Fix Needed For Marble Window Sill

6 years ago

So I took advice from My Prior Post About This and was able to find a stone fabricator to cut the marble piece and profile the edge. Did it for practically nothing. However they did not want to cut the notches out for the part that ends that go against the wall. They said that should be cut onsite to make sure it's installed correctly.

Well as stated in the prior thread getting someone to do this small installation job would not be easy. But when I recently needed to have some molding work done on the large window in my living room I called Wallside, since they originally installed these window, and I asked if they could also install a window sill. They said yes and it would be $85 to install one from them. I said I had my own, it just needs to be cut/notched and installed. They said no problem, they can do it for $50.

Well of course it had to be cold and snowy the day they showed up and when he was cutting the piece outside it chipped. He showed it to me and said he could file it and caulk it and it would be fine so I said go ahead. But as you can see from the photos below it's not really so fine.

I have my painter coming over to do patching and painting and was just wondering if there's anything you guys can suggest I might have him do to maybe hide how its like 3/8 of an inch away from the wall on the left side. Some type of thin molding or something similar perhaps?

My painter is really good and he can get the edges of the wall around the window nice and sharp and will patch around the inside and smooth it out before he paints. Then probably run a bead of caulk around the quarter round at make it look good. I just don't know what to tell him about the 3/8" gap that's filled with caulk and open to suggestions.

Featured Answer

kudzu9

6 years ago

You trim out a window with wood molding. In your case, a piece up each side and across the top. If you can't do it yourself, that's a job for a carpenter or a friend with competent woodworking skills, and not something I'd trust a painter to do unless they clearly had those skills. You would want some simple variant of this:

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Comments (9)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
What a hack. Install jambs and casing please.
Jeff N thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
sambah006
6 years ago
What he said!
Jeff N thanked sambah006
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Jeff N
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
What I'm looking for is simple fix to hide the imperfections of how the window sill was cut. I mainly want to cover up that gap shown in the first photo above. The gap is 3/8" of an inch between the sill and the wall, so they filled it with caulk. Got to be a better way than caulking it, just not sure what to use that wouldn't look wonky.

I know it's a hack but my painter can patch and paint the inner jamb area so it looks like the photo below. I just was wondering if anyone had an idea on how to conceal or disguise that ugly gap so I can make what I have look nice without totally removing the sill and starting over.
kudzu9
6 years ago
As others have indicated, trim out the window...the molding will hide the gap. It will be a slightly different style than other windows in your house, but is that a big deal?
Jeff N thanked kudzu9
Jeff N
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Not a big deal if it's slightly different, that wouldn't bother me at all. I just want it to look nice.

I know this is probably asking too much but can someone please elaborate on what exactly they'd use to trim out this window?

My painter guy could probably do it if I tell him what I want him to do and had the material ready for him. But I really don't know what to buy for this project and I'm asking for details so I know what to buy and what to tell my painter.
ci_lantro
6 years ago
I asked if they could also install a window sill. They said yes

They lied.

That is a steaming pile of cow patty. No magic will ever make it look good. Toss & start over. Maybe with this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Siltech-Innovative-Windowsill-Products-Designer-White-1-2-in-x-4-7-8-in-x-36-in-Acrylic-Sanded-Eased-Edge-Window-Sill-Moulding-N5A36DW/206924925

Easily worked w/ standard woodworking tools. Make a cardboard template first.

This is my all time favorite cheap tool. It might come in handy:

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-flush-cut-saw-62118.html
Jeff N
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Thanks to everyone for the suggestion of trimming out the window, I was kind of unsure what exactly I needed to get but thanks to kudzu9 sharing a couple photos the light bulb turned on and suddenly I understood what y'all were saying.

My painter paints million-dollar homes for a major contractor. and does other jobs on the side. So that's why I wanted to know what I need so that I could have all the materials here before-hand and just tell him what I wanted done, similar to his regular job.

He replaced all the trim in my house (baseboards, door casings) and did a great job trimming out my front living room window.

The photos from kudzu9 helped me see what I need and I remembered I had some extra casing left over, so I grabbed a piece and held it up to where it would be installed and lo-and-behold it covers that ugly gap perfectly!

So it's hard to tell but on the right side of the window (the side the gap is on) when lined up flush with the end of the sill, the casing barely overlaps the inside of the window frame/jamb, maybe about 1/16th of an inch. But on the left side it more like 1/4 of an inch.

So I can think of two ways to fix the jamb and would like to know what way is best, so can get the materials before-hand and tell my painter how I want this done.

should I have my painter:

a.) remove the quarter round that you see in the photo (that was installed when they put in the window sill) and put some thin strips of wood up each side and around the top, and then put new quarter round in and then install the casing

OR

b.) remove the quarter round and apply joint compound up each side and around the top instead of wood. Then sand smooth, reinstall quarter round and install casing

The casing will definitely hide that gap. Now I just need to know what to get for the jamb to make it look nice and whether or not I should have the quarter round removed when fixing the jamb to help facilitate the job and produce a better result.
kudzu9
6 years ago
I'd remove that oversized quarter round, and then use a piece of flat molding maybe 3/8" thick: have it set back just 1/8" from the front edge and butting against the window frame. This would hide all that sloppy patching on the window jambs at the sides. My only concern is if that quarter round is so big because it's hiding another giant gap....