Draught Proofing Internal Door?

MrBrush · Post by **MrBrush** » Tue Sep 10, 2024 1:17 pm

Hi, I want to draught proof my living room door which opens to the vestibule where my front door is. The living room door has gaps all around it and a particularly large gap (around 20mm) along the bottom.

I have bought a brush bar draught excluder to fit along the bottom but I wanted to know whether I should buy some self-adhesive foam strips to fit around the edge of the door frame? The gaps can be seen quite easily from inside the living room but when I am stood in the vestibule and look at the closed door, it seems to be fine and have no gaps other than along the bottom (this is because the door was trimmed as it was catching on the carpet and not opening fully). Here are some photos to show what I mean:

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The third picture down should be in portrait orientation, the wall at the top should be on the left with the carpet along the bottom so you can see the gap on the left-hand side of the door near to the wall.

As you can see, the gaps are quite big and taper off to become smaller, however the only gap visible on the other side of the door is along the bottom so I am not sure if the side and top gaps are letting a draught in. I have measure the largest section of gap along the left edge and top as being around 8mm and tapering off to around 4mm.

Please could someone let me know if I need to get some weatherstrips for the other gaps apart from the bottom? I assume the door frame is blocking these and that is why I don't see the gaps from the other side of the door in the vestibule. The door isn't rattling or loose once it's closed.

Thanks for any help.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Tue Sep 10, 2024 2:17 pm

Firstly, can I ask if the door is double glazed as this will be a tremendous source of heat loss if it is only single? The stick-on foam strip is very good for preventing drafts and it is worth doing.

DWD

MrBrush · Post by **MrBrush** » Tue Sep 10, 2024 5:38 pm

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 2:17 pm Firstly, can I ask if the door is double glazed as this will be a tremendous source of heat loss if it is only single? The stick-on foam strip is very good for preventing drafts and it is worth doing.

DWD

Hi, no it's just a single-glazed panel and the vestibule that it's front of is just an enclosed porch really.

Here are some more photos:

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Again, for some reason, the first photo should be rotated 90 degrees to the left but when I add the picture it just shows it as landscape. Anyway, this shows the living room door open and the vestibule/enclosed porch with the front door on the right (bottom of the unrotated picture). There is a motion-detection light in the ceiling above and this is often triggered by the wind.

I think the wind is getting in from the bottom of the front door were the join of the floor tiles meet the front door. Some of the pointing has gone so I think the wind is blowing under the front door and then through the gap under the living room door (you can see the living room door gap in the third picture). I am not sure though if this is how the wind is getting in.

The last picture is a pack of self-adhesive foam tape I got from a local hardware shop but I think it's too thin at only up to 3mm gaps so I might take it back. I am also not sure of whether I need an E section or D or P etc, it's a bit confusing. As the gaps between the door and doorframe tapers, perhaps I'll need different thicknesses combined?

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Tue Sep 10, 2024 6:44 pm

If you can get to a Screwfix (they do deliver) this might be better https://www.screwfix.com/p/stormguard-e ... pack/40425 I would get a mortar repair bag, they do small ones, to fill that gap as that will be a draft source. Finally, I would look at a secondary glazing panel see https://www.sheetplastics.co.uk/2mm-cle ... ut-to-size I think a panel for your door would be £20'ish. In its simplest form you could attach it with hot glue, cheap glue guns are a few quid in Home Bargains.

DWD

MrBrush · Post by **MrBrush** » Tue Sep 10, 2024 7:34 pm

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 6:44 pm If you can get to a Screwfix (they do deliver) this might be better https://www.screwfix.com/p/stormguard-e ... pack/40425 I would get a mortar repair bag, they do small ones, to fill that gap as that will be a draft source. Finally, I would look at a secondary glazing panel see https://www.sheetplastics.co.uk/2mm-cle ... ut-to-size I think a panel for your door would be £20'ish. In its simplest form you could attach it with hot glue, cheap glue guns are a few quid in Home Bargains.

DWD

Wow, thanks very much for the info. I will have a look into the strips, mortar repair bag and panel. With the weatherstrips do I apply them to the small edge on the doorframe (this is about 10mm wide) so that when I close the door it presses onto the strip or do I apply it to the wider part of the frame next to this (which is about 4.5cm wide), so that it is adjacent to the top and side edges of the door itself and will fill the gaps? All the videos I have seen suggest the former so that the door closes onto the strip except the hinged side and you put the strip on the same side as the hinges, in the middle so that the edge of the door is pressing against it. I am not sure of the correct method but perhaps Screwfix will be able to advise if I pop in.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Tue Sep 10, 2024 7:40 pm

I would do it so the door closure squashes the strip as you suggest. I am sure that all these measures will make a big difference.

DWD

Gadget · Post by **Gadget** » Tue Sep 10, 2024 8:55 pm

This might be better.
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-White-F ... lsrc=aw.ds#

MrBrush · Post by **MrBrush** » Wed Sep 11, 2024 5:32 pm

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 7:40 pm I would do it so the door closure squashes the strip as you suggest. I am sure that all these measures will make a big difference.

DWD

Thanks very much, I think I will get the thicker Stormguard strips you suggested and apply them to the 10mm rebate around the door frame so that when I close the door, it closes onto the strip (this is also how videos show how to fit the strips).

Gadget wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 8:55 pm This might be better.
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-White-F ... lsrc=aw.ds#

I think I will get some of these too (they sell similar strips at Screwfix) and put these on the outside frame so that they stop any draught coming in the sides or top from the vestibule. I might fit the brush bar on the bottom of the door on the same side as these rather than inside the door (the side seen from the living room) so that everything is working together to stop any draught coming in from the vestibule in the first place. Together with the thicker weather strips, this should really help to seal the gaps.

While I am at Screwfix I will pick up some mortar and see if I can fill in/repair in the holes between the tiles and front door. Here are a few pictures of the living room door I took from the vestibule:

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In the second picture, you can see a gap around the handle-edge of the door so the foam strip and all-around excluders should help seal this. The last picture just shows the top of the door and the size of the frame edge around it, so I should easily be able to attach the all-around excluders.

Thanks very much for everyone's help.