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I've got a tilt type garage door with gaps on the side. I've sealed the top and bottom, but I'm not sure what to do with the sides.

door

I've googled a bit and it turns out that it's recommended to just replace the entire door, but that's not an option right now.

I looked into brush seals, but I want something that seals not just against weather but also noise. Also the brush seals had mounting issues as there's no proper room for mounting them inside nor outside.

I've tried regular foam strips (barely seen in photos as black stripes) but they were brushed away and did not work. I have fairly huge large which varies in width 0.1-0.5cm.

So I was pondering maybe to use some kind of silicone or polyurethane to seal up the gaps. Of course that would stick to the door as well, and then I wouldn't be able to open it. I thought of some silly ideas to get around that but I want to avoid a mess. I'd first like to hear what the DIY community thinks I should do.

another angle from inside light shining through gaps

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  • As to your caulking suggestion, you can caulk, and after the caulk has dried cut it with a sharp knife. This will allow the door to open, and perhaps the caulk will still provide a seal. I've done this on a decorative tile cover and it worked well, but it wasn't touched as often as a garage door, so you mileage may vary
    – Eli Iser
    Feb 16, 2018 at 19:32
  • My mom's house has these doors we used rubber strips maybe a 1/4 inch thick to replace the original seal that had rotted out. Not much for sound blocking but it seals the rain out. As the door pivots up it wears above the hinge to the top but it has been close to 20 years since I fixed it and other than wear marks from the sliding it is still in good shape
    – Ed Beal
    Feb 16, 2018 at 20:08
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    maybe a strip of wood with a refrigerator type magnetic strip on the lower part, so that the door closes against it. .... not sure about the top
    – jsotola
    Feb 16, 2018 at 21:00
  • @EdBeal - the problem with strips is that the gap has no uniform width. It's for some reason 0.1cm here, 0.2cm, then 0.1cm, then 0.5cm, and then 0.6cm, then 0.3cm further down... very hard to predict and therefore rubber strip is difficult.
    – T.K.
    Feb 17, 2018 at 14:46
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    I understand the width varies the rubber flexes and seals the gap, as the door is raised the rubber again flexes as the door is opened. This is how my mom's door was but the rubber rotted out, I replaced it with neoprene rubber and it has held up well.
    – Ed Beal
    Feb 18, 2018 at 20:40

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They make a brush seal that you can screw onto your garage door. This should accomplish what you want.

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