A Gable vent is a ventilation source to your attic area. What’s important to understand is that in some cases, your attic may face severe weather conditions like extreme rainfall and snow. In these events you might need to seal the gable vent – but how? We have aligned the necessary steps to solve your problem. Keep up with us.
The Gable vent’s primary purpose is to keep your rooftop cooler in summer and allow the circulation of heat in and out.
The attic is the top area of the house that you can convert into a beautiful room or storage area. It usually feels the environment more than any other part of the house. Adding proper ventilation to the attic area helps to keep the home cooler at less cost.
It keeps heat accumulation controlled by working as an exhaust system. Gable also adds aesthetic value to the outlook of your house.
Things You Need to Seal the Gable Vent
For sealing the gable vent, you will require
- Safety Glasses
- Nails
- Screws
- Nail Gun
- Caulk
- A plastic sheet
- Caulk Gun
- Measuring tape
Steps to Seal the Gable Vent
Follow the steps below to seal the Gable Vent-
Take Precautions
Prevention is better than cure. There is a chance that nails or pieces of wood can cause eye damage.
If possible, try to grab a face shield. Otherwise, cover the eye because it is the most sensitive area of the face.
The rooftop is high, wind current might blur your vision without protective glasses. You will also require a ladder to climb to the top of the attic of your house.
Measure the Gable Vent
Measure the gable vent with measuring tape. Measure the area of the opening vent and site to seal. This measurement will help you to buy the exact size of the seal for your gable vent.
Cut the Sheet According to the Opening
Cut the sheet you picked to install on the gable vent. It can be anything like a piece of polymer-like plastic, or you can use the wood piece to block the vent.
You can use almost any type of saw to cut this. So, if you have a hand saw in possession, or a table saw or band saw, you can utilize that. Make sure you cut the piece outside the mark so that you can finish it with sandpaper and still have the perfect size to install.
You can skip sanding, but I recommend this to ensure you get a good looking finish when the job is done.
Attach the Seal to The Gable Vent
Once the sheet is perfect according to the gable vent’s size, secure it with nails or have an assisting hand to hold the piece in place.
Drive screws on the edges with a finish nailer for proper security. Try to avoid using pins on the edges. Hammers will not work as much efficiently as the nailer can. A quality nail gun can save you time and ensure a perfectly done job. But you can utilize a hammer as well, in case you don’t have a nail gun. For budget nail guns, check our review here.
Finishing
If the seal is looking edgy or not appealing, try to frame it. Add bottom top and side frames to it to look pretty.
However, this is not always needed as you will see the edges will go away once you sand the edges and then apply caulk after installation with a dripless caulking gun.
Read Also: Do Nail Guns Go Through Concrete Blocks?
Final Note
You will spend hours sealing one gable vent if you do not work out things properly. Work with proper preventive measures will never cause you much. It is prohibited to close the gable vent completely because the upper will become too warm to promote moulds’ growth inside the attic.
Some people may ask, should I seal gable vents?
We don’t recommend sealing a gable vent unless it becomes necessary for an unavoidable circumstances. In case you have no other choice except sealing it, ensure there is enough room for ventilation. Otherwise, you may experience heat accumulation causing further issues.
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