How to Repair Gaps Between a Door and Threshold

If your exterior door has a gap between the bottom and the threshold, your home can lose cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter. Stabilize the temperatures in your home by installing a door sweep to close the gap. A door sweep is a metal sleeve that fits over the bottom of the door with a flexible, vinyl strip on the bottom. The vinyl strip presses against the threshold when the door is closed, preventing air from escaping.

Door sweep kit
Hacksaw
Drill

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the width of the door from end to end. Cut the door sweep with a hacksaw so that it is just an inch or so shorter than the width. The slightly shorter width will ensure that the door sweep doesn't hang over the door itself and prevent it from closing.
- 2
  Slip the door sweep onto the bottom of the door. Center it on the bottom of the door and align it so the vinyl ribs on the bottom are just touching the threshold. Maneuver the sweep slightly up or down to get the vinyl ribs in just the right position.
- 3
  Locate the holes for the screws in the metal piece on the side of the door. Drill pilot holes into a wooden door then insert the screws that came with the door sweep kit. Use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the screws. For a metal door, use self-tapping screws, which do not require pilot holes.
- 4
  Open and close the door a few times to test that the door sweep rests comfortably on the threshold without dragging.

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