Weatherproofing Windows/Doors for Rainy Season
People often wonder how to weatherproof their doors and windows when winter is coming to protect their homes from snow and ice, but less often do they think about how they can weatherproof their windows and doors for summer. This can be just as important, however, as your doors and windows can be vulnerable to summer rains, as well as drafts that can let hot air in and air-conditioned, cool air escape.
If you want to keep your house in top shape, it’s important to know how to weatherproof your windows and doors. Here are some DIY tips for protecting your home in the summer.
Draft Prevention for Your Home
If you’re experiencing drafts coming in through your doors, the best answer is usually vinyl or rubber weather stripping. You can pick this up from any hardware store, and it’s easy to install. Just nail or staple the weather-stripping around the casing of the door every six inches or so.
This still may leave a problem with a draft coming in under the door, which is quite common. To handle this, install a sweep at the bottom of the door. You can also get this from a hardware store, usually with easy installation instructions. This should seal it up perfectly. If you don’t want to get that involved, or if you have a sweep and it’s still not doing the trick, you can try a door snake. These are simply fabric tubes filled with sand or a similar substance that you just lay at the bottom of the door to block the draft. You can put them on windows as well.
If you do have a draft problem with your windows, simple application of sealant foam should do the job. Just apply it to the top, bottom and middle of each window where you are having a draft issue. You can use weather-stripping on your windows as well.
Rain Prevention for Your Home
You also want to avoid having rain water come inside your house through those drafty windows. Weather-stripping and sealant can help with this, but you may want to take some further steps if your location gets an excessive amount of rain in the summer.
For example, you may want to put weather-stripping on both sides of the window or door, not just the inside. If you have a window air conditioner unit, you may want to add some additional weather-stripping around all of its edges as well to ensure there are no gaps between it and your windows. For even more protection, you can put film up over your windows. Stretch the film across the window and hold it in place with double-sided tape, then heat it up with a hair dryer so it shrinks tightly against the window.
Contact Sunshine Contracting for More Home Protection Tips and Expert Exterior Remodeling
Fortunately, weatherproofing your home for summer is a job you can usually do yourself. But if you have an exterior remodeling project on your home that requires the professional touch in the Northern Virginia area, you’ll want to get in contact with Sunshine Contracting right away.
We have over twenty years of experience doing exterior remodeling work in the northern Virginia area, using licensed, factory trained and certified installers who are our own employees, not subcontractors. We provide a ten-year labor and workmanship warranty and were recognized as one of the top 200 Exterior Remodelers in the Nation for seven consecutive years. We also have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. For a completely free estimate on your next exterior remodeling job, contact Sunshine Contracting today.
