Hi all,
A rotted window sill in the house we are buying was fixed by just replacing the end that was rotted leaving a seam between the old and new parts (I assume it was at least caulked before being painted). Besides this being a somewhat cheap way to approach the job, is this really acceptable as far as the sill doing it’s job? I would think that this would create a good opportunity for water to seep into the crack. Any opinions would be appreciated as to whether this would be deemed inappropriate (as opposed to just cheap:) Please let me know if you think this is a standard way to approach this sort of repair.
Thanks,
-Pete
Replies
Depends. Now there's a concrete answer! Depends on the amount of rot and the amount of work needed to replaxce the whole sill, and the quality of the repair. I routinely repair bad boards with bondo or Abatron, but when it's sanded and painted, you can't tell there was a repair, except there's no grain.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
From the standpoint of the effectivity of the repair, and the resulting sill......
A window sill is designed to shed water. The repaired sill, as you described it, sounds to me like it will shed water. But only until the caulk goes south. At that point, the water will seep (or pour) throught he joint, and will rot the framing in a few short years.
So....how often ya gonna check that, and re-caulk?
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
Whenever I do rot repair and the repair is on anything which is structural, used to shed water (sill or a cap), or is the top part of something which is exposed to the elements like a deck railing, I always replace the whole thing. Cutting off one end or part of something and patching it with another piece will always lead to it opening up when left exposed, no matter how well it is sealed, glued, or caulked. You could always go the epoxy route like The West System available at marine supply stores which I have had a fair amount of success with. If the piece is an interior item or it's outside under some sort of cover, that's another matter. Your window sill repair sounds like the path of least resistance which is common for those who want to get a house sold. I would say let it last as long as it will, or you can stand it, and then do the repair properly. Just keep an eye on it that it's not leaking.