Repair Window Sill Behind Siding

Use a utility knife and if necessary a hammer to carefully break and remove any caulking or sealant that s binding the old sill to the window frame.

Repair window sill behind siding.

Extract nails keeping the vinyl pieces in place in order to prepare vinyl pieces to be removed. Cut the tape to length with a utility knife and peel a little bit of the backing free and stick it to the top of the window. Use a siding removal tool. If you re siding right against the window.

Do ride the smooth edge when caulking a seam between a window and textured siding. Common places for bees to hide and build nests include overhangs cracks window frames shutters door frames and underneath the siding. If your home has wood siding examine the siding around and beneath the windows for signs of swelling or discoloration. Paint can hide wood rot so poke the siding with the tip of the.

You want to keep eight inches off the ground of wet ground contact. Drill pilot holes every 16 inches or so through the new sill s front and back edges. Even though a hive nestled inside the wood aluminum or vinyl siding is hard to actually reach these are in fact some of the easiest and safest types of nests to get rid of because they require no contact. But if you plan to surround the window with trim choose 9 in wide flashing to protect behind the seam between the trim and the siding.

Before you pry break the caulk seal with a utility knife to avoid leaving wood chips from the trim. Do not cut the vinyl off. Remove the pieces of vinyl siding from around the window area. If the sill was pretty rotted there s a good chance that water worked its way in behind it and rotted siding and possibly even framing members.

Trim the back edge of the new sill as needed so that its lower edge fits tightly against the siding and its back edge fits against the old wood. Siding is often textured and if you slide the tip of the tube along the bumpy texture the bead of caulk will. Pry the trim away from underneath the sill and from both sides of the window with a pry bar. Run a bead of waterproof marine grade adhesive along the old sill.

Use your chisel or multitool and get rid of any wood that s rotted crumbling or punky. Keep the sill in one piece so you can use it as a model when cutting the new sill. And around the windows there are these great wraps that are. A very common rot would be around your window or lower sills.