# Replacing outside window sills?



## AndersonsWworks

*Replacing outside window sills?...now with pics*

I have several wood frame windows that are in good shape except for the sills which are rotting. I have replaced the brick mold on several windows with pretty good success but the sills are another story. What is the easiest/best way to replace/repair them? How to get the old ones out without destroying the window? Replace again with wood or go with vinyl? Any help please.:blink:

Here's what I am talking about. House is 13 years old.



















Rocky


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## WarnerConstInc.

Depends, have any pictures?

On old houses the sills are 3" thick and go all the way to 
back of the window stool and apron. 

What kind of windows you got going on?


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## genecarp

Usually those old wood sills are around 1-1/2"x 1-3/4'', You can most often wiggle them out from under the legs, sometimes a sawzall helps. Then fabricate a new sill, out of ACQ. Countersink 3'' screws through the front securing the new sill to the framing, fill caulk and paint, GMOD


PS if they go through like Warner said, make a cut and remove the front 1-3/4" glue and screw the new piece in place


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## Dave R

I do a lot of these. On the brick house you will need to remove the stool and trim on the inside. Because of the brick ledge, you will have to install the new sill from the inside. Take a saw-zall and cut a section out of the center of the old sill. This will allow you to wiggle the left and right pieces until they are loose. You will probably need to use a screw driver to help free them from the staples that hold them to the window jamb. Just take your time and you won't damage the jambs.

When you get the old one out, use a flexable flashing membrane and water proof the opening. Slide the new sill into place. You can make a new sill or buy one. Both wooden and composite sills are available. Even Lowes and HD carry them.

Sometimes on siding houses you can slide the new sill in from the outside if you have room to angle it under the brickmold trim.


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## WarnerConstInc.

Looks like just the outside sill nose.


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## BACKWOODS

Not to hijack a thread but.....
I looked at a double 4.0 X 6.2 picture window today with a totally rotted sill.
I bid the job with time to remove both picture windows since they can't be raised like I normally do the sash. Any thoughts on sill replacement without taking the fixed picture windows out?


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## Dave R

Take it out. It will make the job faster, better and a lot less chance of breaking the window. If the sill is rotten you may find that the framming underneath is also rotten. With the window out of the way you can do the repairs quicker and get the window reinstalled.


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## PrestigeR&D

*well,*

I would replace the whole sill-IMO, remove the sash, sawzal the joint,,be careful,, thanks you GMOD:thumbsup:,,, where the jamb meets the sill-remove the old sill , mill a new one, prime and paint/ insert the sill/shim on both sides under the sill where the sill meets the jambs for a tight fit (if need be) , fasten the sill as Gmod said ,,,,fill gaps/wholes , touch up and your done. 
Brian


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## TBFGhost

I have also made mine out of ACQ....some people claim to have problem with paint sticking to ACQ so I buy the lumber a head of time and store it someplace where it can dry out....then I prime the whole thing with Zinsser B-I-N, then with something 1-2-3 and the top coat...no problems so far. I glue everything with Titbond II or III or Elmers Pro-Bond....for caulk I used DAP Dynaflex 230 or Big Strech...


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## neolitic

AndersonsWworks said:


> I have several wood frame windows that are in good shape except for the sills which are rotting. I have replaced the brick mold on several windows with pretty good success but the sills are another story. What is the easiest/best way to replace/repair them? How to get the old ones out without destroying the window? Replace again with wood or go with vinyl? Any help please.:blink:
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> Here's what I am talking about. House is 13 years old.
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> Rocky


Those look like applied nosings.
If the sill itself is salvagable, you can
just replace th nosings.
At least one looks too far gone 
for that, but maybe with so Abatron,,,,,?


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## mikeswoods

Every else gave you the good answers--I'll just throw in a time saver for nipping off the staples--

I use a Dremmel with a cut off wheel to nip the staples back. 

We have two nice town home complexes near by--We can knock these out in about an hour each--clean up included.

On these I use a router to cut out the bad sills-- same as a saws-all I suppose.


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## BuildersII

I usually pull the sashes so I don't break em, and cut out the old sill with a sawzall and a dremel tool. I'd also pull the apron (bottom trim) inside to gain access to the framing underneath (for shimming) and go back with a vinyl sill. Then I'd shim and tack the sill down with finish nails, and fill underneath with expanding foam (blue can) will give the sill good insulation, and some extra support. Finish off with trim, caulking, etc...


