How to Properly Weatherstrip Exterior Windows

Making sure the windows of your home are as weather tight as possible is a key to significantly lowering the cost of heating your home in the cold of winter and cooling it in the hot summer. Often home owners do not realize what even a very small gap at the interface point of both doors and windows causes such significant amounts of heat or cold to slip past the window or door.

In case you need convincing, just do the math and figure out the area of open space that even a 1/8 inch gap calculates to be. Remember length x width the entire way around the door and you will see that a gap on a door is equal in area to a two inch square opening in your wall. Having four exterior doors yields a calculation at eight inches square. That is a BIG hole, so it is no wonder your heating or cooling bill is going through the roof.

Depending on where you live it is possible to save up to 20% on your total heating and cooling expenses. Who can afford to throw that much money away every month?

The tools and materials that you need to properly weather strip the windows in your home are as follows.

You will need a good strong utility knife or heaving duty box cutter holder and blade.

A quality tape measure is essential.

A good hammer, preferably with rubber grip is also quite important.

You will need a quality foam insulation that has self adhesive backing.

You also will need a good quality V type weather strip in long sections that can be cut if necessary.

You need finish nails, preferably pre-colored to match the existing color of your windows.

To properly perform window weather stripping you need to determine what type of windows you have. This is because casement type windows need one type of weather stripping whereas Double-hung windows require two types.

For casement windows make sure all areas of the window and stops are clean. After you feel they are clean, clean them again with a medium hard bristle brush and soap water.