Once the heat is on for the season, drafty doors are easy to notice. You feel cold air at your ankles by the front door, or the mudroom is always a few degrees cooler than the kitchen. Most of the time the cause is small and fixable: worn weatherstripping, a tired door sweep, or a threshold that has drifted out of adjustment.
A short check now, before the first real cold snap, tells you whether a door needs a quick repair or a closer look.
Start with a simple draft check
Pick a cold or windy day and go door by door. Bring a flashlight.
- Close the door and look around the edges from inside. If you can see daylight along the sides, top or bottom, air is getting through too.
- Close the door on a sheet of paper in a few spots along the frame. If the paper slides out with no drag, the seal there is not touching the door.
- Move the back of your hand slowly around the edges of the door and along the bottom. Drafts are often easier to feel than to see.
Weatherstripping
Most exterior doors have a strip of foam, rubber or vinyl set into the frame. Over the years it gets flattened, torn or painted over, and it stops sealing.
Many weatherstripping profiles press into a groove in the frame and can be pulled out and replaced. Take a piece with you to the store or note the brand of the door, because there are a lot of different shapes and a close match seals better. On older doors without a groove, there are surface-mounted options that screw or nail to the stop.
Door sweeps and thresholds
The bottom of the door is where most people feel the cold. Two parts work together there: the sweep, attached to the bottom of the door, and the threshold, the strip on the floor that the door closes over.
- Look for a sweep that is split, curled or missing in places. Many can be replaced without taking the door down.
- Many thresholds have adjustment screws that raise or lower the top piece. A small turn can close a gap, but go slowly. Too high and the door drags.
- Check under the threshold for rot or soft wood, especially on doors that face the weather with no porch roof over them.
Storm doors
A storm door in good shape adds a layer between your entry door and the wind. Before winter, swap the screen panel for the glass panel if yours has both, and check that the closer pulls the door all the way shut and latches. A storm door that does not latch can catch the wind and get bent or torn off its hinges.
Also check the sweep on the storm door and the gap along the hinge side. Storm doors have their own seals, and they wear the same way.
When repair is not enough
Weatherstripping and sweeps fix a lot of drafts. Some problems point to something bigger:
- The door itself is warped, cracked or has soft spots, so no seal can close the gap.
- The frame or sill is rotted, often at the bottom corners.
- The door sticks in summer and gaps in winter, year after year, even after adjustments.
- There is water staining on the floor or trim inside the door after rain.
In those cases you may be looking at replacing the door, the frame, or both. Whether a new slab will fit the existing frame or the whole unit should be replaced depends on the condition of the frame and the size of the opening.
What to think about before replacing
If a new door is in your future, it helps to know a few things before you talk to a contractor. Measure the width and height of the existing door. Note which way it swings and which side the hinges are on. Think about whether you want glass, a sidelight, or a storm door with it. In older New England homes, openings are not always standard sizes, so a contractor will usually want to measure for themselves.
How CRC can help
We replace and repair doors and windows and handle general carpentry for homes across Southern New Hampshire, from Manchester to Portsmouth. If a door in your house is drafty, sticking or showing rot, we can take a look and tell you whether it makes sense to repair it or replace it.
You can request an estimate below or call us at (603) 665-0447.