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## Tom Struble

great advise for what can be a tricky repair everybody,:thumbup:


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## AndersonsWworks

*Thanks!*

Thanks guys for all the helpful comments! Looks like it could be a little tricky to get the old one out and the new one in. I guess I never learn if I don't try. Just for sake of argument and for future information, has anyone tried the epoxy-like compound that is supposed to fill in and harden rotted wood? I have seen it advertised but never used it. It is supposed to fill in like a bondo type stuff, can be sanded, and painted. Here is a link: http://www.hereandthere.org/oldhouse/fixing-decayed-wood.html

Rocky


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## BACKWOODS

I used the epoxy repair stuff one time on a small area. I would say the photo's of your current problem indicate too much damage for epoxy.


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## neolitic

AndersonsWworks said:


> Thanks guys for all the helpful comments! Looks like it could be a little tricky to get the old one out and the new one in. I guess I never learn if I don't try. Just for sake of argument and for future information, has anyone tried the epoxy-like compound that is supposed to fill in and harden rotted wood? I have seen it advertised but never used it. It is supposed to fill in like a bondo type stuff, can be sanded, and painted. Here is a link: http://www.hereandthere.org/oldhouse/fixing-decayed-wood.html
> 
> Rocky


That is a good product, specifically for wood.
http://www.abatron.com/cms/building...estorationmaintenance/woodrestorationkit.html
It is what I was referring to in my last post.
Bondo isn't really intended for wood,
and can cause as many problems
as it solves.


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## mikeswoods

I've seen the aftermath of the bond-o type fillers--it's a temporary fix at best. The wood around the patch seem to just rot away.


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## Five Star

If i were you, id invest in a multi master, that way you can percisely cut out the rot and attach new wood or azek for the sills:thumbsup:


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## BuildersII

mikeswoods said:


> I've seen the aftermath of the bond-o type fillers--it's a temporary fix at best. The wood around the patch seem to just rot away.


I agree that it is usually a quick fix, and that the only permanent fix I like is replacing wood with vinyl. 

I will say this: wood fillers rot away if the surface is not properly maintained. The fact is that most people paint their house every 10-20 years and then don't get it repainted until it starts to look bad. They should be maintaining their paint by inspecting it every year and touching up any caulk lines that have pulled apart, or touching up paint that has flaked off. If you keep your sills caulked and sealed, the wood underneath can not rot, but it's a yearly maintenance kind of thing that most people want to avoid.


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## boman47k

Dave R said:


> I do a lot of these. On the brick house you will need to remove the stool and trim on the inside. Because of the brick ledge, you will have to install the new sill from the inside. Take a saw-zall and cut a section out of the center of the old sill. This will allow you to wiggle the left and right pieces until they are loose. You will probably need to use a screw driver to help free them from the* staples that hold them to the window jamb*. Just take your time and you won't damage the jambs.
> 
> When you get the old one out, use a flexable flashing membrane and water proof the opening. Slide the new sill into place. You can make a new sill or buy one. Both wooden and composite sills are available. Even Lowes and HD carry them.
> 
> Sometimes on siding houses you can slide the new sill in from the outside if you have room to angle it under the brickmold trim.


This may have been covered in the thread already, but how do you fsaten the new sill back to the jam?

I have replaced a few, but I removed the whole window, laid it on a work bench so I could attach the sill to the jam/legs of the window frame.

I have seen similiar posts to this one on this subject and people would tell about cutting the sill in the middle and removing and replace in a short period of time. I wondered then about the attaching back to the wondow frame.


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## BuildersII

boman47k said:


> This may have been covered in the thread already, but how do you fsaten the new sill back to the jam?
> 
> I have replaced a few, but I removed the whole window, laid it on a work bench so I could attach the sill to the jam/legs of the window frame.
> 
> I have seen similiar posts to this one on this subject and people would tell about cutting the sill in the middle and removing and replace in a short period of time. I wondered then about the attaching back to the wondow frame.


You don't have to. You shim the sill up to the jamb, and then you fasten down to the sill plate underneath the sill. The shims will hold it tight to the jamb, and the finish nails or finish screws you use on the sill keep it from moving. Just caulk the jamb-sill line and you're good to go :thumbsup:


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## boman47k

I can see how that might work on some, I guess. These had slots in the jam at an angle to accept the sill. When the sills were removed the jams still had nails to be removed to get the sill to fit back ion the slots. Since the last one I did, I have thought of maybe cutting wedges at the correct angle to shim under the sills. This still leaves the nails driven through the sides of the jams to deal with. I guess the nails could be sawed/cut off since they had heads and could not be pulled through.


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