How to Draught-Proof Your Home

Draught-proofing your house can help you to keep warm, save on your energy bills and reduce your impact on the environment. This article will explain how to draught-proof your home as a simple DIY project.

What Tools Do I Need for Draught-Proofing?

To ensure you complete draught-proofing correctly, you need the right tools. Below is a list of the tools that you will be required when draught-proofing your home:

• Scissors
• Sponge or cloth
• Tape measure

What Safety Equipment Do I Need for Draught-Proofing?

Draught-proofing your home is a simple DIY job that doesn’t require any specific safety equipment. However, if you are draught-proofing your chimney or roof, you may need special equipment when working on the roof. This could include:

• Roofing ladder
• Roofing shoes or non-slip footwear
• Hard hat
• Roof ladder hook
• Harness, anchors and ropes
• Safety gloves

What Materials Do I Need for Draught-Proofing?

Before purchasing any materials, you need to consider the type of draught-proofing strips you are going to use, such as:

Self-Adhesive Foam Strips

These strips can be used to draught-proof windows. These are very cheap to buy and also extremely easy to install.

Metal or Plastic Strips

These are slightly more expensive than self-adhesive foam strips; however, they will last a lot longer, which means you won’t have to draught-proof your home for a few years.

You also need to consider the size of the strips to ensure they fit in the gaps; this includes thickness, as draught-proofing strips which are too thin will still allow cold air into your home. If they are too big, then they will be crushed under the door or window and will prevent them from closing.

You may also want to consider ventilation as this will help to prevent damp. Popular ventilation options include:

Extractor Fans

The primary purpose of an extractor fan is to remove the damp air from the room quickly before it causes any damp issues. It would help if you placed an extractor fan in rooms which are exposed to regular moisture, such as the kitchen, bathroom, or utility rooms.

Air Bricks

To keep your floor dry, you should consider investing in air bricks or underfloor grilles which protect your floor and any wooden beams you have in your home by keeping them dry.

Wall Vents

To freshen up your home, you may want to consider installing wall vents which supply fresh air into a room, which again will prevent damp problems.

Trickle Vents

Another adequate ventilation tool trickle vents which are small vents that are installed under contemporary-style windows which allow fresh air to trickle in.

How to Prepare for Draught-Proofing

Before draught-proofing, you should check your doors and windows for draughts. If you find that there are certain doors or windows that need to be draught-proofed, give the door or window frames a wash first and allow them to fully dry before you begin with the draught-proofing.

Measure up the gaps in your windows, door and flooring to ensure you get foam strips that are the right size for the hole that you need to fill.

How to Draught-Proof a Home Yourself - Step by Step Guide

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to draught-proof your home. This draught draft-proofing technique works on most windows and doors, including French doors, front doors, and most windows.

Step 1

Begin by locating the drafts in your home and make a note of the areas that need to be draught-proofed.

Step 2

Before applying draught-proofing, give your windows and doors a good cleaning and be sure to allow them to fully dry before applying the draught-proofing.

Step 3

After cleaning, cut your foam draught-proof strips to the length that you need. This will depend on the size of your window or door.

Step 4

Once you’ve cut it to size, peel back the sticky adhesive.

Step 5

Apply the adhesive side of the strip on to the surface where the door or window closes onto. It’s vital that you install it to that surface and not the side.

Step 6

If you have a really big gap, you can get bigger strips, but these bigger strips may be an issue for some doors or windows.

So, with this in mind, ensure you correctly measure the draught gaps so that you can get the correct size of adhesive from strips.

Step 7

Close your curtains and blinds where possible as this can prevent heat loss and can reduce draughts.

Other Draught-Proofing Methods

You may also want to consider other draught-proofing methods for other fixtures in your home, such as:

Flooring

You may not realise that hot and cold can actually enter and exit through your flooring, especially if there are any big cracks or your floor has moved or expanded. To prevent draughts from getting in, you can fill the gaps with a squirting filler which is resistant against everyday movement.

The most common squirting filler is silicone-based; however, you can also use flexible filler, decorator’s caulk and mastic-type fillers. They also come in a wide range of colours so you can match it to your flooring, and they can also be used outside.

The majority of floor crack fillers are permanent, so you need to be extremely careful when applying them and make sure you wipe any excess filler off before it dries. You should do this with a damp cloth as soon as possible, as filler can very hard to remove.

You may also want to apply floor filler to your skirting boards if you have any gaps, as this again will prevent heat loss and cold air getting into your home.

Chimney

If you have an out-of-use chimney, you want to consider implementing draught-proofing fixtures which will prevent cold air getting into your home. This could include fitting a cap over your chimney pot but if you have no experience with this type of job you should leave it to a professional.

You can also purchase a chimney draught excluder which is typically fitted inside the chimney or around the fireplace. This will prevent heat from escaping and draughts getting in through your chimney.

Remember if you want to start using your chimney again, make sure you remove these draught-proofing methods, as failure to do this could result in a fire or damage to your chimney.

Loft hatches

Loft hatches are one of the leading causes of heat loss, and they also tend to let cold air through even when they are closed. To prevent draughts and improve your heating efficiency, you should apply strip insulation in the same way you would with a door or window.

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