How do you repair a concrete window sill that's breaking off in long pieces?
Question:Most of my window sills are falling apart. I beleive it was caused by poor workmanship years ago and other homes built in this area are not having this much brakage. Is there some kind of mold or kit that can be used to repair the damage or do we have to try to replace all of the sills? Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Answers:
My first thought is to figure out is this consistent on all sides of the house? Chances are, the sills are on either the north or east sides of the house. If those that are not falling apart, I would seal them with a concrete sealer(not Thompsons!). Those that are falling apart may be just not able to hold it together anymore. I would replace those and maintain the rest. good luck.
What`s happening is the concrete developes cracks over a period of years and water seeps in and corrodes the steel rebar. The corrosion actually "grows and expands" fracturing off pieces of concrete. If I had to guess, I would have to say the house was probably built sometime between the 50s and early 70s. The steel in these sills was not coated with any corrosion inhibitors.
As for the question at hand. You could remove any flaking concrete and thoroughly clean the steel and coat it with an inhibitor, then form and repour the sill. But this could be a little time consuming and probably would`nt insure further corrosion on any uncoated steel. Personally, I would replace them.
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