Wonder if any of you have experience installing rubber weather strips on the
bottom of front doors. The finish carpenter that did our front door notched
a channel on the bottom of our front door and installed a rubber strip unit.
There is a metal flashing screwed the the face of the door and nothing on
the inside. the threshold is aluminum. From the side when the door is open
you can see the channel. Is this normal? I have another smaller entry
door that is to a home office type room that he put a unit on the slips
onto the bottom of the door and screws onto the face and inside of the door.
He said he did it that way because it was the front door and cosmetically it
is not normal to have a strip screwed along the inside bottom of the door.

I am just concerned that if the bottom of that front door that he notched
ever rots I have a problem. I would guess that the notch is maybe 1/4"
-3/8" and probably about 3/4" in depth running the bottom of the door.
Maybe I am thinking ahead of myself but I would have preferred the trim
plate on the bottom inside of the door than to alter the door. Also, how
does one even replace the rubber strip on such an installation without
removing the door and flipping it over. I am assuming on the other type, it
just screws and pulls off. Any advice or help would be appreciated. Which
is a more normal type of installation?

I am also concerned if I ever need to replace the door that iw will be
involved and costly. If the door ever has to be replaced it would be a
nightmare as I have had a mortise lock installed, expensive procedure. And
I am assuming that installing a new lock on a new door would require filling
in the jam and redrilling and mortising all holes for the latches.

I guess that channel can be filled at some point if I ever wanted to put a
different type of rubber stripping on it but what a pain.

Well, personal opinion of course, but, having diy type of
experience in these things, I think you're worrying more than you
need to. For one, it's not that much of a job to remove the
door; pop the pins out of the hinges and lift it out, althouigh
it might be heavy. If the guy used good materials, you're
probably in good shape for a lot of years and if the
installation/surrounding area is "normal" condition, you're in
good shape for a good number of years.

Worst case, you've learned something: When something doesn't
feel right, ask before the money becomes invested. But I think
you'll be all right. Should that wear out, put one of the other
kind on, and if it rots, well, it probably won't be the only
place rotting or about to rot. Rot usually isn't a problem with
properly built doors and thresholds. I've got doors here over 50
years old; still in great shape. Haven't looked close; maybe
they've turned to rock by now g (petrified).

Pop


Michael Roback wrote:
Wonder if any of you have experience installing rubber weather
strips
on the bottom of front doors. The finish carpenter that did
our
front door notched a channel on the bottom of our front door
and
installed a rubber strip unit. There is a metal flashing
screwed the
the face of the door and nothing on the inside. the threshold
is
aluminum. From the side when the door is open you can see the
channel. Is this normal? I have another smaller entry door
that is
to a home office type room that he put a unit on the slips
onto the
bottom of the door and screws onto the face and inside of the
door.
He said he did it that way because it was the front door and
cosmetically it is not normal to have a strip screwed along the
inside bottom of the door.

I am just concerned that if the bottom of that front door that
he
notched ever rots I have a problem. I would guess that the
notch is
maybe 1/4" -3/8" and probably about 3/4" in depth running the
bottom
of the door. Maybe I am thinking ahead of myself but I would
have
preferred the trim plate on the bottom inside of the door than
to
alter the door. Also, how does one even replace the rubber
strip on
such an installation without removing the door and flipping it
over.
I am assuming on the other type, it just screws and pulls off.
Any
advice or help would be appreciated. Which is a more normal
type of
installation?

I am also concerned if I ever need to replace the door that iw
will be
involved and costly. If the door ever has to be replaced it
would
be a nightmare as I have had a mortise lock installed,
expensive
procedure. And I am assuming that installing a new lock on a
new
door would require filling in the jam and redrilling and
mortising
all holes for the latches.

I guess that channel can be filled at some point if I ever
wanted to
put a different type of rubber stripping on it but what a pain.