Cedar Mill Property Repair replaces tired door weatherstripping, fits sweeps and thresholds, and re-caulks leaky window edges on the west side of Portland. Around Portland, labour for one door like this usually lands between $150 and $400 (market data, November 2026) . If the door itself drags or won't latch, that's door repair first.
The work is Slava's, and Slava has 7 years of hands-on experience with doors, trim and the small fixes around them.
What do you seal, and what's included?
On doors, we handle the side and head seals, the bottom, and the threshold. A newer prehung door has a slot cut in the jamb that takes a press-in (kerf) seal; an older door with flat painted stops gets a compression strip or V-strip tacked on instead. At the bottom we fit a sweep or a door shoe, swap or adjust the threshold, and add a rain drip cap over a door that has none .
On windows, we cut out cracked caulk around the frame and run a new bead on both faces. A draft walk-through covers every exterior door, the door from the house into the garage, and the windows in one visit, so you aren't buying one product at a time .
What's not included: insulation, duct sealing, blower-door testing and anything HVAC . Garage doors we leave alone entirely (what we don't do). Most people call in fall and winter, the first week the doormat gets wet on the inside.
What does door weatherstripping cost around Portland?
The figures below are market estimates for the Portland area as of November 2026, worked out from typical hours at local rates. Each one is labour only, per job; strips, sweeps, thresholds and caulk are extra .
| Job | Est. hours | Low-high | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door weatherstripping replacement | 2 | $150-$400 | $250 |
| Door sweep and threshold installation | 2 | $150-$450 | $250 |
| Window caulking and sealing | 3 | $150-$800 | $350 |
| Window and door weatherproofing | 3.5 | $200-$800 | $400 |
What changes the total: how many doors there are, whether the old stops are nailed on or slotted, and whether the threshold has to come out. Windows that have failed caulk on the outside and the inside take about twice the time of one face. The hourly rate and the minimum charge sit on our pricing page.
What kind of weatherstripping works best on an exterior door?
The one that fits the door you have. A fiberglass, steel or newer wood door with a jamb slot wants a kerf seal cut to length; forcing a stick-on foam strip over that slot rarely seals. An older door with flat stops needs something that squashes against the slab as it shuts.
Foam versus rubber or silicone comes down to how long it holds its shape in a damp climate . People also ask how a "door seal" differs from weatherstripping. It's the same family of parts; most of the time "seal" means the piece across the bottom.
Does weatherstripping go on the door or on the frame?
Mostly on the frame. The side and head seals sit on the jamb or the stop so the door closes into them. The bottom is a pair: a sweep or shoe on the door, and a threshold on the floor that the sweep meets.
None of it works on a door that hangs crooked. If the top hinge has pulled loose, a new seal touches at one corner and gaps at the other, so we tighten hinges and set the strike before anything gets cut. A door that swells and binds every winter has its own fix; read the guide on a door that sticks.
Why does my door still leak air or water after new weatherstripping?
Usually because the strip was never the real problem. The usual culprits: a sagging slab, a threshold worn low in the middle, no drip cap over a door facing the weather, or a seal so fat the door won't latch. Over-sealing is common. The strip should kiss the door evenly, not fight it shut.
Soft or dark wood low on the jamb, near the floor, is rot. New foam won't help; it needs rotted door frame repair. A slab that's split or badly warped is better replaced: see entry door replacement, or French and sliding doors for patio doors. Our rain comes mostly in the cool months and often sideways on the wind, so the bottom of the door takes the worst of it.
Which windows need caulking, and which need a repair instead?
If the caulk around the window frame is cracked, shrunk away or missing, re-caulking inside and out is the job. If the draft comes through the sash, the sill is soft, or a double pane has fogged, caulk won't touch it: that's window repair or, past a point, window replacement.
Among the easy first fixes for a drafty house, Energy Trust of Oregon names re-caulking windows and trim, replacing worn weatherstripping and adding door sweeps. Their weatherization guide is where that comes from.
Can sealing drafts lower heating bills, and are there Oregon incentives?
Energy Trust says the combined leaks in an average home can add up to a window left open all year, and that incentives may be available for upgrades including weatherstripping, through its Trade Ally contractors. We aren't a Trade Ally . We don't promise a savings number.
Does a pre-1978 house change the job?
Paint from before 1978 may contain lead. Under the federal RRP rule, which the Oregon Health Authority administers for non-contractors, anyone renovating or maintaining housing that old must be trained and certified and must follow lead-safe practices. Cedar Mill Property Repair turns down any job that would disturb lead-based paint.
That splits the job on an old painted door or window. Work that leaves painted surfaces alone is one thing; anything that means scraping, planing, cutting or prying painted wood goes to a certified renovator . The not-offered page says more.
How long does weatherstripping last?
It depends on the material and on how much sun and rain the door takes . A quick check each fall tells you more than a calendar: shut the door on a bright afternoon, turn the lights off, and look for daylight at the edges and under the bottom. Torn sweep fins and seals that stay flat when the door opens are due.