How to Weatherproof Your Garage Door

If you have noticed water, snow, or even small creatures coming in through your garage door, it may be time to weatherproof your garage door. It is important to weatherproof your garage door to preserve the longevity of your garage door and protect the contents inside of your garage from rain, snow, hail, dust, and whatever elements your home may be exposed to. 

By following the recommendations listed in this article, you can effectively weatherproof your garage door and make sure your garage is protected.

Clean Your Garage             

Before you start any weatherproofing techniques, you first need to clean your garage and garage door. When you begin weatherproofing your garage door, you will be creating sealants; as a result, whatever dirt, debris, or small animals that may be in your garage and can usually exit through the small cracks in the garage door will no longer be able to. So, first, clean the inside of your garage. 

Next, thoroughly clean your garage door. Any dirt, stains, or debris that are on the garage door can threaten the integrity of the seal, or, alternatively, become harder to remove in the future.

Seal the Garage Door 

First, start with the seal at your garage door. This bottom seal is attached to the bottom of the garage door and is a long piece of either vinyl or rubber. A garage seal’s purpose is to compress when the garage door is closed, and by so doing, prevent anything outside of the garage from getting in. Over time, this seal can flatten and crack such that you need to replace the bottom seal. 

In order to remove the bottom seal for a typical garage door, pull the seal out from the gap. This gap is located behind the garage door’s track. You need to continue to pull the seal until it is completely removed. After the old garage door seal is removed, clean the bottom of the door where the garage door seal had been. You can do this by using simple soap and water. 

After you have cleaned the bottom of the garage door, lubricate the track on the garage door with a small amount of dish soap to make it easier to place the new garage door seal on. Finally, slowly place the new door sweep on the track and pull over the entirety of the bottom of the garage door. 

Replacing the garage door seal on a metal garage door requires a slightly different approach. Metal garage doors will usually hold a U-shaped rubber gasket in an aluminum channel on the bottom. Here, there are two tracks you will be working with. 

First, pull out the old garage door seal, wiggling it out of both channels. Proceed to clean the bottom of the garage door and lubricate the track. Next, insert the new seal into the double track and pull it through. 

If you have a wooden garage door, the process to remove the bottom garage door seal is slightly more complicated. Here, the garage door seal is held in place by nails, not a track. Therefore, you first need to remove the old nails before you can remove the old garage door seal. Afterward, clean the bottom of the garage door. Next, replace the garage door seal and replace the nails.

Garage Door Panel 

You can also weatherstrip the individual garage door panels to further weatherproof your garage door. The first option is to purchase foam tape weather stripping. Another option is to use V-shaped garage door weatherstripping. The V-shaped garage door weatherstripping is designed to seal the gaps between each panel. 

Although these panels are necessary for your garage door to open and close, they can also be the point of entry for the outside elements. This V-shaped garage door weatherstripping is relatively easy to install as well. All you need to do is stick it on either the top or bottom of each panel.

Threshold Seal 

A threshold seal operates like a garage door seal, but it is attached to the garage floor in lieu of being attached to the bottom of the garage door. Thresholds are multi-purposed in that they can fill larger gaps, block surface water from dripping in, protect the inside of your garage from the elements, and stop critters from getting into your garage. 

Although you do not need both a threshold seal and garage door seal, you can install one or another according to your preference. 

To install a threshold seal, first move your garage door to the “open” position. Next, cut the threshold as necessary and center the threshold seal in the center between the vertical tracks. Lower your garage door onto the threshold seal and push the seal up against the garage door. 

Next, use a pencil to make where the threshold is on the floor. Remove the threshold, apply the adhesive to where your pencil trace is, and then firmly press the threshold seal into the adhesive. 

Finally, close to the garage door to make sure the threshold seal lines up with the bottom of the door. If the bottom garage door does not line up with the threshold when closed, you can re-adjust the threshold seal for a limited period of time. 

Please note, you should not drive over the threshold seal for at least 24 hours to allow the adhesive to dry. 

Weatherproof Your Garage Door with Uplift Garage

Weatherproofing your garage door is important to protect the surface and function of your garage door and prevent the natural elements and small creatures from getting into your garage. If you live in the suburbs of Chicago and need professional examination and maintenance work done on your garage door, look no further than Uplift. 

At Uplift, we strive to protect the integrity of your garage. We offer garage door repairs, replacements, and maintenance. With our experienced repairmen available to assist you today, contact us here or call us at 630-448-1079 to see how we can help you with all your garage door needs. The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.