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cleichter

Gaps in Window Sill Returns--How much putty is too much...

cleichter
9 years ago

New to this forum but hoping to get some feedback on how big a gap is acceptable or normal on the window sills we had installed. Our contractor says that with putty and paint it will be fine, but I really think the gaps are very large, and frankly, that he and the saw and measuring tape are not really good friends...

Comments (11)

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    9 years ago

    That's way too big. The carpenter should be able to make and glue in a wafer of wood, as he should have done when he miscut it to begin with.
    Casey

  • User
    9 years ago

    Completely unacceptable.

    Have done similar installs and never left close to a gap like that.

  • cleichter
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks. At least one other person doesn't think I'm nuts....He's actually done the same thing on 4 of the 5 sills he's done so far, and is just using putty. I'm paying a lot for the work being done and I'm just wondering if I should ask the company he works for (who we have a contract with) to redo the sills and moldings. I wish I knew if there some standard for the size of the gaps that I could hold them to.

  • User
    9 years ago

    There is NO standard gap!

    There is the professional standard no gap fit. One that does not need putty.

    Talk to the company. They should fix the sub standard work.

  • cleichter
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks. So does that mean it is fair to ask for new sills? And also for the moldings around the windows which also have gaps, or were not cut straight? Or do I have to accept that they fill with wood wafers as a previous poster said?

  • User
    9 years ago

    Basic professional---and if a person is being paid for a job they should be professional-----trim carpentry means no gaps anywhere. Sills, moldings or stools(the board sometimes installed under the sill).

    You should get minimum quality at least---what you have is nowhere close to minimum quality.

  • cleichter
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks. I'm going to talk to the company and see what they are willing to do about it.

  • klem1
    9 years ago

    Were the stools to be left natural,the gap would be a problem. Since they appear unfinished,I asume they are to be painted which will "almost"conceal the misfit. Having said that,much depends on who's at fault here. If the same contractor installed new windows,I would expect near perfect fit and finish. Lack of attention to detail while installing window make's trim out difficult. Actualy the root could lie with framing and/or siding. It's not unusual to find different depths from window to window. The solution is to rip off a strip at rear of stool equal to gap.

  • User
    9 years ago

    A competent finish carpenter can make a sill fit uneven windows. How do I know---by doing that very thing.

    I've finished jobs after the original carpenter was fired and I was mainly a handyman---with trim carpentry knowledge.

    Patching---even on painted trim is simply a waste of time---it is easier to do it right than to patch it.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    Augbale:

    Completely unacceptable. Look up the AWS:

    Here is a link that might be useful: AWS

  • cleichter
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you so much! I am still waiting to hear from the company what they intend to do. Keeping my fingers crossed...