What are the Best Weather Seals for My Commercial Garage Door?

Commercial garage doors are a crucial barrier between your valuable stock and extreme weather, intrusive pests, damaging debris and more. Installing protective seals on your commercial applications can prevent costly repairs and damaged products down the line. It can even increase energy efficiency and lower energy bills by insulating your facility from outside temperatures. With so many seals on the market, though, which one is the best for your facility’s garage doors? Read on for a synopsis of the top seals on the market and their unique features that will help protect your commercial facility against the challenges specific to you.  

Where Should Seals Be Installed on Commercial Doors? 

You should install seals around commercial garage door headers, sides and the bottom of your door for maximum protection. If you have a Top Seal, Bottom Seal, Side Seals, and Jamb Seals installed you should be fully protected.  

What Kind of Seal Do I Need for My Commercial Garage Door?  

The best kind of seal for a commercial garage door depends on the style and brand of the door, the environment, and the intended use. Doors in environments with extreme weather conditions will benefit from weatherproofing EDPM Seals that can withstand extreme weather without warping, while doors around high-traffic areas could utilize a Zebra Brush Seal’s unique stripe pattern to increase visibility and workplace safety.  

What Types of Seals are Available?

The main type of seals available for commercial garage doors are Bottom Seals, Sectional Clip-On Seals, Top Seals, Jamb Seals, Standard Seals, Large Seals, Slim-Line Seals, Rolling Steel Weather Seals, and Brush Seals.  

Bottom Seals 

As the name implies, garage door Bottom Weather Seals are installed on the bottom of the door to seal it shut when closed. They provide an excellent barrier against extreme temperature changes, pests, and rainfall. Bottom Seals come in T-style rubber, Vinyl, and bulb Seal styles. Learn more about them on our blog here!

Sectional Clip-On Seals 

Action’s Sectional Clip-On Seals are made from long-lasting, high-quality material that is easy to install. It can come in pre-cut sections as well as 100-foot bulk reels. Clip-Ons are a great economical purchase since they don't require a retainer like other seals. These seals also save time by simply clipping onto a reverse-angle iron to complete the installation process. Choose between our Flexible Vinyl reverse angle or the premium flexible reverse angle. Both styles are perfect for any door with a reverse-angle iron installed around its perimeter. 

Top Seals

All of Action's Top Seals are made from flexible and durable materials that won’t warp under the pressure of everyday use. With Top Seals, a single flap of flexible vinyl closes the gap between the wall and garage door to protect against outside elements. These seals are available in grey and black colors and sold by the foot and in reels for any custom order. 

Jamb Seals

Jamb Seals protect the perimeter of your door from the outside. The seal’s base is made from a synthetic plastic polymer called cellular PVC. Cellular PVC is a foam-like structure similar to wood, except it doesn't warp, rot, split, or twist over time. This composition allows for flexibility and to easily be nailed, drilled, and cut. Our Jamb Seals can be coiled into compact boxes too, which cuts down on freight and shipping costs. A wide array of colors are available, including white sandstone, brown almond, and green to fit any facility! 

Slim-Line, Standard, and Lage Seals 

Slim-Line Seals fit any #2.5 channel and come in Vinyl, Brush, Flex Brush, and Vinyl Bulb. Standard Seals fit with all #4 channels and come in Brush, Zebra Brush, WeatherBlock, EPDM, Vinyl, and Flex Brush. Large Seals are designed to fit a #7 channel, and provide a great barrier for multiple commercial environments. They come in EPDM, Brush, and WeatherBlock. 

Rolling Steel Weather Seals 

Our Rolling Steel Weather Seals are easy to install and designed to create long-lasting barriers against weather, debris, and pests for Rolling Steel Doors. These seals fit the unique shapes of rolling steel doors in applications like mini-warehouse or self-storage facilities for maximum protection. 

