What happens when there is a gap between a door and its frame? The first issue that you’ll notice is that the door won’t close snug and tight. It will let cool air out during the scorching summer days and the cold air in during the frigid days of winter. Your home’s heating and cooling efficiency will also suffer.
However, if you know how to fix gap between door and frame, you’d never have to face the issues mentioned in the previous paragraph. It is quick and easy to do, as shown in this video, and won’t take more than a few hours off of your busy routine
What you’ll need to fix the gap between the door and frame?
Here’s a list of all the tools and equipment you’ll need to seal your door
- Screwdriver
- Wood plugs (optional)
- Weatherstripping
- Damp rag
- Paint scraper
- Measuring tape
- A pair of scissors
- Hammer and 1 ½’’ nails
- Vinyl or metal door sweep
Step-by-Step Guide for fixing the gap between the door and frame
Follow these steps to fix the gap:
Step 1: Tighten the door hinges
Check whether the door is loose by lifting it by the doorknob. If you can move it upward with little effort, use a screwdriver to tighten its hinges. That’s because, in some cases, the gap between the door and its frame exists only due to loose hinges.
If the screws spin freely without tightening the hinges it is likely that the wood in that hole has been hollowed. You’d then need to buy wider or longer screws that can dig into that portion of the wood that isn’t stripped out.
Step 2: Remove and replace old weather stripping
Have you previously installed weather stripping on the door? If there is a gap, it means that the stripping has been damaged. Remove old stripping by slicing it away from the top, bottom, and sides of the door with a paint scraper. Use a damp rag to clean the edges of the door and the door frame.
Afterward, you have two choices when it comes to buying new stripping: wrapped foam and metal. The former is durable and can be used to fill gaps of various sizes. Metal stripping is difficult to work with and isn’t a good choice for someone who has never sealed a door before.
If you are familiar with sealing doors, metal stripping with a flexible vinyl flap might be a better choice. It is easy to work with for veterans and provides a seal that is more secure and durable
Pro Tip: Once you have purchased weather stripping, you may find that its kit only contains weatherstripping for the sides and top of your door. That means that you’ll need to purchase a door sweep separately. Flexible door sweeps can be used with any type of floor, including carpet.
Step 3: Measure the door
Close the door and use a tape measure to measure along both sides of its frame. Measure the top of the frame. Make sure that you measure the ‘frame’ of the door, as it is separate from the ‘door’ itself that ends at the beginning of the latch.
Open the door and measure its bottom with a tape measure. You should be facing the inside (room side) of the door when you’re taking this measurement. As this is the surface where you’re going to apply the weather stripping.
Step 4: Mark the measurements on the weatherstripping
You now have four measurements in your possession. Two of them are of the sides of the door, whereas the other two are of the door’s top and bottom. Use a tape measure and pencil to mark all the four measurements on the weatherstripping.
Step 5: Cut the weatherstripping
At the marks you measured out in the previous step, cut the weatherstripping with scissors. The cuts should be as even and clean as possible. One end of each side of the weather stripping – and both the ends of the top side – should be angled to fit into each other. You don’t have to angle the bottom side.
Step 6: Install weatherstripping
Step into your room and close the door. Position the top piece of weatherstripping along the top side of the door and nail it into place. You’d have to hammer the nails in. The nails should be 1 ½’’ in length and must be placed 2’’ from both sides to prevent splitting.
As the door stays closed, nail the side pieces of the weatherstripping along the sides of the door’s frame. Similar to what you’ve done with the top piece, you’d once again have to tack the side pieces into place with nails and a hammer.
Once you’ve done hammering in all four sides of the weatherstripping into the door frame, open and close the door to make sure that the seal is holding.
Step 7: Screw the door sweep along the bottom edge of the inside of the door
Provided you have bought metal door sweep, it will already have holes screwed in it. Use a pencil to mark the locations of these holes along each side of the inside edge of the door. Then, remove the metal sweep and use a drill bit to drill holes into these positions.
Afterward, place the sweep against the bottom threshold of the door and screw it in with the help of a screwdriver.
Pro Tip: If you decide to use vinyl door sweep, you can install it along the bottom edge of the door by placing a wood block over the weather stripping and them tapping it with a hammer to drive the weatherstripping’s flanges deep into the door’s bottom’s threshold.
Final Step: Test the seal
(*8*)
Just as you did to check the weatherstripping, open and close the door several times to test the snugness of the door sweep. If you have followed all the steps to the letter, your door should be adequately sealed by now, leaving no gap between itself and the frame.
Conclusion
Gaps between the door and its frame allow air to pass through them, thereby disturbing the inner temperature as well as the energy efficiency of your home. However, as you have now seen, it is fairly easy to fix the gaps. All you have to do is to determine the location of the leak, seal it with weatherstripping or door sweep (or both, if there are multiple sources of the leak).
