Rotting doorway "bottom piece"

I have a door in the kitchen leading to the outside deck. At the bottom of the doorway there is a standard aluminum threshhold that I believe covers the gap between the kitchen tile and a milled wooden piece (the width of the door) that slants down an inch or so to the exterior deck. I don't know what the term is for this wooden piece but it has weathered and is rotting and needs replacement.

How do I get this old piece out and are there stock replacements (32", 36", etc.) at home improvement stores? Any help would be appreciated.

 

Not sure which piece you are describing, the door sill or the threshold. The door sill is usually about 7 1/2" wide, and slopes about 10 degrees downward, toward the outside so that any moisture that gets on it will run down and out. If this is the piece that needs replacing, you have to cut it out with a reciprocating saw, and it's a difficult job if you've never done it before. Also, old door sills are often 1 3/4" thick, which is thicker than any standard lumber you can buy nowadays.

Sometimes there is an oak threshold, about 3" wide, which usually has a bevel on each side. Is this the "milled wooden piece" that you referred to? If so, then yes, this is something stores will have in stock, and they come in various standard widths, but you will have to do a little cutting to get it to fit.

To get your old threshold out, use a hammer and prybar. It should just be nailed down with finish nails.

 

I think I'm referring to what you call the sill. It's the 7" wide, or so, wooden piece that spans the doorway and slopes toward the outside to run water off. The aluminum threshhold is what covers where the sill and the kitchen tile meet. The threshhold is beveled on both sides and has a rubber strip at the top. I wasn't quite sure how the threshhold was installed. I was going to pull up the rubber strip to see if there were nails or screws underneath. If not, I'll pry it. I do have a reciprocating saw, and can try cutting the deteriorated sill away. I'm gonna check for stock replacements first. Thanks.

 

Home Depot carries two different manufacturer's products called "adjustable sills" that are one-piece oak/aluminum or synthetic/aluminum combinations of the threshold and sill together. The aluminum slopes at 5 degrees to the outside and is obviously more weather resistant than wood. The threshold side of the piece is adjustable in height underneath the door in order to custom fit. They both look very promising.

They cost around $15-16.

One is by M-D Products - Go to item #TH394 on page 35 of the product catalog at http://www.mdteam.com/pdf_files/mdcatalog.pdf

The other is by AFCO Industries - look at the "adjustable" section here > http://www.afco-ind.com/millwork.html