There are quite a few alarming signs that you need to weather-seal your garage door, and some of these signs can include rat poop, dirt or water built up in certain spots within your garage. These can be the result of other problems in your garage of course, but it goes to show that there are many issues that a result of a garage door not properly sealing out the elements.

Of course every garage door these days comes with a bottom seal, but over time these seals can start to deteriorate. This can lead to a whole array of pretty serious issues that can go wrong within your garage. Weather-sealing your garage door pretty much means simply replacing the bottom seal of your garage door and weather-stripping the molding along the top and sides of the door.

We’re very lucky to have partnered with a Weather Stripping Garage Doors team of experts to help us compile this list of the 5 best methods to weather-seal your garage door and subsequently your whole garage! By going through this list you’ll have some good ideas for your next DIY project at home, and you’ll have the confidence to tackle this project successfully.

Garage Door Bottom Seal

This technically is the strip of rubber or potentially vinyl that is attached to the bottom of every garage door, and if you don’t have one of these on your garage door it’s about time that you do. A brand new one of these will for sure keep out any kind of critters, dirt or cold air.

What’s important here for most homeowners is that you need to be able to realize when your bottom seal needs to be replaced. A good rule of thumb is that it’s time for replacement when you can see daylight below the seal when it’s closed. A lot of people with wood garage doors should be aware of these issues with seals because they are made a little bit differently with aluminum roofing nails nailed into a strip shaped seal.

Metal doors also use unique U-shaped seals and rubber gaskets, and what’s great about these is that they come in a lot of different sizes to seal gaps of all sizes and heights. Homeowners may use this as a cheap solution when there is a more serious problem going on with their garage floors.

A Threshold Seal

This is a seal that is pretty similar to a bottom seal on the actual door, but it’s attached to the floor. A lot of times homeowners will use both seals together, but it’s not always necessary to use them simultaneously. One very logical use of this threshold is when a driveway slopes down to a garage and has the potential to build up surface water.

Many times a threshold seal is also used to fill in a gap below a door, and this could be the slightest of gaps, but it may cost less to install an additional threshold seal underneath your door seal as opposed to purchasing a new door seal.

When a threshold seal is comprised of vinyl, which it usually is, these can be even more durable than a door seal, partly because of the adhesive it comes with. One thing to keep in mind though is that threshold seals will block water from coming out of a garage as well, which could be a problem if you like to hose out your garage floor. It can also be an issue for sweeping dirt and debris out of a garage.

Weather Stripping Garage Door Stop

What a lot of homeowners tend to forget is that garages get leaks around all of the sides and the top of the door as well, and these leaks tend to be a lot more of an issue. This is why most garage doors have these weather stripping pieces of rubber or vinyl attached all over a door.

It’s always best to install these door stops to your garage door if you don’t currently have them, or if they are beginning to get worn out. You’ll have a good idea when they’re worn because they won’t seal properly up against the door. You can do this type of installation as a DIY project, just make sure you’re creating a good seal up against the door.

Integrated Weatherstrip on Vinyl Door Stops

This is a molding that can be a great option for homeowners when they unfortunately are dealing with a doorstop that’s damaged or needs replacing. It’s a specialty type of molding that utilizes molding strip that looks like wood but is made of vinyl.

It’s also pretty easy to install, but you will need a saw, hammer and nails.

Garage Door Panel Weather Stripping

This is definitely the most unique weather stripping device on the marketplace right now, and it utilizes a V-shaped panel that seals gaps in between your garage door’s panels. This is a space in the garage door that is a lot harder to get to, but many times it’s the problem area for people’s garage door air or water leaks. A lot of older garage doors will start to see this issue, but many of today’s fiberglass or metal doors will not.

It’s a pretty easy item to purchase and install on to your door. You’ll just need to apply the adhesive roll material and to the top or bottom of each panel on your garage door either when it’s up or halfway down so there’s space for you to work, and then let it close on itself. The adhesive will do the rest!

So these are the 5 main ways in which homeowners can go about these pesky type of garage door problems, and if you have any further questions or want to know more about these tools feel free to reach out to us or contact the experts at the above link!