Having a roof over your head is an essential, but so is keeping everything underneath it warm, and safe from danger. If you want to save money and protect your home, then you need to ensure it is is properly draught proofed.

In this introductory guide, we’ll go over the different types of draught seals, and what you need to be wary of.

Intumescent Seals

These are designed to protect buildings and save lives in the event of a fire. When the seal is exposed to heat, it expands to many times its original size, sealing the gap around the door and creating a barrier against flame and smoke. Typically constructed with a graphite, intumescent fireseals are designed to withstand many environmental conditions, and are standard in both domestic and commercial settings.

Intumescents produce a light char, which is a poor conductor of heat, thus retarding heat transfer. The fireseals at SD Hardware come contained in a PVC carrier, and can be easily attached thanks to a self-adhesive backing.

One thing to be wary of with intumescent strips is, if your door has an automatic closing, that it fully closes into the frame. It’s common for these doors to not pass the newly fitted fire seal, and not latch properly. In this case, you need to adjust the closer accordingly.


Homes are full of small gaps and crannies where cold air and wind can pass through. Doors require unique draught seals, such as thresholds - which are used to seal the gap between the bottom of your door and the floor. Although they are ideal for protecting against wind and rain, they are also an effective seal against noise, dust, smoke and light.

Whereas most thresholds are made with rubber, the Gravis Outward Opening Deflector we stock are made with an aquamac seal. This ensures the tolerance between threshold and jamb seal are equal.

Weather Seals

As mentioned before, keeping your home warm in the Winter is paramount. However relying on your heating can be costly. Weather seals are an energy efficient option that can be used in place or in conjunction with radiators or stoves.

When used correctly they can save roughly 15% on your energy bills, so you need to be able to distinguish against the different types:

  • Foam weatherseals - Sold in varying widths and thicknesses for a variety of fittings. Used in the top and bottom of a window sash, or inside door frames.
  • Bubble seal - This simple and cost effective weather seal uses silicone, which is both shock absorbent and waterproof.

As with most home hardware, weather seals can rip, compress, bend or wear out over time. Luckily, our range of Foamteq weather seals come with a lifetime guarantee, are impervious to paints and stains and feature high quality memory and compression qualities.

Post By Dan