How to Install Felt Weatherstripping around Doors

To save on energy costs during summer and winter, you should consider weatherstripping doors in your home. Weatherstripping with felt will keep the cool air in during the summer and the heat in during the winter. Felt weatherstripping will also keep bugs from crawling under doors and getting into your house.

How It Works

Felt comes in rolls in various widths and is either plain or reinforced with a pliable metal strip. It is an inexpensive solution but will only last for a year or two. It is a soft and relatively non-porous material, thick enough to prevent air from flowing through while not allowing bugs to penetrate and lay their eggs. Felt is a thick material that can be used in a variety of applications and very often around the perimeter of doors and windows for weatherproofing. It's especially effective on doors that are uneven or have larger openings on the bottom or top due to warping or the door not being installed properly.

How to Install

Step 1. Unwind a length of the felt from the roll

Step 2. Start on the hinge side of the door frame nailing or stapling it in place alongside the doorstop molding at the top corner.

Step 3. Pull it down taught and continue to nail or staple every 4 inches running down alongside the doorstop molding.

Step 4. Cut it to the exact length at the bottom corner when reaching the door sill.

Step 5. Apply to the doorstop molding right across the top and make sure to get a positive contact against the closed sash while nailing across every 4 inches.

Step 6. Apply to the doorstop molding also, all the way down the latch side of the door frame nailing or stapling every 4 inches and cutting to the right length at the bottom.

Step 7. At the bottom, the felt must be cut to fit the width of the door. You can either measure the bottom of the door width, then measure the felt and cut, or unroll the felt along the door bottom and cut to length. The felt should be placed at the bottom of the door where most air leaks out or comes through. Once the felt weatherstripping is cut to length, it is nailed every 4 inches to make sure it does not come loose.