GaraDry Products Explained: Seals, Mats and Adhesives

After a heavy storm, there's a wet stripe a few feet in from the garage door. Or gray slush has melted off the car into a puddle creeping toward the stored boxes. Either way, you're mopping again.

You know you need something, but a garage door threshold seal, a taller flood barrier and a containment mat do different jobs.

 

 

Water coming in at the door needs a threshold, sized to the largest gap. Water dripping off a parked vehicle needs a mat, and heavier traffic points to aluminum.

In this guide, we'll start with what you're seeing at the door, then go through our range: what each product is for, what to pair it with, how it's fitted and when drainage comes first. As we make the seals, thresholds and mats in this guide, each one links to its product page, where you'll find current sizes and prices.

Start with what you're seeing at the door

Before choosing anything, find the first place water appears. A puddle mid-floor shows where water collected, which isn't always where it got in. If the wet patch sits under the car, well away from the door, it's probably coming off the car.

Close the door and measure the gap under it at several points, including any low spots. The largest reading decides the seal height, and our guide to measuring for a threshold seal has the full method.

To trace a leak on a dry day, run a gentle hose flow over one small area at a time, starting at floor level, with someone inside watching. Don't use a pressure washer or a strong jet. A hose won't reproduce a long storm or a driveway full of runoff.

More than one route can be involved, so treat these as clues.

Which GaraDry threshold seal height suits your door?

Our residential threshold seals are flexible PVC strips bonded to the floor behind the closed door. The door closes against the raised profile, and once bonded with our adhesive, the seal holds water back to its own height. They fit sectional, roller, side-hinged and up-and-over doors, and the UV-stable PVC won't crack or discolor in strong sun.

Start with our protection levels. Standard Protection (½ inch to ¾ inch) is for light rain and debris getting under the door. High Protection (1 inch to 1¼ inch) is for heavier rain and driveways that slope toward the garage. Pick a height that covers the largest gap you measured, then check the door still has room to close, lock and run normally.

If your floor or door isn't level, look at our ¾ inch seal: the extra height lets it seal across the full width. It still needs a continuous bond underneath, so get a deep dip or damaged slab repaired first. See our guide to a garage door threshold seal for an uneven floor.

Our residential seals have a 6,000 lb weight limit, which suits most cars and small vehicles, so check your vehicle's weight before ordering. If forklifts, vans or frequent traffic use the opening, go to our aluminum thresholds instead.

When do you need a taller flood barrier?

Some garages get more than rain blowing under the door: storm water running down the drive, or snow piling up at the opening and melting against it. That's when a taller garage door flood barrier makes sense.

Our 1½ inch Water Barrier holds water back up to 1½ inches once bonded, and its ramp profile suits sloping floors.

The Garadam is our tallest seal at 2 inches and our Maximum Protection option, a ramp-profile flood barrier for storm-season water and snow build-up. Longer lengths are heavy, so plan on two people to carry one. Where it sits further back behind the door tracks, our Garadam foam side blocks stop water building up and spilling around its ends.

If a drive keeps delivering water to the door, pair either barrier with drainage, covered further down. For a small gap and light water, one of the everyday heights above is usually enough.

Don't overlook the corners and open tracks

A threshold closes the route along the floor, but water can still find its way around the ends. On some older sectional doors, the side tracks stand off the wall and leave an open gap at each end of the opening.

Our foam side blocks fit between the front wall and the track, bonded with our adhesive, and seal that space up to the height of the block. Check the whole route from wall to track to threshold, and seal the threshold ends too. If your corners are wet and the tracks stand off the wall, close those gaps before trying a taller seal.

Which aluminum threshold suits a workshop or commercial opening?

Our aluminum thresholds are for openings used by pallet stackers, forklifts, vans or a steady stream of vehicles. They're screwed into the concrete, not bonded, and the fixing compresses the bottom seals against the floor.

• ¼ inch industrial strength: our lowest profile, made for high-traffic openings with forklifts and commercial vehicles. Its flat design lets forklifts and pallet stackers roll over, with PVC bottom seals on either side.
• ½ inch commercial: for garages, barns, sheds and hangars.
• 1 inch commercial: for warehouses, garages, sheds and barns, including roll-up and tilt-up doors, where forklifts and commercial vehicles cross and the gap needs more height.

