My house has about a four inch inside window ledge or sill. The windows are all fixed casement. I need to redo the workwork and am thinking of doing it in MDF. Has anyone had any experiences doing this--pro's or con's. Let me know. Jeff
Hey Jeff & Jen, MDF is a very stable material. I use it doing stair stuff. Would you have any condensation drippage from window pane falling onto sill? If not- go with it. If so, don't use it.
I just replaced a number of windows in my home using Pella Vinyl units. As this was a retrofit job, I had some work to do (quite a bit actually) with interior trim. I used the white, solid vinyl boards available at Lowes, Menard's and, I think, the Borg to fabricate my own jambs and sills. As the Pella units were white, this stuff matched perfectly. When you rip them down to size, remember to bevel the edge slightly for a nice, tight fit against the window casing.
Finished job looks great and you know water isn't going to affect it when you happen to leave the window open and it rains, etc.
Bob
"Jeff and Jennifer Cook" wrote in news:rqsPd.9030$ snipped-for-privacy@fe06.lga:
At the bottom of the window is where any moisture will collect. Condensation, leakage, someone puts a drink down on the ledge. MDF + moisture = bad news.
Use something more water resistant, and then forget about doing the job again in your lifetime.
Patriarch
I like MDF for painted trim, but a window sill has a chance of getting wet, from drips, sudden rains, etc... I might stay with wood there.
Barry
For windows I would personally stay away from mdf. It you don't want to use wood for window trim repair, try "Perma-TrimBoards", they are pvc "lumber" and are basically impervious to the moisture which you will eventually find around a window. IIRC, "azek" (sp?) also sold something similiar under that name.
Many of the solid surface distributors offer strips of 5 3/4" width. Not cheap, but pretty and will not absorb anything. You can work that stuff with any quality carbide tools. Just a thought... I do a lot of this for residential people..and commercial (McDonalds etc). You'd never have to refinish it..and if you stick to acrylic, it won't discolour either.
FWIW
The trim carpenter who finished my house use MDF on the windowsills in the basement. There are 5 windows in all. Here in Michigan's constantly changing weather some condensation is unavoidable. We have had no problems because of the high quality paint used on our trim.
Good idea that I'm going to have to look into.
Thanks! Barry
This is a reply I sent out to a Wrecker who asked via e-mail what the stuff looks like and where to get it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, some colours look very much like stone. It is THE ideal material for window sills. Start with the sites of the manufacturers. They often have lists of distributors. My web-site:
Any or all of those guys will be represented somehow. Not all the distributors have a strip program and some won't sell to the public. Most of that policy has to do with warranty and the adhesive technologies. In that case, many fabricators (listed under counter tops in the Finger Pages) will cut-up/sell pieces. Some of those guys will even double-up (or 3 x)the front edge of the sill with colour-matched adhesive for that visual thickness as the material itself is only 1/2" thick. If you rip up some 1/8" Luan ply into 3" strips, you can, with the aid of a hotmelt glue gun and a pair of tin snips, make an accurate template. Then just copy it, or have it copied.
I have no idea who has what in Xxxxxx, but I am sure the place is big enough to have many sources.
Happy hunting!
Rob
PS... some of those solid surface fabricators can be quite snooty. Many deal with the Lexus/Jaguar crowd...but many are regular guys too. So don't let a few snotty people slow you down.
MDF is not a good choice for a window ledge/sill due to the moisture concerns. Cypress or white oak are good choices.
I trimmed a north facing bathroom window with MDF on a vinyl casement window, fully expecting to paint it about 6 coats of oil. I injured my elbow cleaning grout from the tiles and never got around to it. That was >2 years ago. Even with all that moisture from the shower, and condensation during the winter, the MDF is fine. I was really surprised. I guess I will paint it at some point.
Rob
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