How To Install Exterior Window Sill: Proper Procedure Of Installing Exterior Window Sill

Proper Procedure Of Installing Exterior Window Sill

Exterior window sills plays one of the most important roles when it comes to protecting your home. Exterior window sills usually provide structural support for window frames and also prevent water from pouring out into your home as well as absorbing into your walls, and prevent cold chills from getting in. It is generally put together in order to create a weatherproof as well as waterproof barrier to safeguard your home against the elements. Generally, when it comes to exterior doors, sills are made from oak, and windowsills are composed of redwood. Both types are installed at a downward angle in order to make sure that the water runs off the sill rather than inside a house. Additionally, a flashing must be included in order to seal below the sill.

Step 1: Measure The Width Of The Opening Between The Framing At Each Side

First of all, using a utility brush, get rid of the dust as well as dirt from the subfloor section at the doorway or the framing sill at a window opening. Calculate or compute the width of the opening betwixt the framing at each side & add 12 inches. Refer to the measurement before cutting piece of 8-inch-wide, self-adhesive elastomeric flashing to length using a utility knife.

Step 2: Place The Flashing Across The Doorway Or Window Opening

Place the flashing through the doorway or window opening but make sure that the paper backing is facing down. Center it each way in order to make sure that 6 inches extends up the framing at each side. Line up the inner edge at the inner edges of the framing at each side. Peel off the backing before pressing the piece into place. Cut a 1/2-inch slit that lines up with the outer edge of the framing at each side. Press the outer edge of the flashing down and in opposition to the outer edge of the subfloor or windowsill framing.

Step 3: Refer To The Measurement For The Doorway Or Window Opening Width

Refer or go through the measurement for the doorway or window opening width, and add 4 inches in order to allow 2 inches of the sill to elongate or stretch past the edges of the opening at each side. Mark a piece of 2-by-8-inch oak or redwood to length before squaring the mark through a wide face of the piece using a builder's square.

Step 4: Cut The Wood Sill At The Mark With The Help Of A Circular Saw

Put on safety glasses before cutting the wood sill at the mark with the help of a circular saw. Mark the bottom of the sill for notches that cut out at each end in order to make sure that the outer edge extends two inches past each side of the opening. Calculate or compute from each end and make a 2-inch mark. Calculate 5 1/2 inches from the edge of the sill at each end. Use the builder's square in order to mark the notches.

Step 5: Cut The Lines For Each Notch At The Back Of The Piece

Cut or trim the lines for each notch at the back of the piece. Stop the saw blade as soon as it reaches the corresponding line rather than keep cutting as long as the notched piece is cut. Finish each cut with the help of a finish handsaw. Turn the sill over before placing it in the opening. Place the 2-inch extended portions at each end in opposition to the outer face of the building. Install wood shims at four-inch intervals from end to end underneath the inner edge of the sill in order to elevate the inner edge 1/4 inch. Position a 24-inch level atop the sill through its long axis, before adjusting the shims as necessary, in order to make sure that the sill is level from end to end and elevated 1/4 inch at the inner edge.

Step 6: Install A 1/4-inch Countersink Bit In The Drill

Set up a power or cordless drill with the help of a 1/16-inch drill bit. Drill pilot holes for screws at 6-inch intervals through the center-line axis of the sill from end to end. Install a 1/4-inch countersink bit in the drill, before drilling 1/8-inch-deep countersinks at each pilot hole. Install a screw-tip attachment in the drill before securing the wood sill to the subfloor or window framing sill using 3-inch wood screws at each countersink pilot hole. The wood sill is ready for wood filler at the screws, primer as well as paint, or stain and sealer.