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The rain deflector from the bottom of our front door recently fell off when I trod on it by mistake. The door and deflector are both wooden. The deflector was stuck on, not screwed. I'm not quite sure what the joining material I can see is: some kind of putty to hold it on I think, and white silicone sealant in a hidden channel near the top.

Door and detached rain deflector

Rear of rain deflector

I tried bodging a fix using a glue gun (this is the transparent material in the pictures). Once it was in place, I put a bead of glue along the top of the deflector, because I'm worried about water getting into the gap between the deflector and door, being held there and causing the wood to rot. My bodge didn't last long, however: the deflector fell off again after a few weeks.

What's the best way to reattach the deflector? I'm thinking about screwing it into place this time, and spreading some silicone sealant along the top portion (including the hidden channel) to stop water getting in the gap. I have no experience with silicone sealant, though. When that's complete, I guess I need to repaint it all, which the door needs anyway...

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  • If you put a link to images in a comment, a higher reputation user can edit them into your post.
    – Tester101
    May 16, 2013 at 12:44
  • @Tester101 I hadn't realised that - thank you! Luckily I have the reputation now, so I'll add the pictures in...
    – Ashley
    May 16, 2013 at 14:06

1 Answer 1

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Scrape off all the old adhesives then use Liquid Nails on the back. Pre-drill, countersink, and screw it into the door. You can use caulk, liquid nails, or wood filler to fill in over screw holes and then re-prime and paint.

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  • Thank you! Should I worry about water getting into the gap at the top of the deflector, and do anything special to prevent this?
    – Ashley
    May 16, 2013 at 14:31
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    Yes -- I'd put a bead of caulk along the top edge.
    – Chris Cudmore
    May 16, 2013 at 14:36

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