Quickie Project: Weatherstripping

Our attic that has a rectangular piece of drywall to cover the opening. You need a ladder to get up into it. And on a cold morning, you can feel the chill falling down onto you when you walk under it. Time to remedy the problem.


Weatherstripping comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. It can be used to improve the seal on your door, your windows, your garage door, or anything else that opens and closes between a climate-controlled space and a non-climate-controlled space.

For this I just needed a ladder, a damp cloth, a roll of weatherstripping, a pair of scissors, and ten spare minutes.

"Danger: Do Not Stand or Sit"
Right-O...

If you look at this particular weatherstripping from the end, the profile has kind of a "P" shape. The back of the P has peel-off adhesive, and the curved part forms kind of an air tunnel the length of the weatherstripping. You can see what I'm talking about in this photo:


It actually looks more like a "B" than a "P" there, because I haven't separated it yet. This is actually two strips joined in the middle, which is kind of nice, because you can cut the left and right strips (front/back, top/bottom, or whatever) both at the same time, insuring they are the same length:

That air channel will get compressed by the weight of the attic lid, which should create a pretty good barrier to cold air infiltration.

So really, it's this simple: Clean the target surface with a damp cloth to get rid of dust & debris. A smooth surface makes a difference. Cut the weatherstripping to length. Stick it to the surface where the lid sits, and set the lid on top of it.


One more tip: Cut a piece of thick insulation to the same size as the attic lid, and set it on top of the lid. This will keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool...

Now put that ladder and those scissors away before somebody gets hurt.

That's it. Next cold morning, we'll see how well it works...