Rotten Window Sill Replacement

karenyama

Tom
Am looking for someone to repair window sills in 200 year old colonial in Hopewell (near Princeton) New Jersey. Interested in the job? Let me know. Karen

A W Smith

I start by removing the interior apron and stool. then i cut the sill in half with a circular saw or sawzall. I lift and extract each half from the rabbeted jambs. if the rabbeted ends are broken or decayed I block behind them with pine scrap. don't forget to check for the nail that goes into the brick mould through the sill and remove it. most of the times if the sill is rotten so is the lower four to six inches of brick mould which will have to be replaced after the sill is in. I glue and screw the sill in at angles catching the rabbet pocket to pull the jamb tight. On the outside you can usually get a screw from the jamb side right into the meat of the new sill. on the inside you can get a screw up through the sill up into the leg of the jamb. prime and caulk then you can replace the apron and stool that was removed from the inside. I have never ever had to take a window out of its opening to rebuild it.