Weatherstripping Windows and Doors: Technology and Techniques

In the first part of this two part blog on weatherstripping, we walked through ways to detect leaks and how to determine if you even need to weatherstrip your home this year. You didn’t think there was more that could be said about weatherstripping, did you?

That’s ok. You’re forgiven.

Believe it or not, weatherstripping is actually a fairly complex topic and you deserve to know everything there is to know.

Which Materials Make Good Weatherstripping?

Theoretically, you can use about anything for blocking air leaks, but some materials do a lot better job than others. The very best weatherstripping does two things: it physically blocks drafts and it acts as insulation, slowing the transfer of indoor heat to cooler air outside via convection. Just blocking air flow isn’t enough to stop heat loss when the material blocking said cold air is a poor insulator.

These are some of the most common materials used for modern weatherstripping:

Each of these materials can be used to plug up common sources of leaking air around windows and doors. When you add a nice heavy caulk bead to the mix, suddenly you’ll find your home is a lot warmer than you might have imagined it could ever be.

Weatherstripping Technology

It might seem strange to talk about weatherstripping and technology together, but without some kind of way to put it into use, you’d just have a bunch of garbage. When you go to the home improvement store to buy weatherstripping, you’re going to find tons of different configurations requiring a whole variety of installation techniques and tools (check the package before you leave, just in case you don’t have all the necessary equipment!).

Mostly, weatherstripping is pretty self-explanatory once you find the right thing for the job. But when you’re shopping for, say, weatherstripping to squish in the window sash to stop the leaks there, you may realize there are more options than you bargained for. This rundown of some of the most common should help you find just what you need:

Installing weatherstripping is a matter of choosing the right kind of weatherstripping, both in materials and technology, cleaning the surfaces well and, after cutting to length per package instructions, simply sticking the self-adhesive materials (or nailing non-adhesive ones) to the cleaned surface. Truly, the harder part of weatherstripping is buying it.

Confused By Your Options? Call in the Pros!

There are a lot of weatherstripping options, something for every situation and budget. If you’re not sure which is the best choice for your house, go visit your HomeKeepr community and ask for help from a recommended pro. These guys are good — they have to be or your real estate agent would have never recommended them. You’re not alone when it comes to weatherstripping your home, your HomeKeepr family has your back.