I have a huge bay window in my masterbedroom and there seems to be a ton of water damage on the bottom portion of the outer window frame.
I'm not sure how to take on this project. Can I just chip away at the rotted wood and replace it with a new piece, or is there more to it than that?
My husband is clueless about this kind of thing and we don't have the money to hire someone to do this. Besides, I kind of want to do this on my own.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I can send photos for a better idea of the problem.
Thanks!

 

The photos would be a great help. Post them to a file sharing web site, then post the link here.

Your best bet will be to remove any wood that shows any sign of damage, and replace it all with new. Clean off any old caulking as best as you can. Bare wood (and any new replacement wood) can be treated with a borate based preservative such as Bora-care. This will help to kill any fungi, and will help prevent it from recurring. Before being painted, bare wood could also be coated with a 2 part brushable epoxy (instead of primer), it will seal out moisture better than primer does. Caulk all edges with a good paintable oil-based caulking (not silicone), and allow the caulk to cure before painting all the surfaces.

It's likely that you'll need a table saw to replace some of the wood because I'm sure that all your bow window trim has probably all been custom cut.

 

If the damage is on a flat surface there are wood repair products out there. Usually it comes in a one gallon can and is in powder form. You mix it like a putty and place it in holes and can later on sand and paint over it.

 

Thanks so much for both of those posts. I really appreciate the advice. As for posting a photo on a file sharing website, I don't know of any. Is there a favourite among do-it-yourselfers??
I can do that today if I figure out how so I can show the wood damage.
Thanks again!

 

There "are" wood repair products out there....... But I wouldn't think of trying one of them on an exterior window frame. Remove/replace.... is the only proper way to go after this job.

Xsleeper and I tend to get in each others way trying to be the first to post responses so it seems.... and I'm always pleased with his answers!!!

 

Okay, I think I've managed to upload some photos of the window at this link. Double click on each photo for a larger view.
Hope this works! If it does, you can see how badly the wood along the bottom is rotting. The rest of the frame is just fine, it only seems to be the wood on the bottom that's all decaying away.
Thanks in advance for any more suggestions.


http://share.shutterfly.com/action/pictures?a=67b0de21b30d64d68479&sid=8AatG7Jm4btn2w

 

I just tried the link myself and it does work if you copy and paste it in your address box. Now that I've seen the photos, it's kind of hard to tell the actual width of the window sill because there is scaffolding set up directly below it.
The window sill painted white and the rest is the scaffolding.
(I'm sure you all knew that anyway, but I'm a housewife remember!!)
Thanks again!!!!

 

lol, thezster... thanks.

Handyhousewife: perhaps you could snap some pictures from the exterior of the window. The ones from the inside seem to only show the top of the sill, and it's hard to picture how the rest looks. Get a closeup picture of the sill from the outside, perhaps at the mullion (the point where one bay window meets another.)

From the looks of it, you have a 25 year old wood window (perhaps an Anderson or Weathershield) that's just about had it. The part that is rotton is your sill, which is probably one solid piece that runs the length of each window, and it's about 6" wide- it goes underneath the glass, butting up to the drywall on the inside, and as you can see the outer 2" is rotting.

Occasionally, the front part of the sill is a seperate piece which can be removed, and another one can be fabricated on a table saw. Often, though, the rot extends back underneath the window, so that just replacing the front 2" is not enough. More pictures might help.

 

Xsleeper-Obviously I've come to the right place for advice because you're right on the nose about the age of the wood. Everything in this house from the electrical to the wallpaper dates back to the early 80's the exception of the deck and the roof.
I assume the rot in only that particular area was a result of a shabby roof and eavestrough because the rain would drip directly on that spot.
We've recently put on a brand new roof and there doesn't seem to be that concentration of water there anymore.
I'll take the outside shots you mentioned and add those to the link first thing tomorrow.
Once again, thank you so very much for all your help!!
p.s. I love how you all seem to get along and give each other advice about your own advice. You're just like us chicks, but with bigger toolbelts!!!

 

Group Hug?????????

 

ha ha, no thanks. I'd rather open a 12 pack and talk about work. But only because there's no football on.

 

Just don't forget the 9 o'clock rule.....