for a crooked frame on top of a door?
I don’t know but worth giving a try.just put extra Support
I have the same problem and thought I fixed it…The air is still coming through and now I’m also getting water coming in from the bottom…Any other suggestions????
I have the same problem because it was chewed up by my dog. Only problem is he chewed the door jam as well. So there is nowhere to attach the weather stripping to. The wood has to be built up somehow first. Any ideas?
Wood putty. You can get it really anywhere, any hardware store or home improvement. You put it on with a scraper, let it dry and sand and paint if desired. It can fix more than you think.
First put wood rot on it to keep rot aeay. Then use wood fill or a waterproof spackle sand to fill in wood
Thanks for sharing this guide!
By the way, did you know that air leaks from bad-quality doors can account for 30 percent of your home’s energy bill?
It seems so easy to do! Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you! It seems like it’s a good thing to do not only before cold seasons but before summer, too. This is because hot air entering the home through the gaps will make your air conditioner work harder to cool the room.
So clearly and easily explained! Thank you, Tabitha!
Thanks for a helping post Tabitha!
We also installed heavy drapes to close at night across our front entry door. It insulates against heat loss and excess heating in the summer faces south). The added bonus: complete privacy to move about the area and let people guess if we are home. We usually work from home, so it discouraged salespeople and also helped surprise a burglar casing our home during the day. I answered the door with an 80 pound black German Shepherd.
I can’t find what year this blog post was written, but the link you provided now shows these strips are around $20, not $4. Just inflation? Or are those ones longer than the one you got from Lowe’s?
So Tabitha, please tell me (somehow) about how yiu make 6 fig’s from home while having a house full of kiddos. Happy New Year. Bless you and yours