Foam VS. Rubber Weather Stripping for Your Home

In this article we are going to take a step by step detailed look at weather stripping for windows and doors in your home. If the seals around your doors are leaking cold air into your home, this can cost you a lot more money to heat your house over the winter. An easy and cost effective way to prevent leakage is to give your weather stripping and caulking a new layer of reinforcement to assure your warmth all season long and actually help cut costs too.

There are two different main options of materials from which you can choose to do this with. The main two options are foam weather stripping and rubber weather stripping.

First, we will talk about foam weather stripping. This is the easier and more time efficient product to use. Foam weather stripping comes in a roll which is made out of a flat foamy sponge material. On one side of the foam is a removable strip like a roll of tape, and underneath that strip is a strong adhesive used to apply the stripping to the door and window frames. This is the conventional and modern way to weather proof your doors and windows. This will also be identified at the store and from manufacturers as sponge weather stripping.

To apply foam weather stripping onto your door you simply peel off the sticker strip and run the foam weather stripping tape along the surface of the door frame of the face that the door closes against. You can do this with all sides of the door frame and it is a quick and easy way to prevent warm air from seeping out and cold air from leaking in.

The main difference between foam and rubber weather stripping is the method of application. As you can see the foam weather stripping is a fairly easy procedure that nearly everyone can apply. Rubber weather stripping is a little bit more involving. These rubber strips come in sections at the store. You then take this section of rubber and apply it to the door itself. To do this you have to insert and reinforce this with some kind of metal staple or should I say metal nails. This can be more difficult especially for elderly people.

Rubber is more resilient, but in cold weather this rubber is at a risk of cracking. I would trust the foam in colder weather because it is lighter and less dense without a chance of cracking or peeling the adhesive in extreme cold weather. At your local hardware store or any manufacturer this product may also be called solid weather stripping as opposed to sponge.

A great product for places without extreme cold weather is the tubular vinyl weatherstripping – as far as rubber weather stripping goes this is what I would suggest next to foam weather stripping. Sometimes this product can be a much more suitable one for your door. You will have to examine your doors and windows first and go into the store with an idea of what could work best in your home.

You can purchase both varieties of weather stripping in hardware stores and online in various sizes to fit your home’s needs. This comes in a range of sizes generally from 3/8″ width to 3″ in width. You will find both these products in many sizes and measurements in between 1 and 3 inches. However, in thickness these products usually come in a standard 1/4″ , 1/8″ or 1/16″ thick in both solid and sponge weather stripping.

You can often find easy to follow weather stripping kits at stores such as Zellers and Wal-mart which are ideal for small jobs you may have or a single window or door in your home that needs new weather stripping. If you are going to do your entire house in new weather stripping you may want to go straight to the hardware store or order from a manufacturer online. One excellent suggestion for an online supplier of weather stripping is Elasto Proxy. You can find them on the world wide web at http://www.elastoproxy.com.

An estimate for price ranges for both of these products are as follows. However, this is just an estimate and may vary in your area. As far as pricing goes foam stripping is much more inexpensive than rubber slats or strips are. Foam stripping starts around $3.00 – $4.00 for a roll. These rolls are usually a standard 16.4 ft which is a decent amount for only a few bucks.

Rubber weatherstrip kits for doors can cost much more and start as cheap as $11.00 or $12.00 dollars. However, separate solid strips in sections of about 64 inches can easily range up to $27.00 a unit – making this job cost a lot more than the easier foam weather strips.

It is more likely you will not have to replace rubber weather strips sooner then the foam ones. However, with the risk of cold weather cracking and the big price difference I would still generally recommend the foam or sponge weather stripping tape to almost everyone.

For more great information on weather stripping ask your local hardware dealer or search online for foam and rubber weather stripping.