Window sills
The flat ledge at the bottom of the window. It faces up and holds water, so it is usually the first part to go soft.
Window trim and sill rot repair in Memphis.
Dario’s Painting repairs rotted window sills, casings, brick molding and trim on houses across Memphis and Shelby County. The soft wood is cut out and new boards go in, primed, then caulked and painted to match. The window stays: this is the wood around it. Dario prices it at a free on-site estimate.
- Free written estimates
- Dario writes every estimate
- Crews speak English & Spanish
In short
A window sill is the flat ledge at the bottom of the window. The casing and the brick molding are the trim boards around it. Sills rot first because they are nearly flat and hold water. Dario’s Painting cuts out the soft wood, replaces it with new boards cut to fit, primes them, caulks the joints and paints them to match the house, then points out what let the water in. It repairs the wood, not the window: sashes, glass and whole windows are a window company’s job. There is no price list: it is priced at the free on-site estimate. Estimate visits are on weekdays from 11:30 to 1:30 and on Saturdays from 7am to 6pm.
What’s included
The wood around the window, cut out and replaced.
The estimate lists each repair, so you see what is being replaced before any wood comes off.
Casings
The trim boards around the window. The bottom ends sit on the sill, where water collects, and often go soft there.
Brick molding
The trim between the window frame and the brick on a brick house. Rot starts at its lower ends and at the joints.
Signs your window sill or trim is rotting.
Look at the lower corners first. Rot at a window usually starts at the bottom.
Paint bubbling at the sill corners
Water collects where the sill meets the casing, and paint lifts there first. Bubbles or a dark line at the lower corners are worth a closer look.
Soft wood when pressed
Press a screwdriver tip into the sill and the lower ends of the casing. Sound wood pushes back. Rotted wood gives, or comes away in crumbs.
Gaps at the caulk lines
Caulk that has cracked or pulled away lets water run behind the trim.
A crumbling sill end
The end of the sill, where it meets the casing or the brick, breaks down first.
Stains inside
Brown stains or bubbling paint inside, under the window, can mean water is getting past the outside. Dario tells you at the visit if it goes further than the trim.
How it goes
From the soft sill to the last coat.
Find how far the rot goes
At the visit, Dario checks the sills, casings and brick molding on every window for soft, swollen or crumbling wood and tells you what he finds.
The estimate
A written price for each repair, and for the painting if the house is getting painted too. Free, no obligation, and yours to keep.
Cut out the soft wood
The rotted wood is cut out, back to solid wood. If more rot turns up behind it, you hear about it before anything extra is done.
New boards, cut to fit
New boards are cut to fit the sill, casing or molding and fastened in place.
Prime
The new boards are primed, so water has a harder time soaking in.
Caulk and paint
The joints between the new wood, the window and the wall are caulked, then the new wood is painted to match the rest of the trim.
The water source
Dario points out what let the water in: a sprinkler hitting the window, a gutter spilling over it, a gap in the caulk. Left alone, the new wood gets the same water.
The walkthrough
You walk it with Dario and point at anything not right. It is fixed before the job is called done.
Most rot repair is done together with exterior painting. See exterior painting, trim, door and baseboard painting and how a job goes.
Rot in Memphis
Why window sills rot first here.
Flat and facing up
A sill is nearly flat, so rain that runs down the glass has nowhere to go. It sits there until it soaks in or dries.
End grain at the corners
The cut ends of boards soak up water like straws, and the sill and casing meet at their ends.
Caulk that cracks
Caulk cracks as wood moves in Memphis heat, cold and damp. Once it opens, water runs behind the trim.
Humid air and heavy rain
Memphis air is humid for much of the year and storms drop a lot of rain at once, so a wet sill dries slowly, most of all on shaded north sides.
We repair rotted window trim across Memphis, East Memphis and the rest of Shelby County, including Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, Cordova, Arlington and Lakeland. See all the areas we paint.
Repair the windows, then paint the house.
