Drafty doors are among the most common and most overlooked sources of energy waste in a home. You can feel cold air coming in around the door frame on a windy day, the heating system runs longer to compensate, and your energy bills quietly increase throughout winter. Weatherstripping fixes this completely, costs $10 to $20 per door, and takes less than an hour to install.

I added weatherstripping to my front and back doors one afternoon and noticed the difference that same evening the hallway was visibly less cold and the heating system ran less frequently. It is one of those small projects with an immediate, tangible result.

What You’ll Need

• Foam weatherstripping tape (self-adhesive, D-profile or P-profile)
• V-strip weatherstripping (for the sides of the door where it meets the stop)
• Door sweep (for the bottom of the door)
• Scissors or utility knife
• Rubbing alcohol and cloth
• Screwdriver (for door sweep installation)
• Measuring tape

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Identify where the drafts are entering

On a cold, windy day, run your hand slowly around all four edges of the closed door. Feel for air movement. You can also hold a lit stick of incense close to the door frame the smoke will waver toward any gaps. Most exterior doors let air in at the bottom, at the hinge side, and across the top. Each location needs a slightly different solution.

Step 2: Clean all surfaces before installing

Weatherstripping adhesive fails quickly on dirty surfaces. Wipe all the areas where you will apply weatherstripping with rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth. This removes paint residue, grease, and old adhesive. Allow the surfaces to dry for at least 10 minutes before applying anything.

Step 3: Apply foam weatherstripping to the top and hinge side

For the door stop the small raised strip the door closes against at the top and sides self adhesive foam weatherstripping works well. Cut it to length, peel the backing, and press it firmly into the door stop so the door will compress it slightly when closed. Start at the top corner and work your way down each side.

Step 4: Install V-strip on the latch side

The latch side of the door (opposite the hinges) experiences more movement and needs more durable weatherstripping than foam. V-strip or tension seal weatherstripping is ideal here. Cut it to the height of the door opening and press or nail it into the door jamb channel with the open side of the V facing outward toward where the door closes.

Step 5: Install a door sweep at the bottom

The door bottom is often the biggest source of cold air infiltration and the easiest to fix. A door sweep is a strip of rubber or brush material that screws to the inside bottom of the door and drags lightly on the threshold when the door opens and closes. Hold it in position, mark the screw holes, drill pilot holes if needed, and drive the screws. The sweep should touch the threshold firmly when the door is closed but not drag so heavily that the door is hard to open.

Replace weatherstripping every 2 to 3 years. Foam compresses permanently over time and loses its sealing ability. V-strip and door sweeps last longer but should be checked annually for wear.

If your door has a significant gap at the bottom that a standard door sweep cannot bridge, install a door threshold as well. The combination of a sweep on the door and a new threshold on the floor creates an airtight seal even on uneven surfaces.

Weatherstripping doors is the definition of a high return home improvement project. A $15 investment and an hour of work produces energy savings that continue every single day of the heating and cooling seasons for years. If you have not done this yet, this weekend is the right time.