Are your old windows drafty? Are the replacement windows on your Sugar Land, TX home not up to snuff? Do you have too much light, wind, or even bad smells coming through the cracks between your windows and the jamb? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it might be time to look into weather-stripping.

Weather-stripping is a tight seal that is semi-permanently affixed to the sides and top of a replacement window. It’s designed to boost the window seal, acting as an airtight final layer that helps keep moisture, air and other outdoor annoyances outside where they belong. Weather-stripping goes a long way in boosting your window’s energy efficiency, even if the window is already very efficiency on its own. Weather-stripping can also be used as a verb to describe the act of applying a weather strip on a replacement window, or any other kind of home opening like exterior doors, patio doors, and more.

While there are many different kind of weather-stripping, most varieties have two main components: weather-stripping and a window bottom. The weather-stripping plugs air leaks, and covers the top and sides of a window. The window bottom is a flat piece of material, usually plastic, aluminum, or stainless steel that’s fitted with strip of plastic or nylon to serve as an air and moisture seal on the bottom of the window. Weather-stripping comes in lost of forms, but it is usually made of metal, felt, foam, plastic, vinyl or silicone. Not all weather-stripping is made equal, as some kinds are not as effective as others, or are made of materials that rip, compress, bend or wear down easily.

You can sometimes find some replacement windows that come with weather-stripping pre-installed for your convenience. These modern windows have weather-stripping that is resilient in the face of years of use, and offers compression resistance, shrink or stretch prevention, sound absorbance, and resistance to mold, mildew and rot.

Weather-stripping offers a whole host of benefits for homeowners like you. Some of these benefits include:

Creating an effective air, water and moisture barrier to help prevent leaks, drafts and rainwater from getting into your home

An extra defense against insects, rodents and other outdoor pests to prevent them from getting into your house

Adding to the replacement window’s energy efficiency, often saving 10% to 15% on your energy bills

Building an additional barrier against unwanted light

Reducing the intake of smells and noises from the outside into your home, from a neighbor’s loud lawn mower to the smell of a forgotten garbage or recycling bin

Custom Windows of Texas, located at 1291 N Post Oak Rd #100 Houston, TX 77055, offers a wide range of Sugar Land, TX replacement window services. We would be happy to give you advice or tips on the best kind of weather-stripping for your windows, or recommend windows with weather-stripping pre-installed. Please give us a call at (713) 864-2747 to learn more about what we can do for you and your windows.