What is a window sill? Wood vs marble window sills?
A window sill is a marble slab or wooden board that is placed at the bottom of the window for the following main reasons:
- A window sill forms an even plane on which the window can be placed easily. The flat surface of the window sill makes the frame of the window lay evenly on a smooth surface. This prevents the window from appearing crooked once installed.
- An extended window sill is usually used to form a ledge outside the window. This allows extra space where one can keep a few flower pots. etc. This is mostly used in apartment buildings where space is very limited.
- A window sill is also used as a window shade over the window below. This is most common in a multi-story apartment building where most windows are usually placed one on top of the other. This removes the requirement for putting shades on top of every window in the complex. In this way, a shade will only be required on top of the top most window. This is an excellent way to save on construction material expenditure.
What material is used for window sills? Wood vs marble window sills.
Most window sills are made up of two main components. They are either made up of marble or they may be constructed from wood planks. Window sills made up of marble are versatile that is they can be used either inside or outside.
They can even be installed in such a way that they extend from inside to outside so you have two ledges—an internal ledge for stocking your books and an outside shelf for keeping some flowering pots, etc. Wooden sills are not recommended to be installed outside as wood is known to not withstand the elements for a long time.
Wooden sills placed outdoors can require frequent change or fixing. Wear and tear will be a constant nightmare with wooden sills that are placed outdoors. So, I would suggest you only use marble window sills outdoor. Period.
If you want to protect your window sill from damage by pets I would recommend Clawguard. It is a clear sheet protector that will prevent your pet from scratching your expensive and hard-to-replace doors, windows, and window sills as well.
How do you attach a window sill? How do you stick down a window sill?
A window sill is usually attached below the window frame. The sill sits on the frame if your house is made out of wood. In brick houses, window sills are usually placed directly on top of the bricks, right below the space for the window.
In wooden houses, the window sill is attached via a specialized bonding agent so that it sticks to the frame. In brick houses, the window sills can be directly placed on top of bricks by using mortar as adhesive.
Are marble window sills still in style?
Yes, they are. They are nowadays the most commonly used window sills in construction because of their versatility. Marble can be as cheap and as expensive as one desires. It is also very resistant to outdoor elements. It does not catch fire, nor does it rot away or develop a termite infestation.
Hence, it is one of the everlasting materials that one can use in construction. Further, marble will always be in style. As marble is a natural rock, no design philosophy changes can affect it.
How do you cut a marble window sill?
Usually, marble sills are ordered precut from the factory. They can be cut to any size depending on the size of the rock they were originally taken out of. But it can be easily done if you have to cut the sill due to a sizing issue. All you will need is a handheld circular saw.
You can cut the marble piece by using the saw while the marble piece is placed under running water. This enables the saw to cut right through the marble without any problems.
What can I do with old marble window sills?
They can be reused. As marble is everlasting it can be polished and ground again for a renewed finish. These can then either be reused once again in your renovation project or they can be sold. But beware as you are selling marble pieces that are cut to the size of your house windows and not cut to standard sizes they won’t fetch a ton of money. They would only be worth the cost of removing them in the first place.
My opinion on this would be to just leave the windows sills alone if they are made of marble. Try to match the room with the sills. You can easily get them polished for next to nothing. This would save you from spending a ton of money that otherwise could be spent on something else.
If you are thinking about building your own home or renovating it do browse the site for helpful articles covering all aspects of construction.
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