Weatherstripping for an Arched Bead-Board Door
Bead-board lets air bypass the air seal at the grooves between the beads. Here are suggested solutions. March 3, 2009
Question
Has anyone found a good method to weather-strip an exterior door that is faced on both sides with 3/8" thick beaded douglas fir paneling? The problem is the area where the paneling profile meets the weather-strip. There is a draft coming around the top of the door at the end of each bead/groove. Keep in mind that this door is a half round top.
Forum Responses
(Architectural Woodworking Forum)
From contributor T:
A thought might be to use a router with a rabbitting bit and create a "flat" for the weather-strip.
From contributor D:
This has been done for the last 90 years with spring bronze leaf type weather-strip that is tacked into the jamb so that it contacts the edge of the door rather than the face. A half round - or any curve - will require clipping the leaf every 2-3 inches, 80% of its width, to allow for it to spring back as the door closes. Look at Pemko B70+ series to get you started. This is very tricky stuff to apply properly on rectangular work, triple it or worse for curves. An alternative is to plow the jamb for a bulb type compression weather-strip that will contact the edge.
From contributor D:
The problem with Q-lon or other compressible foam type weather-strips is identified as not conforming to the v-joint of the boards and allowing air to easily pass. These types kerf into the corner of the jamb and rabbet to contact the face of the door. The successful configuration will contact the edge of the door.
From Gary Katz, forum technical advisor:
Q-lon is tough to install in an existing jamb. Sili-bead would be the best answer, especially on an arched top. It will contact the 'edge' of the door, and you can install a large bubble, then chamfer the edge of the door to accommodate the additional bubble size, which should help the bubble contact the door between the beads. I have to admit, I've tried the spring bronze on an arched door several times. I never did figure out how to do that.