Most window rot repair is done together with exterior painting. The new wood needs paint anyway, and old paint beside a new sill looks tired. If rot turns up around a few windows, the repair goes on the same written estimate as the paint job. A repair can also be a job of its own. See exterior painting and trim, door and baseboard painting.
Rain is the thing to plan around: primer and caulk need to dry before the next shower. Fall, from mid-September through October, and April and May are the best windows for outside painting in Memphis (see when to paint an exterior in Memphis). A soft sill does not get better while it waits, so book the visit first.
What this repair is, and what it is not.
Dario repairs the wood around a window: the sill, casing, brick molding and trim. Sashes, glass, seals and replacing a whole window are a window company’s job. If a frame or sill is structurally gone, or water damage reaches inside the wall, Dario will tell you at the visit that it needs a carpenter or a window company before any painting.
Searching for a window repairman? If the window sticks, leaks air or has fogged glass, call a window company. If the wood around it is soft, swollen or peeling, call Dario.
Price
What window sill and trim repair costs.
There is no price list for rot repair. Dario prices it at the free on-site estimate, because the price depends on how far the rot goes.
How far the rot goes
One soft sill corner is a small job. Rot along the sills of a whole house is a bigger one.
How many and how high
Each window with soft wood adds a repair, and second-story windows take more ladder work.
What turns up
Rot can hide behind a board. Anything that could not be seen at the visit is quoted separately, and nothing is done about it without your approval.
For the paint itself, the exterior painting page has national cost ranges by house size and siding.
How much does window sill and trim repair cost?
There is no price list. It is priced at the free on-site estimate, because the price depends on how far the rot goes and how many windows have it. Dario looks at it with you and leaves you a written price.
How do I tell if a window sill is rotten?
Press a screwdriver tip into the sill and the lower ends of the casing. Sound wood pushes back. Wood that gives or crumbles is rotted. Dario checks every window at the visit.
Can you repair a rotted window sill without replacing the window?
Yes, when the rot is in the sill, casing or trim around the window. The soft wood is cut out and new boards go in, primed, caulked and painted to match, and the window stays. If the frame is too far gone for that, Dario tells you at the visit.
Do you repair or replace windows?
Dario repairs the wood trim and sills around windows. Sashes, glass, seals and replacing a whole window are for a window company.
Can you just caulk and paint over a soft sill?
No. Caulk and paint do not stop rot. Put over soft wood, they crack and peel, and the wood keeps rotting under them. The rotten part comes out first; then the new wood is primed, caulked and painted.
Can you fix just a few windows?
Yes. A repair can be one window or all of them, and the new wood is painted to match.
Helpful guides
Before you decide.
How often to repaint
Intervals for each room, surface and deck, plus the signs it is time to repaint.
How to paint trim and doors
Baseboards, casings, interior doors and a front door: prep, sheen, weather and color.
When to paint an exterior
Label temperatures, dew point, rain and Memphis weather by month: the best windows for outside work.
More from Dario’s Painting
All servicesThe rest of what we do.
Exterior painting
Brick, siding, stucco and wood: washed, scraped and primed where needed, then two coats.
Learn more
Trim, doors and baseboards
Baseboards, crown, casings, doors and exterior trim, caulked and primed, then two coats.
Learn more
Brick painting
Brick washed first and painted with a product matched to masonry.
Learn more
Pressure washing
Houses, driveways, patios, decks and fences, washed clean of dirt, mildew and pollen.
Learn moreAreas we paint
Memphis, East Memphis, Cordova, Bartlett, Germantown, Collierville, Arlington and Lakeland.
Areas we paintFree estimate
Dario looks at the job with you and leaves you a written price. Free, and yours to keep.
Free estimatePick a visit time
Choose the day and time for the free estimate visit first, then tell us where to come.
Book the visit
Free estimate
Get a free window trim repair estimate.
Answer a few short questions and Dario calls you back to book the walkthrough, usually within the hour between 7am and 7pm. Or call now and talk to him directly.
Rather pick the time yourself? Pick a visit time online (weekdays 11:30 to 1:30, Saturdays 7am to 6pm). dario@dariospainting.com · 7am to 7pm, seven days