Interlocking Metal

Interlocking metal weatherstripping is an ef­ficient way to seal air leaks around doors. It comes with two different pieces; one attaches to the door, and the other to the jamb and the threshold. When closed, the two pieces interlock to form a seal. This type of weatherstripping is the most difficult to install, a job best left to pros. If your doors already have interlocking metal weather-

stripping, keep it working smoothly by straightening any bends or dents that pre­vent the two pieces from fitting together.	Interlocking Metal
Durability: excellent Cost: $1.50/ft. to $3/ft.
HINGE SIDE
On the hinge side of the door, a bronze strip nailed to the jamb slips into a groove cut in the door.
LATCH SIDE AND TOP Saw kerf
Door
Jamb
Interlocking bronze strips
Aluminum with vinyl top and feet
Saw kerf
On the head and latch sides, bronze strips let into saw kerfs and nailed on both the door and the jamb interlock.
Adjustable — height oak and aluminum
Hook strip Rabbet
Door
Vinyl top on paintable hardwood
Threshold
aluminum with vinyl top in bronze finish
At the door bottom, a bronze hook strip on the door engages the saddle screwed to the sill.
Durability: Excellent Cost: $3.85/ft. to $7/ft.

however, should be outfitted with a thresh­old designed to shed water away from the house. If an existing wooden threshold shows signs of water damage, simply replac­ing it will only postpone a larger problem.

Door Sweeps

Installing a door sweep is the final step in sealing air leaks under a door. Sweeps come in various styles, one of which simply at­taches to the outside of a door. Metal, vinyl, or wood versions connected to either felt or foam all can be cut to length with a hack­saw, backsaw, or tin snips, and most simply screw to the bottom of a door. When trim­ming the sweep, cut it about V8 in. shy of the overall door width. Some versions are nailed instead of screwed into place. If pos­sible, opt for a version that screws into place through elongated holes because they allow for easy adjustment.

Other sweep styles actually wrap the bottom of the door and rely on a rubber or foam gasket along the door’s bottom edge to seal tight against the threshold. Again, look for a model with elongated screw holes that enable you to adjust the sweep. You might have to remove the door to mount the sweep.

Automatic door sweeps are a fairly recent invention, and they come in handy if the door opens over irregular stone or carpeted floors, where a regular sweep would drag or bind. With automatic door sweeps, a vinyl flap drops down to seal leaks when the door is shut, but retracts when the door is open. If it sounds like hoodoo, it’s not: A stop button attached to the jamb lifts and closes the flap.

Matthew Teague is a furniture maker and journalist in Nashville, Tenn.