Plan ahead Repairs · Thunder Bay
Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip in Thunder Bay
The bedroom over the garage is always the cold room, and standing in the garage you can feel why: a steady draft along the door edges that moves the cobwebs on the wall. The seal around the opening has flattened to nothing.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 599-1971In plain words
For an attached garage the perimeter seal does more than keep leaves out. The garage is a buffer between the weather and the house, and drafts around the door cool the wall it shares with the kitchen and the floor of the room above it. Snow blown in melts and refreezes on the slab, and mice follow the warm air in at open corners. A well-fitted side and header seal closes those paths and eases the job of the weatherstripped door between garage and house, though the garage's warmth also depends on the door's own seal, the ceiling and the heating. It is a worthwhile comfort improvement for the house.
How the visit goesWith the door closed and the garage lights off, a thin bright line runs down the whole left side of the opening. You can see the neighbour's fence through it. The strip that should close that gap has shrunk back from the door.
Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip · Thunder Bay
How the visit goes
- 1
The corners and the meeting with the bottom seal
Gaps like to live where pieces meet. The technician looks at both top corners, where the header seal and the side seals should overlap so there is no square hole, and at both bottom corners, where the side seal should run right down to meet the bottom seal on the door. Mouse droppings, leaves and a small drift of snow in one corner are common finds and point to exactly which joint has opened. The bottom seal itself is noted; it is a separate part of the door, but if it is flattened or torn the household is told so both can be renewed in one visit if they wish.
- 2
Cycling the door and sealing the joints
Once all three lengths are on, the door is run through several full cycles by hand and then with the opener, while the technician watches each fin for catching, folding or rubbing and listens for a squeal. The daylight test is repeated from inside with the lights off. Any joint between the new stop and the trim or brickmould where water could get behind is caulked with an exterior sealant, and the fin is wiped with a silicone spray to cut the odds of ice bonding it to the door. The old material is bagged and removed, and the household is walked round the finished opening.
- 3
Corners that stay closed to pests
With the header and side fins overlapped, the small square holes that mice and wasps used are gone. Keep them that way by checking the four corners each autumn, when animals are looking for warmth, and pressing any lifted corner back into place. The point where the side seal meets the bottom seal on the door is worth a look too, since the bottom seal wears on its own schedule. A clear threshold, with leaves swept away from the door, removes the shelter pests use to work at a corner. Sealing the perimeter is one of the simpler parts of keeping a garage pest-free.
In the van
- Jamb repair lumber or PVC trim
- Tape measure, level and square
- Exterior caulking and gun
- Exterior screws and weatherproof staples
- Epoxy consolidant and exterior primer
What affects the quote
- 1
Working height and access
A tall header, a sloped driveway that makes a ladder awkward, shrubs against the jambs or cars and storage close to the door all affect how long the work takes.
- 2
Condition of the jambs
Soft or rotten wood at the base of a jamb is cut out and spliced with new lumber or PVC trim before the seal goes on, and that repair is quoted as its own item.
- 3
Alignment work on the door
Where the door sits out of square and a track bracket or the door itself needs small correction before the seal can meet it evenly, that adjustment is named separately.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip: questions
Can the seal be replaced in winter?
Yes. The technician keeps the lengths warm in the van until the moment they are fitted, because cold vinyl is stiff and can split at a fastener, and works with the door closed so the garage is not open to the weather for long. Jamb repairs can be done in the cold as well. Many households have it done in autumn or winter because that is when the gaps make themselves felt.
What should I do before the technician arrives?
Move the car out of the garage or well back from the door, and clear anything stored against the jambs inside and any bins, planters or snow piled against them outside. Leave the door closed so the gaps can be seen as they are. If you have noticed where the daylight, drafts or snow come in, or where the mice appear, be ready to point it out.
Does new weatherstrip make the door any quieter when it opens and closes?
A little, though it is not the main reason to do it. A fresh bottom seal cushions the door's contact with the floor, and snug side and top seals stop the panel rattling against loose or worn stops. Most of the noise people notice from a garage door comes from rollers, hinges and the opener chain or belt rather than the seals, so a technician checking the weatherstrip will usually point out those parts too if they are the louder culprit.
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Niagara, Ontario
Thunder Bay information
- Town
- Thunder Bay, Niagara, Ontario
- In business
- 25 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 599-1971
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
62%
Older homes. About 62% of homes in Fort Erie were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Older garages tend to have lower headroom and narrower single openings, so replacement doors and openers are chosen to fit the space rather than the other way round. Measuring the header, side room and ceiling depth is the first step on every one of these visits.
83%
Mostly houses. Single-detached houses make up about 83% of homes in Fort Erie (2021 Census).
In a neighbourhood of houses, each garage door is chosen by the household, so styles vary from one driveway to the next. When it is time for a new door, homeowners pick panel design, windows, colour and insulation freely, and we bring samples to compare against the siding.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
The bedroom over the garage is always the cold room, and standing in the garage you can feel why: a steady draft along the door edges that moves the cobwebs on the wall.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 599-1971- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 25 years in business