Pressure Treated Wood Window Sill

Since about the late 1980 s i have been under the assumption that sill plates should be pressure treated wood or decay resistant.

Pressure treated wood window sill. Sill plate is a tough versatile pressure treated lumber. Yes pressure treated lumber is good for the sill but i would take out the vinyl window. For almost half the cost you can get a termite treated board called borate. Steel framed buildings often include wood components such as sill plates top plates door or window bucks and sheathing for floors walls and roofs.

People used this for decks long before pressure treated came along. This type of wood has been soaked in chemicals then placed in a pressure vacuum to pull the chemicals down into the wood fiber. The board needs to be larger than the sill space. Redwood comes to mind.

Consumers and regulators of building construction involving wood components often require pressure treated wood to help protect the components from attack by termites other insects and fungal. But unlike borate treated lumber it requires no special handling. Pressure treated wood is required whenever you attach framing lumber or furring strips directly to concrete or other exterior masonry walls below grade. While we may not care if pressure treated wood has high moisture content it won t rot we certainly do care about the studs connected to the sill they can.

You need to take the stops and or screws off the pieces that hold the wood window in. The sill plates were not pressure treated. Pressure treated bottom plates deal with the symptoms of the problem when a capillary break between wood and concrete deals with the cause. There are many species of wood that are naturally insect and moisture resistant.

Just install it as you would pt wood with a sill plate gasket. Perry mastrovito design pics getty images. This preserves the wood and makes it more resistant to wood rot. Like borate treated lumber it s guaranteed to stop termites and prevent decay plus it s compatible with carbon steel black iron fasteners.

If you use a flat bar and take the old one apart you will see how it s put together. Since sill plates have an indoor application pressure treated wood is not necessary. Virtually everything i have seen constructed since that time has been. Measure the empty sill space to determine if you need a 2 by 4 pressure treated board or a larger 2 by 6 board.

2 points 6 years ago. Pressure treated wood is less commonly used on trim but is sometimes used for window sill applications. If the framing for the building will be 2x6 allowing fewer members and deeper insulation you will need a 2x6 sill plate. This makes it much easier to replace the sil.

Note that this requirement is only for exterior walls as these may wick moisture onto the lumber. One part of the foundation is more than 18 inches above grade level. Prowood sill plate the greenest protection money can buy.