Your home is the perfect place to hide away from the cold temperatures that winter brings. If you can feel winter’s cold air seeping into your home or you notice drafts around your entry, exterior door insulation is needed around your door frame.
There are a variety of insulation materials you can use around the exterior door jamb that will stop door drafts in winter. The sooner you take these steps for proper insulation, the less energy you will waste heating your home in winter, and even cooling it in the summer.
Pinnacle Home Improvements provides comprehensive home improvement solutions with unparalleled craftsmanship and customer service to help you fall in love with your home all over again. In this blog post, we highlight how to insulate doors to maximize your home’s energy efficiency.
Why You Need to Seal Front Door Insulation Gaps for Winter
If you don’t seal your front door, cold air will get into your home. You won’t just be physically uncomfortable-you’ll also experience greater discomfort with your higher energy bills. Essentially, if you don’t insulate your door material, you will be wasting money, making yourself cold, and above all, exposing your home to moisture, which can lead to other far more costly problems, such as mold or wood rot.
Fortunately, it’s easy to insulate this part of your home. You can gather a few simple materials yourself, or hire a professional to help you. If you only have drafts coming into your front entry, you might be able to handle adding that insulation yourself. However, if you find it’s happening around your other doors or your windows, it may be best to have them all professionally sealed prior to the next drop in outdoor temperatures.
You might already have weatherstripping or another insulating material in place, but eventually, these things need replacement. If you have trouble opening or closing the door, notice drafts of chilly air, have higher energy bills, or see cracked material or visible light around the door when it’s closed, it’s time to reseal it.
How to Insulate Doors
There are several ways that you can insulate doors:
- Use weatherstripping: Put weather stripping around the door frame, and it will form a tight seal.
- Add a door sweep: Door sweeps attach to the bottom of the door, closing the gap between your door and the threshold.
- Caulk: Caulk can also be used to seal any cracks or gaps that you spot on your door frame.
Insulation Strategies Around the Door Frame
In winter, it’s best to add extra insulation to any north-facing doors, which can be easily accomplished by adding weather stripping. You can also install a fiberglass storm door that can provide extra protection and guard against heat loss.
Start by replacing any worn weatherstripping, ideally before it gets cold outside again. Plan on making a more solid investment in weatherstripping and door sweeps on doors that are used more often, and use temporary options on any entrances you don’t use regularly.
Insulation Materials to Keep Out Cold Air
If you keep getting drafts, you can use a variety of insulation materials to help protect your home. Some may require removing the door trim and screws to fully secure the gap and insulation on a house.
Weatherstripping applied along the door stop and door jamb is certainly one of the easiest ways to insulate. Anyone can install it, though with weatherstripping, you have a lot of options. Tension seal is a fantastic choice as it fits into the door trim and peels and sticks right in place.
Spray foam that’s made for doors and expanding foam are other options that can be applied with ease to stop the drafts, though you must make sure you let it dry completely. Reinforced foam can be used for the bottom of your door, like a sweep, though don’t forget insulation on the sides too.
Tape and felt weatherstripping are other ways you can provide insulation to your door. If you’re not sure what to replace it with or how to fill the gap, it can help to go to your local hardware store to browse the available materials and learn about the types of weatherstripping for exterior doors that are sure to keep cold air out of your interior.
Benefits of Insulating an Exterior Door
When you add or replace insulation to your door, there are some key benefits:
Greater Comfort in the Interior of Your House
Whether you use foam or another type of material for insulation, you will help it stay at a consistent temperature. In winter, it’s especially important to close that gap by the floor that can let frigid air into your home. Heating costs are astronomical, and when there’s room for air to get through the edges of the frame, it can waste your money while causing your discomfort.
Less Wear and Tear on Your HVAC System
Fill the edges and any cracks around your door, and you’ll help protect your heating and cooling system from excess wear and tear.
Prevent Moisture Damage
Wood in your home can suffer the wrath of wintery moisture accumulation. Using foam, weatherstripping, caulk, or other materials in the frame will keep moisture out and save your home from this type of damage.
Greater Peace and Quiet
Outside noises are far more intrusive when you don’t block drafts around and underneath your door. Install insulation so you can enjoy a much quieter, more peaceful space.
How Pinnacle Home Improvements Can Help with Winterproof Door Solutions
Whether you need a new door to provide you with better security or you want to make sure you fill the gaps around your current door, Pinnacle Home Improvements has solutions. We have a solid reputation built on our excellence in craftsmanship and customer care, and are committed to helping homeowners find the right solutions to not only enhance their home’s structural strength and energy efficiency, but also curb appeal and value.
We also offer other services, including roof replacement, siding, and window replacement.
