What Is a Garage Door Weather Seal?
Whether you’re renovating your garage or simply want to better keep it free of dirt, rainwater and other detritus, then you’re going to want a garage door weather seal. But, what exactly is one? Keep reading and the GaraDry team will tell you everything you need to know about garage door weather seals…
Garage door weather seal definition
Okay, let’s get straight to the point; what exactly is a garage door weather seal?
The clue is in the name. A garage door weather seal is a special type of seal that is designed to prevent the ingress of rainwater, leaves, dirt and other detritus into your garage.
Given the design of many modern garage doors (and garages more generally), this ingress takes place at the bottom of the door. Therefore, garage door weather seals are typically designed to sit at the bottom edge of a garage door, providing a tight weather and dirt-proof seal.
It’s important to note that garage door weather seals go by a number of names, including:
- Garage door weather sealing.
- Garage door weather stripping.
- Garage door seals.
- Garage door sealer or garage door sealers.
- Garage door bottom seal.
- Garage bottom door seals.
- Residential door threshold seals.
Whatever name they’re given, though, they tend to fulfill the same function. However, as we’ll see later in this article, not all garage door weather seals are created equal! The very best examples tend to have properties and characteristics that cheaper, generic seals do not.
What are the benefits of garage door weather seals?
Is it worth adding a weather seal to the bottom of your garage door? Absolutely!
Adding a door seal to your garage door has a number of benefits, each of which we’ve detailed below.
Protection from rain water
The amount of rainfall you experience will depend on where you’re located within the lower 48, however regardless of where you live, it can pay to protect your garage from the ingress of rainwater.
By installing a garage door weather seal, you can prevent rainwater from seeping under your garage door and into your garage.
As many people place home appliances in their garages or use their garage as a storage space for valuable items, a garage door seal will help keep these important items dry and safe from water damage.
Reduced build up of condensation
Related to the above point, installing a garage door weather seal can help reduce the amount of condensation that can build up within your garage. This is because the seal will prevent water from getting into your garage and then condensing as it warms up.
This is particularly important if you use your garage to store expensive items such as tools, machinery or other related hardware. By reducing condensation, you will reduce the likelihood that these tools or machinery rust (or at least delay the natural process).
Keeps your garage clean and tidy
If you have even the smallest of gaps between your garage door and the floor, you’ll find that your garage quickly accumulates plenty of dirt, dust and other random bits of detritus such as dead leaves.
Adding a garage door weather seal will keep that pesky dirt and dust where it should be, outside your garage!
This will ensure you have less cleaning to do and will also stop stored items and appliances from gathering layers of unwanted - and potentially damaging - dust and dirt.
Improved insulation
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people have chosen to work from home and have converted their garage into a home office.
Likewise, many people have converted their garages into home gyms, hobby spaces, music practice spaces or ‘man caves’.
If that’s the case for you, then you’ll want to ensure your garage is well insulated and free from annoying and uncomfortable drafts.
A garage door weather seal can help you achieve exactly that. By forming a seal between the bottom of the garage door and the floor, a weather seal will stop drafts and help your garage retain valuable heat.
Naturally, by retaining heat and reducing drafts, a garage door weather seal can also help you reduce your energy bills.
Protection from vermin
With approximately 14.8 million American homeowners reporting spotting rodents (mice or rats) in and around their homes, it’s important to protect your garage from infestation.
In colder areas of the U.S. such as the North East, and the Upper Midwest, warm and dry garages are a tempting target for rodents and insects. A garage door bottom seal is the ideal way to prevent unwanted vermin from making your garage their next home.
Rodents such as mice and rats also tend to proliferate greatly. So, by preventing them from getting into your garage, you will also prevent them from getting into the rest of your home.
Reduction of damage to your garage door
By adding weather stripping to your garage door, you can reduce the likelihood of your garage door rusting due to excessive exposure to rainwater that would otherwise pool at its base.
Garage door weather stripping can also act as a ‘buffer’ helping to cushion the bottom of the door should it slam shut.
What are garage door weather seals made from?
As we mentioned earlier, not all garage door weather seals are created equal!
Whilst it may be tempting to buy a cheap generic weather seal from a grocery or hardware store, we’d advise against it.
