This guide provides a step-by-step guide on how to weatherproof your front door, covering the replacement of an exterior door bottom seal. The process involves using a tape measure and measuring the door gap before ordering weatherstripping. A flexible, secure seal is essential for keeping the outside air and bugs out without making the door hard to close.
New weatherstripping should be installed along every edge of your door, including the bottom, sides, and header. To ensure a secure seal, measure the gap between the door and the metal weather seal. If the stripping needs replacing, check if it is worn, cracked, or loose. Gaskets are available for all three sides, with vinyl being best for wooden doors and magnetic seal for steel-clad doors.
To fix the issue, redo the exterior to allow water to flow away from the house. Weather strips should be installed on the top, bottom, and latching side for the best results. Start at the bottom and work your way up. If the stiles have suffered water rot, fill them with scrap wood and wood epoxy. Apply a bead of Sika 11FC between the bottom of the sill and the concrete on the outside of the door.
To seal the bottoms of all exterior doors, use waterproof glue tinted with brown paint pigment. Seal the jambs’ endgrain with marine grade epoxy, add urethane sealant, and screw the tin sill to the bottom of the jambs. Use 1/4″ tempered Masonite and Titebond 2 to glue light canvas to the Masonite on the face side or both sides.
📹 Waterproofing the door threshold
Proper installation of the door pan is important in the overall waterproofing of the door threshhold.
📹 Front Door Leaking Bottom Corners Fixed
Check out my Podcast links below. Help Grow This Channel Donation here …
Great article. Some wrong info there that I’ll clear up. Right or wrong, your find was great and I’m glad you shared it. I’m scheduled to investigate a small water damage to wood flooring right there. Home owner says no idea where water coming from. From basement it’s dry below so obviously it’s the door. My plan was to just take things apart and follow the wet until I can’t What you have there is a door sill. The door seal is the parts that is wicking. It’s not the manufacturer but the installer. That particular sill was put in after the frame. And looks like a pretty good job to boot. Except…they didn’t caulk. Gotta caulk everywhere two surfaces meet. Even if overlapping. Every seem that’s exposed to rain. When you buy exterior pre hung doors sometimes they engineer so a seal isn’t necessary but caulking will still add years to the frame. With some work, the best option is to have the frame just off the sill but the flashing under the door sill must be perfect in going up and out with only bends and no seams otherwise the water will destroy the sub frame. Doing that will help prevent the bottom foot of the door frame rotting out years before the rest of thendoor even starts to look aged.
I can’t thank you enough for the logic and terminology. Home Depot had quoted me over 2k for a fix that you have assessed and made seem very straightforward in 1 article, though I recognize it’s a challenging task for sure! It’s empowering to listen to experts like yourself and be encouraged to fix things myself. I’m so grateful for this article, thank you for taking time to share it. All the best to you!
A swing-in door (just replaced) leaks the same way you’ve shown. I caulked the length of the shoe (out-side), and the corners (at the outside). But water still comes in at the corners. I should have removed the shoe, as you’ve shown, and caulked the ends. I’ll have to try and do that before winter, Lord willing. Or, purchase (more expense) a storm door to keep the area dry from rain/snow. Man, it’s disheartening, as these doors were expensive (~$485 each, two were installed). Thankfully, only one has issues. (The other is out-swing, sits under a porch, & shows no issues so far). ¿How did your fix work out, may I ask, kindly? Thank you for making and posting your article.
Must be the same shoddy door manufacturer as mine. If yours allows water to pass through the lower corners, that door assembly obviously would allow winter air right in as mine is currently doing down in the lower corners. I put new main and corner seals in mine, but low and behold… the casing corners are the actual culprits. Ah well, the uPVC windows in my place probably have worse drafts. No such thing as build quality these days. sigh
Thanks! This makes so much sense. I have exactly the same threshold and exactly the same problem. Can you buy just the adjustable wooden pieces of the threshold and, if so, where? Mine have swollen and need to be replaced. I saw a similar threshold at Home Depot but it was the entire threshold and not separate pieces.
THE FIX: I have fixed the issue. This is due to the adjustable height threshold. The water leaks though the SCREWS on top and the FRONT RUBBER SEAL that runs across the front bottom of the adjustable height threshold. Which you see in the article. SOLUTION: Remove the height adjustable threshold and apply water proof silicone sealant around the threads of the screws and the threaded holes. Before installing the height adjustable threshold apply water proof silicone sealant under the FRONT RUBBER SEAL.
