How to Fully Seal the Bottom of an Uneven Garage Door
March 05, 2020
Your garage should be a shelter for your car and all of your belongings you store inside of it. However, some garage doors are installed on uneven surfaces, which can cause gaps leading to problems such as rain, cold air, and pests entering your garage. It is important to seal openings at the bottom of your door because holes smaller than an inch can still cause these problems. Three solutions to uneven garage floors are to 1) upgrade your bottom weather seal material 2) add a threshold seal to the garage floor and 3) increase the depth of the bottom weather seal.
1) Upgrade Your Bottom Weather Seal
Compared to the standard vinyl weather stripping, rubber seals are much more flexible and hold their shape longer over time. With superior insulation and weatherability qualities, rubber seals provide long-term insulation and protection from extreme weather elements such as wind, drain, snow, dust storms, and shifting temperatures. 100% EPDM rubber garage door bottom seals maintain shape up to five times longer than vinyl. This ensures that your uneven garage opening is sealed effectively so the inside of the garage stays dry, comfortable, and clean.
2.) Add a Threshold Seal
Garage door thresholds are installed on the edge of the garage floor and, in combination with garage bottom seals, help to prevent leaves, dirt, water, and snow from entering the garage. Threshold seals add a 1/2" tall barrier to the garage floor that acts as a sandbag to prevent water and debris from entering the garage. This is especially helpful for driveways and garages that are slanted and are not completely sealed by the bottom seal on the door. The garage bottom seal collapses into the threshold and help to close any gaps that are present on uneven garage floors. Thresholds are glued to the garage floor and are a great addition to any garage requiring a sealing solution for uneven floors.
3.) Increase Depth of Bottom Weather Seal
Finally, if you are still not filling all of the gaps of an uneven garage door, you should consider an extra wide garage bottom seal. Most OEM bottom seals are somewhere in the 2 to 3-inch wide range and when they are installed on the door, only create a ½" bulb to seal the bottom of the door and the garage floor. To increase the size of that bulb, consider a wider bottom seal to create a 1 to 2" tall bulb to help fill those gaps. A 3.5" wide garage bottom seal is a substantial upgrade to most original bottom seals.
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In closing, don’t let the gap in your garage door expose your belongings to the elements and unwanted pests. Make sure to install a wide, 100% rubber garage door bottom weather seal in addition to a bottom door threshold for maximum protection from the elements!
Whether you’re going out to your car, working on a project, or having a garage sale, the last thing you need is to find a creepy crawler in your garage. Follow these steps to keep pests out of your garage!