Cheap, poor-quality garage door weather seals tend to be made from low-grade rubbers. These rubbers have a tendency to crack, break, discolor and generally crumble after only a short time exposed to the elements.
As a result, you’ll find that cheap, rubber garage door seals are a false economy!
The very best garage door weather seals - like ours here at GaraDry - are made from high-grade thermoplastics such as PVC.
PVC, which stands for polyvinyl chloride, is the world’s third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic, and for good reason!
As a thermoplastic, PVC is renowned for its hardness and as such is very durable and long-lasting. PVC also has a number of other desirable qualities, such as:
- Excellent tensile strength - being able to support and withstand significant loads, weights and forces without fracturing.
- Density - PVC is very dense, with a specific gravity of approximately 1.4.
All of these characteristics mean that GaraDry’s garage door weather seals will offer a long service life, reliably keeping water and dirt out of your garage for years.
Not only is PVC - and by extension GaraDry garage door seals - very long-lasting, but our seals’ hard, dense nature means they will withstand being driven over day after day by a variety of vehicles.
PVC is excellent at resisting impact deformation, and thus our garage door seals will retain their shape. You can check how much weight our door seals will withstand by looking at our threshold weight guide.
Note - all GaraDry door seals are made from fully recyclable PVC, so when it comes time to replace them, you can do your bit for the environment and recycle them!
How much do garage door weather seals cost?
As we mentioned earlier, it’s advisable to stay away from cheap, generic door seals as you’ll find they quickly degrade and require replacement.
Instead, you should purchase a quality door seal. For a quality door seal, the exact amount you pay will depend on the model, length and height of seal you select.
Here at GaraDry, our garage door weather seals range in price from the low tens of dollars to the low hundreds of dollars. As you’ll note, they all have excellent reviews, so you can be assured they offer excellent value for money.
How long do garage door weather seals last?
How much ‘life’ you’ll get out of a garage door seal depends very much on the exact model you buy.
As we mentioned earlier, cheap, generic rubber door seals tend to have a fairly limited lifespan as they quickly deteriorate when exposed to the elements.
GaraDry door seals on the other hand have a long lifespan. This is because they are made from extremely durable PVC. As the PVC we use is also UV-resistant, it will withstand the elements (particularly direct sunlight) very well.
Note - we are so confident in the quality of our GaraDry door seals that we offer a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty (terms apply).
How to install a garage door weather seal
Like many things around the house that appear simple, there’s actually a lot more that goes into garage door weather seals than initially meets the eye.
Here at GaraDry, our garage door weather seals come as a kit. This kit includes the weather seal itself along with a special adhesive and (in most cases) a set of foam side blocks.
Our garage door weather seals work on the basis of height. That is, you select the seal of the correct height to fill the gap between the bottom of your garage door and the floor. (Note - you should measure the gap between the bottom of your garage door and the floor in at least three or four places, as the size of the gap will tend to vary).
We stock garage door weather seals in the following heights:
As you can see, we have garage door weather seals for even the largest of gaps.
You will also need to select the correct length to ensure that your garage door seal stretches across the entire opening of your garage door. Here at GaraDry, you can select lengths varying from 8’ 3” up to 50’.
Once you’ve selected the correct height and length weather seal, installation is straightforward.
All of our ‘Garage Door Threshold Seal Kits’ come with our special GaraDry Adhesive, and it’s this that’ll play an important role in the installation process.
The GaraDry residential threshold seal installation process
Below, we have set out the main steps that are typically required to successfully install a GaraDry garage door seal.
Note - all of our garage door seals come with comprehensive, easy-to-follow instructions.
Step one
Like any other home DIY project, you should make sure you have all the necessary tools to hand before you start the job.
To install a GaraDry garage bottom seal, you’ll need:
- The GaraDry weather strip.
- GaraDry Adhesive.
- Caulk gun.
- Sharp box cutter, utility knife or hacksaw.
- Pencil or marker.
- A straight edge or ruler.
- Brush or broom.
- Wire brush (if your garage has a painted floor).
- Tape measure.
Once you’ve got all of these things, you’re ready to move onto the next step.
Step two
Now it’s time to prepare the area where you’ll be installing the GaraDry weather seal.