I have the same problem, the door is five yrs old and the bottom is already rotted, I took the threshold apart cleaned the hell out of it, sealed the corners and with rain this morning I went and checked, sure enough, water around the jamb. I am just going to let the door rot as it’s an entrance door into a garage and when it’s completely gone I will replace it with a better build door. I bought this door at Lowes and as the saying goes, You Get What You Pay For.
Thank you so much for this article! I thought I was crazy because I was finding water just like this after very little rain, just like you said. People were blaming my installation, but then I found water all up under the plate like yours and the U-shaped stains on the jambs like yours. I showed my door guy so he’s making me a new one and using gaskets that go in between the sill plate and the jamb. He also got James that are composite material about 8 inches up instead of wood that might rot. Then just in case everything fails, we’re putting in pan flashing. It’s a huge pain taking a new door out, but I’m so glad it’s the door and not me! I was seriously questioning what else I had done wrong while I thought I was being so meticulous! Again, thank you so much. Love your easy going style and attitude about how to handle problems. Must be a Hawaii thing. My boyfriend grew up on Kauai and is the same. Love it!! Thank you!
With no follow up, I’m left wondering if putting silicone in the corners fixed the problem. I have three portable buildings purchased within a year of each other (2019/2020). All three have the same residential doors (maybe similar to yours) and are leaking onto the subfloor at the corners. I need a fix before putting our wood floors in. Your follow up input would be appreciated.
Single gal here. No one to help me, and I don’t feel like calling the professionals for something that apparently can be fixed easily, cheaply, and quickly by myself. Tired of problems. It’s been over a year, two door sweepers later. I hope that after perusal this article, I’ll finally succeed in fixing my door once and for all. 😖
I caulked the corners on both my doors and it did not fix it. So, I bought storm doors for both and it fixed the problem. I believe it is water coming down the weatherstriping because there is nothing to stop it. I have double door though that’s giving the same issue. I’m going to have to correct it.
In the meantime you could do a Wind and rean protection wall at the outside of your main entry door along the stairs downwards, that keeps the rain away from your door at all coz it could be a big problem if it continues to get wet inside your wodden floor as it could develope really dangerous black mold (Stacknacken ?) Once u develope that kind of mold u can not save the whole house from it anymore only to burn it down..
Masonite doors from home depot.. we installed a lot on our new build and remodels.. we experienced leaks, some are easy fix some needs caulking like what he did and also caulking it again over the corners after installing the plastic cap over the threshold. Its really a poor design ..i also used to check the the doors from the stores before buying it but its all the same poor design 😔 even the doors from lowes. Caulking is the best way to try if its already installed before taking the whole thing out. Thanks for the article
Mastercraft door-new- the adjustable plate under door- put a pencil on it,rolled into my house, not level,so did the rain into my house. Going to silicon in corners,and try to put something under the adjustable plate today.NOTE; before I screw the adjustable bar under the door back down on top of silicon,,I will put Saran Wrap on to of it so it won’t stick to adjustable bar but will form to it perfectly. The other door I just pulled out was all rotten underneath, same brand, didn’t know why until the new one was installed and rained. Never again Mastercraft. ( P.S. guess what- they have NO PHONE NUMBER TO CONTACT THEM!!!
I am experiencing water infiltration under my Weather Shield swing door and the subfloor area around the door is ruined. 😫 After perusal several articles, I see the grave-importance of hiring a professional installer who is well-trained in the area of just installing exterior patio/entry doors. FYI, I make a point to watch hours of articles to educate myself; and when I hire a professional contractor, Ito oversee their work. It is very important to watch and ask questions in order to make the work is done right because I don’t to have to call them back for any major repairs . Thank you, for posting.
Same exact problem I have brand new metal garage door to find out after first rain was leaking in the corners needing to do what you are doing having to take up the seal adjustment & caulk it I also believe the water is getting into the length of the seam adjustment plate which I will silicone it after door is adjusted first.
Oh my goodness! I have been struggling with this exact same problem with the EXACT SAME threshold model for the past 5 years… I have tried everything! And for the life of me cannot figure out how the water was soaking thru my floor…. I have tried what you did with the silicone caulk (years before I saw your article) and it did not help! I hope to find that this worked for you because I am at the point where I have to just replace the door AND now my flooring 😔