Frequently asked questions

Questions people actually ask

How do I measure the gap under my door?

Close the door and take a tape-measure reading at the latch side, the middle and the hinge side. Use the largest of the three as your buying number. If the readings differ by more than about a quarter inch, your floor is uneven and you want a brush sweep rather than a blade. Full method in how to measure a door gap.

What size weather stripping do I need?

One whose published thickness is between your measured gap and about twice it. A compressible seal works from roughly half its thickness up to its full thickness, so a 1/4 inch D-section covers a gap of about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. When your measurement sits on a boundary, go up a size.

What is the best weather stripping for doors?

For a measured gap of an eighth to a quarter inch, a hollow EPDM D-section: it publishes its section, seals across that band and stays flexible in cold. V-strip for a hairline gap, silicone for hard winters. Ranked picks in best weather stripping for doors.

What is the difference between a door sweep and a door bottom seal?

A sweep screws to the face of the door and hangs below its bottom edge, so it fits without removing the door. A bottom seal wraps around the bottom edge itself, so it is invisible when closed but usually needs the door off its hinges. Full comparison.

Will a door sweep work on an uneven floor?

A blade sweep will not — it seals at the narrow end and gaps at the wide end. A nylon brush sweep will, because the bristles bend to different heights across the swing.

Do door sweeps keep mice out?

A rubber or silicone blade compressed against the threshold closes the gap a mouse needs. A brush sweep does not, because bristles part under pressure. If exclusion is the goal, buy a blade type and make sure it touches along the whole width.

Do window insulation kits actually work?

On single-pane and older windows, yes: the sealed layer of still air between the film and the glass insulates, the same way a double-glazed unit does. On a modern sealed unit the gain is much smaller. The tape seal has to be continuous — one open corner and the air circulates instead of staying still. The mechanism, explained.

Should I use rope caulk or foam tape on a double-hung window?

Rope caulk if the window can stay shut for the season: it deforms to an irregular old sash and peels out cleanly in spring. Foam tape or a bulb seal if you need the window to open, and a V-strip in the sash channels, which is the one place tape will not survive.

Can I seal windows for winter if I rent?

Yes. Rope caulk and shrink film both come out in spring, and a slide-under draft stopper attaches to nothing at all. Test any adhesive on a hidden corner first and photograph the frames before you start. Renter-friendly fixes.

How do I stop a draft from my patio door?

Find the path first — meeting stile, head, jambs or track. Seal the stile and jambs with a thin bulb seal or V-strip, and leave the track's weep holes clear. If the door is not needed until spring, a large film kit over the whole opening does more. Slider and French door guide.

How do I seal a garage door on an uneven floor?

With a threshold seal bonded to the slab rather than a bottom seal on the door. The door's bottom rail is straight steel and cannot bridge a dip of more than roughly a quarter inch. The measurement method.

What is the difference between a garage door bottom seal and a threshold seal?

The bottom seal attaches to the door and moves with it; the threshold bonds to the floor and the door closes onto it. Bottom seals fix a worn door seal, threshold seals fix an uneven floor. Compared here.

Are outlet gaskets worth it?

On exterior walls and walls shared with an unheated garage, yes — cheap, two minutes each, and a real air path. On interior walls between two heated rooms they do nothing. They are also a small fix next to the attic hatch or the garage door.

Why is cold air coming from my light switch?

Air entered the wall cavity somewhere else — usually the attic above or the rim joist below — and the electrical box is its exit into the room. Gasket the plate, and caulk around the box while you have the plate off. The full path.

Why is my house so drafty all of a sudden?

Usually something failed rather than something new appeared: perished weatherstrip, a door dropped on a loose hinge, a warped fireplace damper, a loosened window lock, or an attic hatch out of position. Why is my house so drafty.

Where should I start if the whole house feels cold?

The top of the house, counterintuitively. Warm air escaping at the attic hatch pulls cold air in at every gap below it, so sealing the hatch does more for a downstairs draft than sealing the front door. Then the garage door, then exterior door bottoms.

How do I find air leaks I cannot feel?

Close the windows, run the bathroom and kitchen extractor fans to depressurize the house, then trace a lit incense stick around frames, the attic hatch, baseboards and exterior-wall outlets. Where the smoke bends, air is coming in. Five tests, no equipment.

Why does a product on this site show 'Check price' instead of a price?

Because we had no live retailer price for it when the page was built. We never print a remembered or stale number — the button takes you to the current listing instead.

Do you test the products you recommend?

No, and we say so on every commercial page. We compile published manufacturer specifications and match them to a gap you measure yourself. The full method is on how we pick.

How does this site make money?

Amazon Associates commission on qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. No sponsorship, no paid placement, no free product. Affiliate disclosure.

Can a house be sealed too tightly?

Yes. Combustion appliances need air and moisture needs a way out. Never block a combustion air supply, a trickle vent, an extractor duct or a frame's weep holes — and fit a carbon monoxide alarm if you have any fuel-burning appliance.

How do I report an error on this site?

Email info@draftanddoor.com with the page and what you think is wrong, or use the contact form. We check it against the published source, fix it if it is wrong, and date the fix.