As Brits look to save money on their heating bills, an expert has outlined an inexpensive way to make your home warmer. Rhiannon Moore at Toolstation has shared a step-by-step guide to correctly fitting draught excluder tape in the home.
A significant amount of a home's heat loss is caused by draughts, with the biggest culprits being windows and doors. However, this can easily be fixed by draught-proofing a home, with 15 metres of weatherstrip tape available for as little as £8.68 and in a variety of different colours.
Where it is not suitable to fit draught tape
Internal doors - despite common misconceptions, it is not recommended to draught-proof interior doors. A home needs airflow to help reduce condensation and dampness, especially in the kitchen or bathroom where there is heat and moisture.
Fire doors - if you are looking to draught-proof a fire door, then professional help should be sought to check no regulations are being broken or the door isn’t blocked.
Fitting draught tape to an exterior door
Rhiannon has shared a five-step guide to fitting draught tape on an exterior door.
Measure up - measure the gap between the door and the door frame to establish what size tape you will need. A good hack for this is to squash some reusable tack into the door frame and close the door. Open and remove the tack to get the thickness of the gap.
Clean the surfaces - make sure all surfaces are free from dust, dirt and grease otherwise, the tape may not stick. If needed, simply wipe down the area with a cloth dipped in white spirit and dry afterwards.
Line up the tape - take a strip of tape and peel off the sticky back before aligning it on the frame of the door.
Apply the tape - working from one side of the frame to the other press firmly against the tape to secure it in place on the door frame.
Cut to size - once it reaches the end take a pair of scissors and cut off the excess tape. This process can then be repeated until all sides of the door frame are covered.
Fitting draught tape to windows
Rhiannon explained that for windows that can be opened, the same process should be followed to stick draught-proofing strips inside the window frame cavity. This will help to fill the open gap between the window and the closed frame.
Fitting draught tape to loft hatches
She recommended that for flat loft hatches, it’s best to fit draught tape on top of the hatch frame inside the attic so that when the hatch is resting in place it will sit on the rubber tape to create a draught-proof seal. For hinged loft hatches, however, tape should be fitted to the hatch frame facing down toward the living area. That way when the loft is closed it will rest up against the tape to form the seal.
