Door Crack Sealer
LESLIE: Pam in Maryland is noticing a broken seal in sliding glass door. How can we help you today?
PAM: Off of my master bedroom, it has a small deck out there. Apparently, the seal has broken. It’s two pieces of glass that has some sort of, I don’t know, some sort of thing inside of it. And it’s now looking really milky. I’m wondering if I can replace it by getting another glass door or can I replace the glass alone?
TOM: OK. So what’s happening is you have insulated glass and that seal between the panes of glass is called “swiggle.” And when the swiggle fails, then moisture gets in there between the panes of glass and then you get condensation, which is that white, milky, yucky appearance to the glass.
Now, the broken seal in sliding glass door impacts the energy efficiency in some way but other than that, it’s pretty much just cosmetic. And I say that because it’s not an easy fix. You have to replace the sliding glass door or replace the glass. And it’s probably less expensive to simply replace the door itself. You get a good-quality Pella or Andersen sliding-glass door there and you’re not going to have to worry about glass that fails for a very, very, very long time. And I think that that is probably the best way to attack that problem. Either live with it and accept the fact that it’s going to be yucky looking or replace it with a new, good-quality slider.
PAM: OK. Sounds good. Well, thank you for your help.
TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with that project, Pam. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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The garage door bottom seal (or door sweep) is a long strip of rubber or vinyl that attaches to the bottom edge of the garage door. The flexible material compresses when the door closes, sealing the gap along the floor to keep out water, dirt, cold breezes, and critters. Sikaflex 10.1 fl. Construction Sealant is used Sikaflex 10.1 fl. Construction Sealant is used to seal joints and gaps in walls floors balconies around window and door frames and other building gaps. Highly elastic this sealant cures to a tough and flexible consistency with excellent cut and tear resistance.
- 1 Repair a Hairline Crack in a Soffit Board
- 2 Fix Cracked Luan Doors
- 3 Fix Gouges in a Wood Door
- 4 Fix a Crack in a Faux-Marble Counter
There is no standard way to repair a crack in an oak exterior door. The repair depends solely on how wide the crack is. The difference between a hairline crack and a fissure crack will mean the difference in what type of repair technique to use. Anyone with some solid DIY experience will be able to do this, and once completed, the crack will either be completely hidden or barely noticeable.
1
Fill in hairline cracks with an exterior wood filler. When dry, sand lightly with 220-grit sandpaper and use a stain pen, available at hardware stores, to match the color of the finish.
2
Glue medium-size cracks together with exterior wood glue. Feed the wood glue into the crack and make sure it penetrates from one side to the other. Clamp the door together with wood clamps and allow the glue to dry completely.
3
Glue larger cracks together with an epoxy compound. This technique also works on medium cracks if you don't have clamps.
Seal the crack with a penetrating epoxy sealer. This will allow the epoxy glue to adhere. Once sealed, inject the epoxy adhesive into the crack with the built-in applicator. The epoxy will expand slightly and fill the crack as it does. Allow the adhesive to dry, then seal the adhesive with the sealer.
When the second coat of sealer has dried, sand lightly with 220-grit sandpaper and use a stain pen to match the finish of the filled-in crack with the door. Chiappa pak-9.
4
Fill in a fissure with a slice of wood. Use a chop saw to cut a thin slice of wood that will fit in the crack. Coat the wood slice with exterior wood glue and gently pound it into the crack with a rubber mallet. Allow the glue to dry, then sand off any excess glue and use a stain pen to match the finish.
Things You Will Need
- Wood filler
- Stain pen
- Exterior wood glue
- Clamps
- Chop saw
- Wood piece
- Rubber mallet
- Clear penetrating epoxy sealer
- Epoxy filler
- 220-grit sandpaper
Tip
- Oak wood panels are repaired in much the same way. They must first be removed by inserting shims beneath the molding that hold them in. Tap the shims to pry up the molding. Glue the crack and clamp it shut, then sand and use a stain pen to match the overall finish of the door. Replace the panel back into the door and reattach the molding.
References (3)
About the Author
Exterior Door Weather Seal
Dale Yalanovsky has been writing professionally since 1978. He has been published in 'Woman's Day,' 'New Home Journal' and on many do-it-yourself websites. He specializes in do-it-yourself projects, household and auto maintenance and property management. Yalanovsky also writes a bimonthly column that provides home improvement advice.