2026-03-26 6 min read
Out here in Rice and the surrounding Stevens County area, a garage that leaks cold air isn't just uncomfortable. it's a real problem. Whether you're using your garage as a workshop, storing a vehicle, or just trying to keep the water pipes from freezing, the gap between your door and the floor (or the frame) is something worth paying attention to. And yet weatherstripping is probably the most overlooked part of a garage door system.
Let's fix that.
Rice sits along the Columbia River at around 1,500 feet elevation, and temperatures here fall below 50°F for roughly 243 days out of the year. Winter lows regularly dip into the mid-20s, and the area sees snow on the ground for about 75 days annually. That's a significant chunk of the year where a drafty garage door is actively costing you money in heating, accelerating rust and moisture damage on stored equipment, and potentially allowing pipes to freeze.
The other issue specific to this region is the freeze-thaw cycle. Water seeps into small cracks in weatherstripping, freezes overnight, expands, and creates larger gaps. which then lets in more moisture, and the cycle repeats. By late winter, what started as a minor draft can become a significant opening along the bottom or sides of the door. Homeowners across Colville, Northport, and communities along State Route 25 all deal with the same thing.
Not all weatherstripping is the same, and knowing the difference helps you make a smarter purchase at the hardware store or when talking to a technician.
This is the rubber or vinyl strip attached to the bottom edge of the door. It's the most important seal on the whole system and takes the most abuse. it compresses every time the door closes, sits in water and slush, and gets run over by car tires in the winter. T-style bottom seals are the most common and easiest to replace yourself. Bulb seals offer a better contact on uneven concrete floors, which is common in older garages.
These are the vinyl or rubber strips nailed or stapled to the door stop. the wooden trim that runs along the sides and top of the door frame. They form a seal when the door closes against them. In older rural homes around Rice, these are often original and may be cracked or compressed flat.
This is a raised rubber or aluminum strip that mounts on the garage floor itself, creating a bump the bottom of the door seals against. It's especially useful if your concrete floor has settled unevenly, which is common on older properties. A threshold seal helps prevent water and snow runoff from entering under the door after storms.
Some older sectional doors have foam or rubber inserts between the door sections to reduce drafts through the panels themselves. If you have an older uninsulated steel door. which is common on detached shops and garages on rural acreage in Stevens County. these can make a meaningful difference in temperature.
You don't need any tools for a basic inspection. Here's what to look for:
1. Close the door and go inside the garage. On a bright day, look for visible light coming in along the bottom, sides, and top. Even thin lines of light mean air and moisture are getting in. 2. Run your hand along the bottom seal. It should feel firm and pliable. If it crumbles, tears easily, or has obvious flat spots, it needs to be replaced. 3. Check the side and top seals. Look for cracks, gaps, or sections that have pulled away from the door stop. Press the seal. it shouldn't stay compressed. 4. Look at the threshold area. If water has been pooling or freezing near the bottom of the door, the bottom seal and threshold combination isn't doing its job.
For a more thorough look at everything that can go wrong with your door system, the garage door safety features checklist is a solid place to start. it covers more than just weatherstripping.
The bottom seal is the one piece most homeowners can replace on their own. Here's the short version:
- Buy the right profile. Take a photo of the bottom of your door before heading to the hardware store. T-slot, double-T, and bulb seals all fit differently. - Measure twice. The seal should match your door width exactly. Most residential doors are 8', 9', or 16' wide. - Slide out the old seal. Most T-style seals slide through a channel on the bottom of the door. Lubricate the channel with a little dish soap to make sliding easier. - Trim to fit and lock it in. Don't leave extra material hanging off the sides. it will get caught in the track.
Side and top door stop weatherstripping is also DIY-friendly. You'll need a pry bar, a hammer, roofing nails, and the new material. Just make sure you're working with the door closed so you can position the seal flush against the door panels.
If your concrete floor has shifted significantly, if the door frame itself is out of square, or if you're dealing with water infiltration despite good seals, there may be a bigger structural issue at play. Rice Garage Doors can help you figure out whether weatherstripping alone will solve the problem or whether you're dealing with something more involved. like a door that's no longer balanced, or a frame that needs adjustment. Check our services page for a full list of what we handle.
And if you've been putting off any garage door maintenance, our chain drive maintenance guide is worth a read alongside this one. the opener and the seals work together, and keeping both in good shape makes for a system that holds up through a Stevens County winter without drama.
Questions or ready to get a set of eyes on your door? Get in touch with us and we'll take it from there.
In a climate like Rice's, where freeze-thaw cycles are common and the door sees heavy seasonal use, bottom seals typically last 3,5 years before they need replacing. Side and top seals can last longer. sometimes 7,10 years. but should be inspected every fall before cold weather sets in.
For an attached garage, yes. especially if your garage door is on a wall shared with the living space. For a detached shop, the impact on your home's heating bill is minimal, but keeping the garage itself warmer protects stored equipment, vehicles, and plumbing from freeze damage, which is its own kind of savings.
This is a common problem in Stevens County winters. The most effective fix is to apply a silicone spray to the bottom seal before temperatures drop each night. silicone doesn't attract dirt and helps prevent the rubber from bonding to wet concrete. Installing a threshold seal on the floor also helps by creating a gap that slows water from pooling directly under the seal.