Replacing Wood Around Windows

Repairs with home windows boil down into two basic groups.

Replacing wood around windows.

This old house general contractor tom silva shares some tricks of the trade for installing a new long lasting windowsill. You can mold and shape it to match the original wood profile. To begin replacing the trim carefully pull the old trim off and use it as a guide to cut the new trim to size. Repair rotted window sill rough framing around window.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and that is certainly true for this story. Even high quality wood windows can rot or develop problems over time. Can i have a contractor replace rotted wood around my window or do i have to have the window replaced. As wood rots it becomes punky which means it takes on a soft spongy texture.

To replace rotted wood around a window fill any small chips or gaps in the wood with epoxy wood filler. When moisture extends past the trim window sill and or vertical trim boards the wood rot starts to compromise the wood structure that holds the window. To repair rotted door frame first remove rotted wood with a 5 in 1 or other sharp tool. Use a polyester filler to rebuild rotted or damaged wood.

Replacing window trim not only improves your home s appearance it also insulates it from the rain and cold. However for bigger problems you ll need to remove the sashes and frames and cut out and replace any large rotted pieces of wood. See below for tools and a shoppin. Probe the wood to determine the extent of the rot.

I have been told by two companies to replace the entire window estimates have ranged as high as 20 000. To gauge how bad the problem is go around the entire window frame applying pressure to the wood every 2 3 inches 5 1 7 6 cm with your fingertip or a small tool like an awl or screwdriver. My house was built in 1992 and some of the wood on the base of two of my front windows has wood rot. Out with the old before you can effect your repair you need to remove all the rotted wood either by scraping it out with a screwdriver or knife or cutting off the affected pieces.

If it affects the whole window including the interior casement and the window frame itself you may want to consider replacing the window. Here are expert ways to fix them. In this article we look at window frame and sash problems. It takes paint well and won t rot.