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Gloved person holding a black strip along the side of a sectional garage-door opening — Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip, London

Plan ahead Repairs · London

Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip

Dry leaves keep appearing in the same corner inside the garage, and this fall there were mouse droppings along the wall beside the door. When you look, the corner where the top and side strips meet is wide open.

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In plain words

The skill in this job is in the position of the fin. It should touch the door with a small, even deflection, so that it seals when the door is closed and springs clear as the door lifts. Set too far off, it leaves a standing gap; pushed too hard, it drags, folds under and tears within a season. The header piece goes on first, fastened from the centre outward so it stays straight, and the sides are fitted tight beneath it so the fins overlap at the corners. Fasteners are spaced evenly in sound wood, and any joint where water could get behind the stop is caulked.

Sound familiar?

With the door closed and the garage lights off, a thin bright line runs down the whole left side of the opening. You can see the neighbour's fence through it. The strip that should close that gap has shrunk back from the door.

How the visit goes

Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip · London

How the visit goes

Technician in a cap reaching a gloved hand with a tool toward a coiled spring and bracket above a garage door.
  1. 1

    How the door sits in the opening

    A perimeter seal can only follow a door that sits where the frame expects it, so the door is checked before any strip is ordered or cut. Each edge is checked for plumb, the gap to both jambs is compared, and the top section is watched as it meets the header to see whether it bows away or leans in. Rollers, hinges and the spacing of the vertical tracks are looked at because any of them can shift the door face toward one jamb and away from the other. Small corrections, such as re-setting a track bracket, are noted so the new seal is fitted to a door that closes square and stays that way.

  2. 2

    Setting the fin against the door

    Getting the fin's contact right is the heart of the work. The technician holds each length against the closed door and adjusts it until the fin bends toward the door just enough to seal without pushing back. A fin set too far off leaves a standing gap that shows as daylight; one set too hard drags the door, folds under on the way down and wears through well before its time. Contact is checked at several points along each side, since a jamb is rarely dead straight, and the fastener positions follow the door face rather than the wood behind it.

  3. 3

    Slush, salt and the bottom of the jambs

    The lowest part of each jamb is where the weather does its work, so a little attention there protects the whole seal. Push slush away from the jambs when clearing the driveway rather than piling it against them, and rinse the salt off the bottom of the stop on a mild day. Keep the joint between the jamb and the sill caulked so meltwater runs off the face instead of behind it. If a section of jamb was replaced, keep its paint or PVC surface intact. A dry jamb base holds its fasteners, and fasteners that hold keep the seal tight.

In the van

  • Tape measure, level and square
  • Exterior caulking and gun
  • Silicone spray lubricant
  • Flat bar, hammer and nail set
  • Flexible vinyl fin seal

What affects the quote

  1. 1

    Condition of the jambs

    Soft or rotten wood at the base of a jamb is cut out and spliced with new lumber or PVC trim before the seal goes on, and that repair is quoted as its own item.

  2. 2

    Working height and access

    A tall header, a sloped driveway that makes a ladder awkward, shrubs against the jambs or cars and storage close to the door all affect how long the work takes.

  3. 3

    Partial replacement

    Replacing one damaged length rather than all three is a smaller job, provided the remaining pieces are still soft and the profile can be matched.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(226) 270-3930

Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip: questions

Advice · (226) 270-3930

Will a new seal make the room above my garage warmer?

It can help. Drafts around the garage door cool the garage, and the garage cools the floor above it and the wall it shares with the house. Closing the perimeter cuts those drafts, though how much warmer the garage runs depends on the door's own seal, the ceiling insulation and how the space is heated, not the perimeter alone. A technician can talk through those as separate steps if the room stays cold.

Why is there daylight on one side but not the other?

It can be either. Worn rollers, a track bracket that has shifted or a top section that bows can move the door face toward one jamb and away from the other, and a seal that is damaged, shrunk, the wrong size or set slightly off the door face shows the same way. The technician checks both the door's alignment and the seal itself, corrects what is out of true, then fits the new seal to a door that closes evenly.

How should I look after the new seal?

Four times a year, check for daylight from inside with the lights off and press the fin to feel that it is still soft. Wipe the seal with a damp cloth to clear grit and salt, keep paint off the fin, apply a silicone wipe before winter, and keep slush and bins away from the bottom of the jambs. Press any lifted corner back and call if a length has come loose.

Garage Door Perimeter Weatherstrip near you

Middlesex, Ontario

London information

Town
London, Middlesex, Ontario
In business
12 years
Hours
Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

What the census means at the door

52%

Older homes. About 52% of homes in London were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.

Older houses frequently have a garage door that was replaced once already, sometimes with a door chosen for the opening rather than the building. When that door reaches its end, there is a chance to pick a style that suits the house properly, and we measure with that in mind.

49%

A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 49% of homes in London (2021 Census).

In a neighbourhood with both detached and attached homes, some customers decide alone and others report to a board or property manager. We adapt the visit accordingly, giving a homeowner options at the door and a manager a written summary they can circulate.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population

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Request a visit

Dry leaves keep appearing in the same corner inside the garage, and this fall there were mouse droppings along the wall beside the door.

Call now · open 24/7(226) 270-3930
  • On-site assessment preferred
  • Same fees day, night or weekend
  • 12 years in business