Use a brush to sweep and clean your garage floor. Make sure that you remove any dirt, dust, debris, oil, grease or anything else that could affect the adhesive that you’ll be applying shortly.
Tip - if your garage has a painted floor, you should also use a wire brush on the area where you’ll be placing the door seal. The wire brush will help roughen the area, creating a surface which the adhesive will better adhere to.
Step three
Now, it’s time to use your tape measure to measure the outside edges of your garage door’s tracks.
Then, use a hacksaw or box cutter to cut the threshold seal to that length.
Step four
The next step involves positioning the door seal behind the door tracks and marking where it needs to be cut to fit securely around the door tracks.
You then need to measure the distances between the back of the door and the back edge of the door track. This is the depth that needs to be cut out of the door seal in order for it to ‘slot in’ to each of the door tracks.
Step five
Once you’ve cut out the required depth from the door seal, it’s time to place the door seal into position between the door tracks (be sure to push the seal up tight against the back of the door in order to create a tight seal).
Now, close the garage door. The door should close onto the front edge of the seal. If it doesn’t, move the seal back slightly and then repeat the process.
Tip - you’ll know if you’ve positioned the seal correctly as there won’t be any visible daylight at the bottom of your garage door.
Step six
Once you’ve ascertained the correct position for your garage door seal, use a pencil or marker pen to mark along the back edge of the seal. This will act as your visual guide when it’s time to affix the seal in place with adhesive.
Having done that, you should then open your garage door and mark along the front edge of the seal.
Next, remove the seal and place it safely out of the way.
You’ll then need to mark two parallel lines approximately half an inch inside the existing lines you’ve just marked out. Inside these parallel lines, you then want to mark out a zigzag line the length of where the door seal will sit.
Step seven
You’re nearly there! The next step is to turn the door seal over so that you are looking at the underneath of it. Use a dry, lint-free cloth to gently wipe the underside of the door seal along its entire length.
Once you’ve done that, grab your tube of GaraDry Adhesive and cut the end off using your box cutter or knife. Follow this by inserting the adhesive into your caulk gun and applying the adhesive to the garage floor.
Ensure you apply the adhesive within the lines you marked out earlier (the parallel lines and the zigzag).
Step eight
With the adhesive freshly applied to your garage floor, grab the door seal and begin at one end of your garage door opening. Carefully place the seal on top of the adhesive and press down firmly. Ensure that consistent, firm contact is made across the entire length of the seal.
Once secured in place, use an old cloth to remove any excess adhesive that may have been pushed out at the edges of the door seal.
Tip - this step is much easier to complete with two people. One person holds the door seal aloft, whilst the other presses it down onto the adhesive.
Step nine
Apply adhesive around the door tracks to help ‘anchor’ the door seal in place. Doing this also helps to create a watertight seal.
Note - if your garage has open side tracks, then you should use the two side blocks that have been supplied with your kit. These should be adhered in place in the space between the wall and track. This will prevent water ingress via this route.
Step ten
Step back and admire your handiwork!
Once you’ve finished installing your GaraDry garage door weather seal, you should wait at least 24 hours before driving over the threshold - this will allow enough time for the adhesive to properly dry.
Tip - we also recommend checking the installation with either a hose pipe or a bucket of water to check for water ingress.
We realize that was a lot to read, so if you prefer a more visual format we have created an installation video which you can view below!
Where to buy garage door weather seals
If we’ve convinced you of the benefits of installing a quality door seal in your garage, then you’re probably wondering where the best place to buy one is.
The answer is direct from GaraDry!
We carry large amounts of stock of our GaraDry garage door bottom seals, as well as useful installation accessories such as caulk guns and masonry drill bits and more.
Our orders are dispatched from our warehouse in Tennessee and delivery typically takes between one and four days by FedEx. As soon as your order is dispatched, you will receive an email with full tracking information.
Need help?
Hopefully you’ve found this guide to garage door weather seals useful and helpful. However, if you still have some questions, then the GaraDry team is happy to help!
Whether you have a technical question or a question about delivery, you can reach us on 866-563-2707 (6am to 5pm ET), by email at: sales@garadry.com or via our contact form.