Doors – Uneven/big gap between door and stop trim weatherstip will not seal

door-framedoorstrimweatherstripping

When closed, the gap between the outside face of my garage entry door and the stop trim built into the door jamb/frame is very uneven. The door opens into the house. On the hinge side and the top, it's a pretty even one quarter inch, but on the latch side, the gap varies from about 5/16" at the top to 9/16" at the bottom. The gap is so large I cannot find weatherstripping "tall enough" to seal.

Note that I am not talking about the gap between the sides of the door and the frame. This problem refers to the gap between the garage side face of the door and the stop trim. The gap around the edges of the door is uneven, but the door closes and latches without issue.

5/16" gap at top of door
5/16" gap at top of door

9/16" gap at bottom of door
9/16" gap at bottom of door

Is prying off the door stop trim and re-setting it with an even gap the solution? Or is there some clever way to adjust how the door is sitting in the frame?

Best Answer

Yes typically you set the stop to the door. Before you do though check that the door is resting even with the outside of the jamb. If it's not, insert some thin cardboard shims behind the hinges in such a way that it "twists" how the door hangs and/or adjust the strike plate to correct that issue before resetting the stop. Remember to leave enough room for your weather strip. Cheers!