Garage door service in Clark County, WA
New garage door seals that keep the rain and leaves out
We replace garage door bottom seals, side and top stop seals and threshold seals for homes in and around Vancouver, Washington, matching the rubber to the retainer your door maker used. Before ordering anything, we find where the water is actually getting in.
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Signs you need this repair
Failed seals show up as water, light or small visitors where they should not be, usually along the door's lower edge.
- A puddle or a wet stripe across the slab inside the door after rain
- Daylight under the door or down its sides when it is closed
- A bottom seal that is cracked, flattened, torn or missing in places
- Leaves, grit or mouse droppings collecting just inside the door
- A seal frozen to the slab after a cold night, tearing when the door opens
How a weather seals visit runs
Seal work starts by finding the water's path, because a new bottom seal will not stop water running down a jamb or across a slab that slopes the wrong way.
Trace the leak or the draft
We look at the closed door from inside, lights off if the day allows, for daylight at the bottom and sides. Then the slab: which way it falls, where the apron sends its runoff, and where the water stain starts. A wet stripe that begins at one corner points to a side seal or the track, not the bottom rubber.
Pull the old bottom seal and check the retainer
With the door raised to a comfortable working height, clamped in its track and the opener unplugged, the old rubber slides out of the retainer channel or is unscrewed from a wood door. The retainer is cleaned and checked for corrosion, bent lips and missing screws, because a damaged channel will not hold new rubber straight.
Fit a seal that matches the channel
Door makers use different retainer profiles, so the new seal is matched to the channel on your door rather than picked off a shelf. On a slab with a low spot or a dip at one side, a taller seal fills the gap. The rubber is fed in with a little soapy water, trimmed square at the ends, and checked across its full width.
Renew the side and top stop seals
Stop seals are nailed to the outside face of the jambs and header, so they are set with the door closed, just touching its face. Too tight and they drag on every trip and load the opener; too loose and wind-driven rain finds the gap. Wood stops that have rotted behind the old seal are flagged before new seal goes on.
Add a threshold if the slab calls for it, then reset the opener
Where water runs in across the slab, a threshold glued to the floor gives the bottom seal a raised lip to land on. Then the opener's close limit is adjusted so the door seats on the new seal without crushing it, and the reversal test is run, because a thicker seal changes where the door meets the floor.
Which garage door seal is letting the weather in?
A garage door has several seals, and the table matches each one to the sign that it has failed.
| Seal | Where it is | Sign it has failed | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom seal | In a retainer along the door's bottom edge | Daylight, water or leaves under the door | New rubber sized to the retainer |
| Bottom retainer | The channel that holds the bottom seal | Rubber that will not stay in or sags out | New retainer, then new rubber |
| Side and top stop seals | On the jambs and header, outside the door | Light or rain down the sides or across the top | New stop seal set lightly against the door |
| Threshold | Glued to the slab under the door | Water running in across a flat slab | A rubber or aluminum threshold |
| Seals between sections | Built into the section joints on some doors | Water dripping from the joints after rain | Depends on what the door maker offers |
Why rain gets under garage doors in Clark County
Water under a garage door here usually comes down to two things: how hard the rain falls and which way the concrete slopes.
Pearson Field in Vancouver logs its wettest months in November, December and January, and Longview records rain on more days still. A garage door is not built to be watertight, and rain on its face can wick along the section joints to the ends and slip past the side seals.
Slope is the other half. Concrete that falls away into the garage, or an apron that sheds its runoff at the door, pushes water under even a new seal, and the fix there is a threshold or concrete work, not softer rubber. Doors that face the weather, west into the rain or east into Gorge wind around Camas and Washougal, take more of it.
Threshold seals: when they help and when they trap water
A threshold helps when rain runs in across a flat slab, but it can backfire on a floor built to drain out under the door, damming the water that drips off a wet car.
We look at both directions of flow before recommending one. Thresholds come in rubber and aluminum, and either is set in line with where the door closes so the bottom seal lands squarely on it.
If the slab itself slopes the wrong way, a threshold is a patch. A slope or notch formed in the concrete at the door line is the lasting fix, and that is concrete work we can describe so you know what to ask for.
What to do when the bottom seal freezes to the slab
Stop the opener and let the seal thaw, because an opener tugging at rubber frozen onto the concrete will tear the seal or strain itself.
Seals freeze down on icy nights. Pearson Field averages about 45 nights a year at or below freezing, Battle Ground about 70, and in January 2024 freezing rain built ice as thick as an inch around the Vancouver metro. A seal that tore loose is a quick replacement once things thaw.
What changes the price
The posted price covers a new bottom seal slid into the existing retainer on a one-car door, and more seal, a new retainer or a threshold adds to it.
- A two-car door, with twice the length of seal
- A bent or corroded retainer that has to be replaced first
- Side and top stop seals, priced as their own line
- A floor threshold
- Rotted wood stops or jamb trim behind the old seals
- Hard-to-find seal profiles for older or less common doors
When replacing beats repairing
A new bottom section or door beats a new seal only when the lower edge is rusted or rotted so the retainer has nothing solid to hold, or the door is warped past what any seal can close.
Short of that, seals are inexpensive wear parts that every door goes through in time, and tired rubber is never a reason to replace a door. When the section is the problem, replacing it or the whole door is what actually stops the water, and we price both.
Weather seals: questions and answers
Will any bottom seal fit my garage door retainer?
No. Door makers use different retainer channels, and the edge of the rubber has to match the channel it slides into. We match the seal to your door's retainer, and when the retainer itself is bent or corroded, we replace it so the new rubber hangs straight. A photo of the end of the door helps us bring the right one.
Do the side and top garage door seals need replacing too?
Only if they are letting light or water in. The stop seals along the jambs and header wear more slowly than the bottom rubber, but they crack, shrink and pull away from rotting wood over time. We check them on every seal visit and price them separately, so you can replace the bottom alone if the sides are sound.
Does a garage door threshold seal stop rainwater?
It does when water runs in across a flat slab, by giving the bottom seal a raised lip to land on. On a floor built to drain out under the door, it can hold the water from a dripping car inside instead. We check which way your slab drains before recommending one.
Can new garage door weather seals keep mice out?
Mostly, yes, because they close the gaps that mice and other small animals squeeze through. A bottom seal that meets the slab along its full width and side stops set tight to the door leave little room to squeeze through. A gnawed seal, or a gap at a corner where the track meets the floor, shows us where they were getting in.
How often do garage door weather seals wear out in Clark County?
There is no fixed schedule; rubber wears with sun, cold and use. Check the bottom seal each fall before the wet months: if it is cracked, flattened, stiff or missing in spots, or daylight shows under the closed door, it is due. Side and top seals tend to outlast the bottom one.
Why does water still get in under a brand new garage door seal?
Because the seal is only one part of the water's path. A floor pitched toward the house, runoff pooling at the threshold, wind-driven rain wicking along the section joints, or a worn side seal can all let water past new bottom rubber. Garage doors are not built to be watertight, so we look for the path first.
Where to go next
Where we do this work
Seal calls follow the rain, from Vancouver's riverfront streets to the wetter ground around Battle Ground and north to Longview.
Want a price before anyone drives over?
Call and describe what the door is doing, or text a photo of the door and the spring above it. You hear the likely repair and where its price starts, then decide.