I See a Red Door and I Want to Put Its Rubber Seal Back

April 4, 2023 10:55 AM

The strip of black rubber that ran underneath my front door and helped to seal it when shut has come partially off (photo). Is there a way I can fix this, or should I just cut it off short and forget about it?
posted by orange swan to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

If there is any kind of gap under the door when you close it, I would replace that. It's called weatherstripping and should not be too costly.
Flickr won't let me see the photo.
posted by soelo at 11:08 AM on April 4, 2023

Your "photo" link to flickr is coming up with a "you need to be signed in to view this" page. But I would repair or replace the seal; good seals on doors and windows help reduce heating & cooling costs, and also help keep out bugs. If there's a sticker or plate on the door identifying the maker, you may be able to order a direct replacement. Good luck!
posted by xedrik at 11:09 AM on April 4, 2023

Response by poster: I've changed the viewing setting on the photo from private to public, so the link should work now.
posted by orange swan at 11:20 AM on April 4, 2023

Best answer: Just replace the whole piece, which is plastic and rubber and comes as one unit at the hardware store. It's the plastic piece that is painted red and kind of pulling away from the door on the edges. It just screws on. You don't need to get this from the manufacturer or anything; it's a very standard thing.
posted by ssg at 11:20 AM on April 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Can I do that without having to take the door off?
posted by orange swan at 11:34 AM on April 4, 2023

Best answer: This has happened to our front door a couple times. The first time, the guy who put in the door came back and replaced it, and he did take the door off to do it, unfortunately. He also recommended putting a thin layer of dish soap on the threshold to prevent it from sticking/freezing again in the winter (which I didn't do and now it’s torn again, dangit.)
posted by pepper bird at 11:44 AM on April 4, 2023

Response by poster: Okay, thanks everyone; I think I have the answers I need. I'll see if Home Depot has the replacement part, and I'll ask a male friend to come in and help me with taking down and re-hanging the door, because while I've hung interior doors many times, that front door is almost certainly too heavy for me to manage on my own. I'll wait for May or June to do it so as not to lose heat from the house, and give my friend lunch in return for his help.:)
posted by orange swan at 11:56 AM on April 4, 2023

You'll have to take the door off, it's the only way to get to the weatherstrip.
There are different ways these can be attached, so getting one from the door maker is probably a good idea. If you can get one from them, order it first, then start this project. It will probably come with instructions.
If you can't get one from the manufacturer, then I'd recommend stripping the old one off and taking it with you to the hardware store to make sure you get a proper replacement.
If you don't think this is something you can do, it may be your power company might have a program for energy audits, and would be able to direct you to a contractor who can do this kind of job.

Great headline!
posted by Marky at 12:01 PM on April 4, 2023

Response by poster: I think my first step will be to contact the company that installed it and ask them where I can get the replacement piece. Perhaps they'll even supply me with one for free -- they did the time I needed a replacement corner piece for a screen they'd made for my attic dormer window.
posted by orange swan at 12:19 PM on April 4, 2023

They sell "sweeps" at hardware stores that just screw to the face of the door. You don't have to and don't want to take the door off so you can install it at the right height. They are typically aluminum with a rubber seal.
Its hard to tell from the photo if that one is manufactured or some bash using a strip of rubber and a small piece of wood.
Here's a short article on door sweeps. I think the one you have is style B.
posted by rudd135 at 5:06 PM on April 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

They also sell for sweeps that slide over the door bottom from the side, which doesn't require rehanging either. Nor does it require screw holes. It grips the door from both sides and is easy to remove. I used one for my internal garage door (the garage being at outside temperatures and not windproof) and it cost around $20 - which I would probably pay even as a temporary fix until I could replace the original properly when the weather warms up.

Big box stores are typically good with returns so you could buy something and then return it if eyeballing the situation with the part in hand tells you it isn't going to work.

Measure the under door clearance before going shopping, as the products all have different clearances. You don't have to be super accurate, but there's a big difference in what to buy between a quarter inch and three quarters (and measure to the threshold bar rather than the flat of the floor, if you have one, then the sweep will not drag on your inside floor and mark it). Beyond that, door width and thickness will also be useful.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 5:17 PM on April 4, 2023 [1 favorite]