Brush Seals 

The densely packed polypropylene bristles of our Brush Seals are wrapped around either a metal rod or a polypropylene spine to prevent them from being pulled out during use. The dense filaments are flexible and spread out when engaged with a surface. This allows them to seal regardless of potential grooves or dents to stop air infiltration and leakage.

The Brush Seal's high flexible strength is due to the semi-crystalline, synthetic resin polypropylene used in the brush. Brush Seals come in a variety of styles, such as Stick Brush, Flex Brush, WeatherBlock and Zebra Seal. For a more detailed look at Brush Seals, read our blog about them here!

Seal Material (and Why it Matters) 

The type of material used for a seal determines its abilities. While all of our seals offer great protection, some excel in certain areas. Depending on the seal, you can choose from a variety of materials!

Vinyl (also called plastic) is very resistant to a variety of weather conditions and great at holding its shape. It will not warp from dramatic shifts in temperature. 

Brush Seals are ideal for closing gaps along irregular or rough surfaces in a facility. Its polypropylene bristles won't hold water or freeze in sub-zero environments, making it great for facilities in cold climates.  

Flex Brush is a convenient and cost-effective version of traditional Brush Seals. It is made of the same freeze-proof bristle filaments as the standard brush design but with additional flexibility. You can purchase it in reels for lower prices. 

EPDM is a premium synthetic rubber weather seal that is heavy-duty and can withstand temperatures from -50°F to 300°F. 

Vinyl Bulb is made from a soft and reliable vinyl compound. The hollow "Bulb" section compresses to create an airtight perimeter seal. 

RodentBLOCK with Xcluder is the perfect pest-proof seal for facilities involved with food. They feature the patented Xcluder Fill Fabric material, which combines rust-proof stainless steel wool and poly fibers to create a barrier against mice, rats and other pests. 

Zebra Brush is made of the same durable material as our other brush seals, but its color alternates between yellow and black bristles for enhanced visibility. This is great for high-traffic areas where employees can better see when the door is in motion. 

WeatherBlock is equipped with an EPDM rubber fin inside the Brush Seal. This gives it the benefits of both a Brush Seal and a blade-style seal.

 For a more in-depth look at weather seal materials, read our blog here!

Are Brush or Vinyl Garage Door Seals Better?  

Brush and Vinyl Seals provide similar services, though we recommended Brush Seals for commercial applications due to their emphasis on efficiency over aesthetics and durability, making them a great choice for the irregular surfaces of commercial and light industrial garage doors. The soft bristles of the Brush Seal also won’t scratch or mark any surface they touch, making them perfect for commercial garage doors. 

Standard Versus WeatherBlock Garage Door Brush Seals

Standard and WeatherBlock brushes look similar but serve different purposes. While the Standard Seal can block wind and debris, it is susceptible to extreme weather conditions and light leaks from rain. The WeatherBlock seal is identical to the Standard seal but has the addition of a durable EPDM strip sandwiched between the filaments. The EPDM strip takes advantage of the filaments' flexibility and protects your door against poor weather and leaks. WeatherBlock seals are perfect for industrial and commercial uses when you need a heavy-duty seal to protect valuable products.  

How Do I Know Which Size of Brush Weather Seal To Use For My Commercial Garage Door? 

Action Industries’ seals come in Slim-Line, Standard, and Large sizes. Action also offers custom seals that are specific to your needs. You can choose your desired material, thickness, ribbing, hardness, and more! The size of the seal will depend on a few different elements, including the type of garage door, door, gap, and mounting surface. Speak with one of our garage door weather seal experts to receive a recommendation based on your project’s requirements. 

Make Installation Easy with Seal Kits

After choosing the right seal for your garage door, you will likely need to purchase the right retainer to hold the seal in place. Action’s Weather Seal Kits contain both the seal, retainer, and all other components needed to complete installation easily. Learn more here!

Looking to protect your loading dock with a seal too? Read our article on the different kits we offer to make dock leveler seal installations a breeze! At Action Industries we have every part for every door, see our full catalog here!