Doorsweeps - How to keep the cold and rain out of your house

This old doorsweep on the bottom of a steel entry isworn and haslost its vinyl fins and is not sealing properly. Because of this, rainwater and dirt is getting in onboth sides of thedoor. It's time to pull this sweepoff and replace it with a new one

The sweep on this door was only a few years old, so itwas not difficult to find an exact replacement Some door manufacturers make sweeps that only fit theirdoors, which forces you to buy the sweeps from them. It's sometimespossible though to adapt an easily available sweep fit. For this door, I thought a dark brown sweep would lookbetter on the door than the old white one

Take out all the screws holding the old sweepon.  Usually the screws are on theinside to keep them away from the weather. Dont bother keeping the old screws, they are oftenrusted and sometimes difficult to remove. Be careful not to damage the old sweep. You need it inone piece so you can measure it properly. Dont throw it out yet !

Unscrew the old sweep, usually the screws are on theinside to keep them away from the weather. Dont bother keeping the old screws, they are oftenrusted and sometimes difficult to remove. Be careful not to damage the old sweep. You need it inone piece so you can measure it properly. Dont throw it out yet !

Use the old sweep as a template for cutting the new one Here the old sweep is laid on top of the new and itseasy to see the  new one needs to be cut about 3/8" to matchthe length of the old. Notice that the old sweep has notches cut in the ends,you need to remember to cut these notches in the new sweep after youhave cut it to length.

The new sweep comes with new screws. These are usuallymade by the lowest bidder from a special grade of steel that isinexpensive to manufacture and has the strength and consistency of hardcheese. Keep them only long enough to get an identical packet of stainlesssteel self tapping screws from your local hardware store. It might cost a few dollars more for stainless fastenersbut its much better having screws that dont self destruct as you screwthem in or rust out a few months after you install them.

When you cut the new doorsweep to length use an oldpiece of lumber to help the sweep hold its shape. If you dont do this and you try to saw the sweep tolength the plastic will vibrate and can crack when it gets stuck in thesaw blade. The piece of lumber also makes it much easier to holdthe sweep in the saw and enables you to make a nice clean professionalcut.

Slide the sweep on the bottom of the door and positionit . Try the door several times to make sure it opens easily yet with agood bottom seal. I'm using self tapping screws with a Robertson head. Seehow they stay on the end of the screwdriver bit without falling off. That allows me to use my free hand to pull up on thesweep to make sure its not too tight . The self tapping screws alsodrill their own pilot holes. That way I dont need to drill pilot holesin this steel door.

The new sweep looks much nicer than the old white onedid. If you are getting a new door installed ask theinstaller if he will include a couple of replacement sweeps in thecontract. If you use the door a lot, it wont be long before you have tochange them. Notice that the old sweep has notches cut in the ends,you need to remember to cut these notches in the new sweep after youhave cut it to length.