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Installing A Garage Door Bottom Weatherstrip
I've tried to install a garage door bottom weather-strip, but it is so unmanageable that it always comes out crooked. Is there an easier way to install it than just nailing it?
This is the nonpareil of tips... the "creme de la creme"! Do this and you will not only have the weather-strip up in record time, but have it as straight as possible!
TOOLS NEEDED:
Garage door bottom weather-stripping kit (including nails), maybe a half-pound of 1" or longer galvanized roofing nails, heavy duty staple gun with minimum 1/2" staples, hammer, patience. Optional: Sandpaper and wood preservative.
Get to work!
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Remove old weatherstrip completely, including old nails if possible.
Any old nails or staples that are not removable should be hammered flush to bottom of door so they don't tear the new weatherstrip. - Sand bottom of door and coat with a clear wood
preservative.
Since the weatherstrip is non-breathable solid rubber, moisture can accumulate between it and the bottom of the door, promoting rot. - Position
the door so that it is about chest height.
Not my chest height, yours. This will give you a view of your finished product as you work. You can use your garage door opener to do this (most modern ones reverse on the down cycle and stop on the up cycle), or disconnect the opener and use clamps on the track(s). You can use one, or two for extra security!! - Unroll the weatherstrip completely, and make sure
it is long enough.
You want to avoid stretching it excessively now or during installation. If there is a ratty end (sometimes the ends are a little beaten up because of staples or other rude behavior), and you have extra length to work with, do a little trimming. - Position the weatherstrip so that the overhang
extends to the inside.
This is important! If the overhang extends to the outside, the weather-strip will hit the garage door frame and force you to trim it to compensate. Only install the weatherstrip with the overhang outside if the outside level is significantly lower than the area under the door. - Usually, the bottom roller bracket (to which the
garage door cable attaches) inconveniently obstructs or limits your
fastening options on the first 3" or so on either side of the garage
door bottom.
Sometimes, there is a single hole for you to nail into. Sometimes not. In either case, you will not do any fastening through the bracket until you get the rest of the weatherstrip secured. - Line up the weatherstrip so it lines up with or
is slightly past the end of the door, and with the outside edge where you
want it. Put a staple through the weatherstrip and into the bottom of the
door near to the bottom roller bracket.
Continue across the bottom of the garage door, stapling every 3 or so inches. - When you are within a foot of the other end of
the door, measure and trim the weatherstrip so it will just meet the end of
the door.
Finish stapling. - Raise the door to a comfortable hammering
position, and hammer in the nails that came with the kit.
Place them between the staples. Attach the weatherstrip to the two bottom roller brackets via the holes we looked for earlier. If there is a nail in it already, remove the nail and then renail the weatherstrip to it. If there is no hole (hello, Mr. Murphy), get out your drill and make one! NOTE: Many of the kits I have used come with painfully short nails. Have a bunch of minimum 1 1/2" long galvanized roofing nails handy, and throw the short nails into the "circular file"!!
That's about it. The staples cannot be relied on to hold the weatherstripping permanently, but they eliminate the snake-wrestling match that installing a garage door bottom weatherstrip can turn into!! Enjoy.