No window will look beautiful without a window sill. This important element must be installed correctly, because the microclimate in the room depends on it. In addition, it will be exposed to various influences: ultraviolet, moisture and temperature changes. Before you figure out how to install a window sill, you must select the material and height of the product.
At what height to install?
Experienced installers recommend placing window sills at a certain height specified in building codes. However, this does not mean that you have to follow them in everything. Each homeowner can choose absolutely any height of the product. As far as standards are concerned, these parameters have been designed for ease of use and safety (with windows open).
In accordance with the norms, the window sill should be placed at a height of 700 mm, but not more than 1000 mm. This will let the sun's rays into the room and install heating equipment.
Types of window sills
Today there are window sills from differentmaterials, but the most popular are plastic, wooden and stone structures. Plastic products are considered the most popular due to their high strength, low cost, durability, resistance to temperature extremes and ultraviolet radiation. It is easy and simple to install a plastic window sill yourself, and you do not have to cover it with protective compounds.
Wooden structures are great for log cabins and similar buildings. More expensive and high-quality products are made from beech, oak, mahogany, and simpler ones from pine and larch. Among their advantages are good thermal insulation, breathability, durability and resistance to various temperatures. However, the tree is afraid of moisture and requires a renewal of the protective layer every 3-5 years.
Stone window sills are made of natural or artificial stone. Granite structures are considered the most durable. More beautiful and environmentally friendly - products made of marble and onyx.
Windowsill installation methods
To understand how to install a window sill with your own hands, you need to familiarize yourself with the different ways of installing it. It can be fastened with a special composition, self-tapping screws, spring clips, linings. The easiest and fastest way to attach products is with self-tapping screws. To do this, holes are drilled in the window frame into which the parts are screwed. The joint is protected with silicone sealant, after which the edge of the window sill element is brought under the frame and screwed with self-tapping screws. The empty space is filled with construction foam.
Spring brackets are screwed to the profile with self-tapping screws, and a window sill is installed in the groove between them and the frame. Linings are placed under the product so that its edge fits snugly against the frame.
Preparation
Before you install the window sill, you need to prepare the base for it. To do this, remove all debris, clean the surface and markup. The upper line of the structure must extend beyond the lower edge of the window by at least 5 mm (this is how the adjustment gap is ensured). The width of the opening should be 40-60 mm larger.
After that you need:
- mark a groove for the protruding part of the product with a margin of 15 mm (depth - 30-50 mm);
- on the markup, make a notch with a puncher and a grinder;
- clean everything from dirt and take measurements;
- take a blank of the future design, measure all the parameters and cut (the principle is described below);
- mark and cut corners.
Trimming window sills
A rather important stage of work is trimming the structure (you can order it in the required size). Before trimming, special allowances of 50 mm are made. In this case, the window sill can have a length of up to 300 cm and a width of 25-70 cm. All excess is cut off along the side adjacent to the walls. The cutting line should be located behind the stiffeners and retreat from them by 5-10 mm. Such manipulations will not allow the product to close and will allow you to get a rigid joint with the frame. If you do not save the stiffeners,the inside will lose its shape and bend inward.
To trim the window sill, use a saw, an electric jigsaw or a hacksaw. It is very important to handle the plastic carefully and not to apply too much pressure, otherwise scratches or other defects will remain.
Preparing the opening
First, the opening is prepared, and then the window sill is installed. Windows must be installed and protected from damage. Preparatory work cannot be carried out without beacons, on which the solution is poured (it makes the surface even). There must be a gap of 20 mm under the product so that the tube of the mounting gun with foam fits there. If a heavy window sill is to be mounted, then the adhesive holding it will only take 5 mm.
It is very important to check the evenness of the bottom edge of the window, because burrs are very common at the junctions of vertical and horizontal profiles. They must be cut with a knife. Also identify possible defects on the lower profile. They are easy to spot if you pull the thread from one corner of the window to another. This is corrected with pressure wedges and foam.
Installing a plastic window sill
Most often, private homeowners are interested in how to properly install a window sill on plastic windows. To do this, perform the following manipulations:
- clean and spray the surface with water;
- lead the structure into the groove under the window and insert wooden wedges (after 40 cm);
- align the product with a constructionlevel;
- eliminate irregularities with lining of different thicknesses;
- place heavy objects on the windowsill (such as cans of water) and check its evenness again;
- fix it with mounting foam;
- attach the outer part to the frame with self-tapping screws;
- in a day, the cargo is removed and excess foam is removed.
Installation of a wooden window sill
It is very important to know how to install a wooden window sill, because there are several nuances in this process. It must be treated with protective compounds (especially at the junctions). After that, the surface is cleaned, primed, and its invisible seams are foamed. The window sill is installed with a slight slope inside the room (using wooden wedges).
The rigidity of the base is provided by bars and a cement-sand mixture, which should rise above them by at least 5-7 mm. The wooden structure is laid on the mixture and pressed so that it adjoins the wedges. Also, the base may consist of bars and mounting foam, which fills all the gaps.
If the window is made of wood, then you can attach the window sill with self-tapping screws coming from the side of the facade. It is leveled after laying loads or installing spacers (they are removed in a day).
Installation of slopes
Now we know how to install the window sill, so you can start finishing the slopes. They can be plastic, plastered, plasterboard, wooden. The most popular are plastic products. They are mounted immediately after the mounting foam has hardened. The area around the window is leveled and puttied, after which a recess is made in the foam near the frame (for strength). A wooden plank is attached along the edge of the opening, with which a plastic D-profile is held. The joint between the base and the slope is filled with mounting foam, and the gap is filled with mineral wool. After that, the product itself is attached: one side is fixed at the frame, and the other at the plastic profile. The corners are trimmed with decorative elements.
Plastered slopes require a lot of time and effort. In this case, you will need to apply several layers of plaster, and each of them must dry thoroughly. After complete drying, the surface is sanded and coated with paints and varnishes. It should be remembered that work can only be carried out in a warm room.
To obtain plasterboard slopes, you need to cut a sheet of material to fit the opening and attach it. There should be a layer of thermal insulation between it and the wall. Drywall is primed, dried and covered with paint (in several layers). Such slopes have excellent decorative characteristics, so they fit perfectly into any interior.
Wooden slopes are usually made from pine, larch, spruce. In this case, the material is supplied in panels having a thickness of 8-16 mm. Before installation, they are cut and adjusted to each opening. Installation work starts from the top panel, afterwhich go to the side elements. The panels should be located in the same plane with the opening, after which they are puttied, painted and varnished.
It is necessary to set slopes correctly. Only then window sills will look as beautiful and stylish as possible.
Product replacement
Window sill is often exposed to mechanical stress, so it may need to be replaced. A quality installation will slightly extend its life, but repairs may still be required over time. To successfully replace the window sill, you need:
- dismantle the old structure;
- install a new product in the same place;
- plaster and paint the surface to restore it to its original appearance.
To update the appearance of the structure, you can perform grinding. The procedure is possible only if there is no mechanical damage on it.
It was described above how to install a window sill, so there should be no problems with it. It is very important to know all the nuances and subtleties. If you mount the structure incorrectly, you can get an untidy and uncomfortable room (condensation is also possible).
