Treating rotten window sill

[dale]

hi,

I've got a window sill that has rotted at one end. The remainder of the sill seems to be in good condition.
The window is about 3 - 4 meters tall, and is the corner of a room with catherdral ceilings.

Is some form of filler a suitable fix, or should I look at replacing the sill completely?

[Caliban]

I wonder how that rotten Window got from my 1st house in western Sydney to your place in Melbourne? I thought the dodgy bog fix would only last long enough to sell the place, I never dreamed it would survive a house move of that distance. Sorry about that. Maybe bog is good enough afterall.

[mrsxtro]

Here is a link of a 'how to do it' type article that I found helpful:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/repair/article/0,16417,680938-2,00.html

Have fun.
-mrsxtro

[MarkV]

I have used Plasti-Bond (there is another one called builders bog ) for exactly this type of repair before. The plasti-bond is very shapeable and once painted you won't notice it. Make sure you cutout ALL the rotten timber and also make sure that it wasn't caused by a faulty flashing or somesuch. One other thing if it's the type of window with an external sill that juts out make sure that it has a drip groove to help shed rainwater.

[IanA]

Dale,

As Mark says, make sure you cut out all of the rot. Then paint the area with household bleach or a commercial anti fungal solution. This will help kill off any stray spores and discourage further fungal growth.

Look for the cause, as Mark says, and rectify it. If there is dampness you could also be inviting a termite problem.

[HavinaGo]

IanA's suggestion of the bleach sounds sensible given the cause of the problem ...

my approach has been similar to the above but instead of solely using a plastic filler I have shaped some timer to fit back in the hole, trying to key it in. I've used epoxy to hold it in place and then shaped it to match. The gap to fill is smaller and before plastic fillers, I could seal the gap with some more epoxy.

The removal of more timber than less so there is a good base has meant the repairs over the years have remained sound both here and at my parents old place.

I guess it is obvious but I would not be doing this for any load bearing part. Also, if the repair has been under the glass ... I have inevitably broken the window so have resorted to taking out the glass for the last effort ... treat that stuff with respect .. especially 3-4 meters of it!! I also have a preference to avoid a big lump of plastic filler if I can and like to restore the sill under the vertical timbers to timber.

[georgw]

I had a rotting window sill (inside) in the bathroom of my poetically run down house in sydney so having little experience of such matters and finding that the sill had come loose, I pulled it off, examined it and found that it was quite sound on the underside and that the underside was identical to the top. So, I turned it over, nailed it in place and painted it. That was 7 years ago. With plastic curtain to keep off the shower water, it is still sound although rather dusty as i keep forgetting to dust it. :D
George