You'll need a drill and masonry bit to fix them, and we sell an SDS masonry bit sized for these thresholds in our adhesives and accessories range. They give the best result on an even floor. Our commercial garage door threshold seal buyer's guide goes through the choice in more detail.

What if the water is coming off your car?

Where winters bring snow, a car can carry in slush and road grime on every trip. It melts off the wheel wells and spreads into the corners.

Our GaraMat garage floor containment mats hold water, mud and snow drips inside 1.18 inch raised sponge-column edges, keeping the mess in one area until you squeegee it out. The PVC surface has a non-slip texture, and hi-vis parking guides help you stop in the same spot each time. Choose a mat longer than your vehicle so drips land inside the edges. For a motorbike, bicycle, lawnmower or golf cart, there's a smaller motorbike containment mat.

A garage floor containment mat deals with what the vehicle brings in, while water coming under the door needs a threshold. In a snowy winter you may want both. Keep the mat out of direct sunlight, which can discolor it.

Hook and loop fasteners hold the corners. Our GaraMat fitting guide covers placement, and a spare fastener pack replaces worn ones.

How do you fit a threshold seal so it bonds properly?

A residential seal holds water only as well as its bond to the floor. Clean off dust, dirt, oil and grease, and wire-brush loose paint. GaraDry Adhesive and Sealant is made to bond to sealed concrete, so seal dusty or powdery concrete first. Loose concrete and gravel aren't suitable.

Fit on a dry day, apply the adhesive between 40°F and 95°F, and keep the cartridge at room temperature until use. You'll need a tape measure, a hacksaw or utility knife, a pencil and a sealant gun, and our caulk gun takes the cartridge.

Before bonding, set the seal behind the closed door and check the door closes onto it with no visible gaps and the opener runs normally. Once the seal is down, take care stepping over it.

Leave the adhesive to dry overnight before driving over the threshold, then test with a gentle flow of water while someone inside watches the ends. Our installation instructions cover the full sequence, and our guide to garage door threshold seal adhesive has more.

When should you look at drainage first?

If water regularly pools outside, clear leaves and silt from any drain in front of the door, and make sure nearby downspouts empty away from the drive. If that doesn't solve it, or the drive falls toward the garage with no drain, ask a qualified contractor to assess the levels. Our guide to diverting water away from the garage door covers the options.

A threshold seal is a barrier at the floor line. Water can still get in if it rises above the seal's height, passes around its ends or finds another route through the walls or slab. Where damp walls or a wet slab are part of the picture, get them checked before you choose a door product.

Still not sure? Send us your measurements and photos

Each product page has current lengths, prices and kit contents, and our threshold buying guide walks through the choice. Read the fitting instructions for each product before you order, and our FAQs cover common questions.

If you're unsure, contact us with the width of the opening, the largest gap under the door and photos of the door, floor and side tracks. Tell us what vehicles use the garage, and we'll point you to the right product before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

What height garage door threshold seal do I need?

Start from the largest gap under the closed door, measured at several points. Our everyday residential seals run from ½ inch to 1¼ inch, and the 1½ inch Water Barrier and 2 inch Garadam suit storm water, snow build-up and drives that fall toward the door.

Can I drive over a garage door threshold seal?

Yes, once the adhesive has dried overnight. Our residential PVC seals have a 6,000 lb weight limit, which suits most cars and small vehicles, so check your vehicle's weight first. Forklifts, vans and busy openings need one of our aluminum thresholds.

Will a threshold seal stop my garage flooding?

It holds water back at the floor line up to its own height. Water can still get in if it rises higher, goes around the ends or comes through the walls, so add foam side blocks at open tracks and drainage where a drive falls to the door.

Can I fit a threshold seal in cold weather?

You can, provided it's between 40°F and 95°F when you apply the adhesive. Keep the cartridge at room temperature, and fit on a dry day onto a clean, sound surface. Leave the adhesive to dry overnight before driving over the seal.