Air-Sealing Door Frame Joints
jamesboris
| Posted in General Questions on
I have 2 prehung, outswing, flangeless entry doors to install this week, and I’m trying to be more attentive to air-sealing than ever before. Is there anything I can do about the seams circled in the photo below?
Had I built frames, I could’ve carefully spread sealant on the mating faces, but too late now… I can run a fillet of caulk on the inside corners of the frame, but not these vertical seams (unless I get nutty and route out a recess where they are, then pack that with caulk). Can’t tape em since it’d show. Would appreciate any thoughts!
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Replies
James,
Two coats of paint on the frame will seal that joint.
If you are really worried about it, there are probably just staples holding it together, and you could separate them enough to squeeze some caulk in between before screwing them tight again.
James,
It's impossible to seal a house down to the point where any air that leaks through those joints will have any appreciable contribution to the air exchange rate. I think we have to accept that while we do a good job, and make everything as air tight as possible, perfection is unobtainable in practice. Don't sweat those joints.
Thanks guys. It's hard to know when to quit with air-sealing!