Window and Door Seal Replacement in Newcastle

A uPVC, aluminium or timber window relies on flexible gaskets to close the gap between the opening sash and the outer frame, and between the glass and the beads that hold it. When the sash closes, the handle pulls it onto those gaskets and squeezes them, which keeps out wind and rain.

Because rubber is constantly compressed, heated by the sun and chilled overnight, it is one of the first parts of a window to age. Our guide to draughty windows explains the other causes of cold air worth ruling out first.

Run a finger along the seal with the window open. Healthy rubber is soft and springs back. Perished rubber feels hard, may crack when pressed and often shrinks away from the corners, leaving a small gap exactly where draughts and water get in. Lengths that have worked out of their groove are another common sight.

Old gasket is pulled out of its groove and new material of the correct profile is fitted in its place, with the corners finished so there is no gap. Where the glazing gaskets around a pane have failed, the beads are removed so the glass can be resealed properly before they go back.

Seal work is often combined with other window repairs, because a stiff hinge or worn keep can be the reason a new gasket would still not close tight.

Front and back doors take more use than any window, and their weather seals flatten or twist sooner. We renew the seals on uPVC and composite doors, checking at the same time that the door sits square in its frame, because a dropped door will crush the seal on one side and leave a gap on the other.

A brand new gasket will not stop a draught if the sash is not pulled onto it firmly. The keeps on the frame and the locking cams on the sash control how hard the window closes, and many systems allow that compression to be adjusted.

Hinges matter too. A sash that has dropped on a worn friction stay sits unevenly against the frame, so we check the window hinge condition before deciding whether the seal is really the problem.

The word seal is used for two different things. The rubber gaskets described here keep draughts and rain out between the sash and the frame. The edge seal of a double glazed unit is inside the glass itself, and when that fails the unit turns cloudy between the panes. That is not a gasket problem: it is covered by our misted double glazing service, where the unit is replaced and the frame kept.

uPVC window seal replacement usually means renewing the gaskets: the rubber strips in the sash and frame that the window closes against. Window gasket replacement involves pulling out the old strip, cleaning the groove and fitting a new profile that matches the system. The right profile matters, as one too thick stops the window closing and one too thin leaves the draught in place.

uPVC window beading is the strip that clips around the glass to hold it in. Beads can crack, warp or be damaged when glass is removed, and their wedge gaskets shrink back from the corners. Window beading replacement swaps damaged beads and renews the glazing gasket so the glass is held tight and sealed.

Trickle vents are the small slotted vents in the top of many window frames. They let a little fresh air in to control condensation. Covers snap, slides stick and some vents are painted shut. Window trickle vent replacement fits a new cover or vent to suit the slot in the frame. If streaming glass is your problem, our guide on how to stop condensation on windows explains how vents fit in.

Wooden window seal replacement is different, because timber sashes often need a draught strip set into a routed groove rather than a push fit gasket. Roof windows have their own seal profiles too, and Velux style window seal replacement is covered on our roof window repairs page. For general draught causes, see the draughty windows guide.