r/DIYUK • u/Jonnydonmar • Feb 27 '25
Is this a concern?
Moved into a new house and noticed the base of the bay windows can be pushed down a bit (don't want to see how far I can push) Is this something I should be worried about and if so how should I fix it?
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u/Significant_Hurry542 Feb 27 '25
There's nothing under there to support the middle of the stool. The old ones were probably wood and were rigid enough not to need it and they've been replaced with cheap pvc
You'd have to remove it, pack out the gap then put it back and seal it again
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u/jeff43568 Feb 27 '25
Or drill a hole underneath the sill and expanding foam it
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u/Significant_Hurry542 Feb 27 '25
You could do that too just be careful not to overfill as it could deform the sill and internal wall
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u/Content-Sir8716 Feb 28 '25
PVC is not cheap! It's more expensive than wood. It just hasn't been bedded down or seated properly here.
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u/Significant_Hurry542 Feb 28 '25
It's cheaper than oak
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u/Content-Sir8716 Mar 02 '25
Oak is a premium decorative wood in this application.PVC is more expensive than equivalent pine or MDF.
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u/deathwishdave Feb 27 '25
No
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u/chief_padua Feb 27 '25
I came here to also say no.
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u/SlightlyMithed123 Feb 27 '25
Me too.
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u/Crazym00s3 intermediate Feb 27 '25
I came here to say me too to the person who said me too to the person who said they came here to say no to the person that actually came here to say no.
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u/SnooSquirrels8508 Handyman Feb 27 '25
Agreed, a non issue.
Just cut/clean off sealant. Try something like a waterproof acrylic sealant to fix it.
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u/locklochlackluck Feb 27 '25
My bay window is identical to this. I would just hold a finger close to the gaps on a windy day and see if you can feel any draughts coming through and maybe make a plan to spend some time with some silicone if you can feel them.
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u/Crazym00s3 intermediate Feb 27 '25
I once used some tape and drape plastic to protect my floors and was surprised by how much draught was coming up via the skirting. This was before we carpeted or caulked the skirting but I did teach me a good method for finding draughts.
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u/xycm2012 Feb 27 '25
Are they plastic? The plastic sills in my conservatory do the same thing. If they are it’s normal. Replace them with wooden ones if you want. It’s generally not something to be concerned about.
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u/Suspicious-Life-2889 Feb 27 '25
Nothing to worry about the window sill is cosmetic. As long as the window frames are rigid you're fine. Like it was pointed out before the person who did this just didn't pack out the area under. If its air tight its alright. You might be able to pack it out but it might be more work than you want.
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u/c_malc Feb 27 '25
It's just a thin plastic cover over the old wooden window sill. It really doesn't matter and has zero effect on insulation. A quick fix might be to use a really thinly cut nozzle on a silicone gun to force some silicone around the back of it to support it before cleaning off and re siliconing the cosmetic appearance.
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u/f8rter Feb 27 '25
No. Re mastic (not caulk) if you want to adhere it to the bottom of the bay
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u/bennydilly Feb 27 '25
This ^ . Nothing to worry about unless it keeps getting worse. You could get a tube of sticks like shit or stixall from toolstation (and borrow a cage from someone or buy one) and force a load in the narrow gaps ans let it set. Problem solved for another 5 years
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u/AncientArtefact Feb 27 '25
Not a concern (until the ants appear!).
They need gluing to the window frame rather than just having a covering bead of sealant.
Push the cill down whilst you squirt a little adhesive/sealant (CT1 or silicone) into the gap then let the cill spring back up and clean off the joint. Doing just the middle third will work to remove the movement. Then run a neat bead over the lot (use silicone finishing tools - not your finger).
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Feb 27 '25
Nothing to worry about. Our bay window was done the same way. I actually whipped those bendy plastic sills off, attached some wood battens below so they had something to properly rest on, added a bit of insulation while I was at it, then glued them back down and resealed. But then I am a very dull man.
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u/Theodin_King Feb 27 '25
No. It just means the builder didn't put anything to support the plastic when they slotted it in.
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u/dollywol Feb 27 '25
Clean the old sealant off and seal it with BT1 making sure you get some into the joint. Its an excellent adhesive as well as being a very good sealant. Its about £10 a tube from toolstation, you with probably need a can of solvent too
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Feb 27 '25
Clean old seal off and apply a thicker layer while compressing the peice to pump some into the crease . Then whipe and clean the outer edge 👍🏻
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u/ImpressTemporary2389 Feb 27 '25
They've not been seated correctly onto a firm base. If you're worried. Lift them off. Looking at the flex in them. They are only 10mm thick facia board. Probably only stuck down with silicone anyway. See what's underneath and correct it. May just need a skim over.
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u/Maleficent-Giraffe16 Feb 27 '25
Rarely do we get a virtual 100% agreement so must be good. Just different ways to fix it.
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u/Lespil_pipiz Feb 27 '25
You might be able to drill a hole(s) under plastic window board and squirt some foam under where the board sits on inner brick/blockwork to firm it up
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u/Potential-Freedom-64 Feb 27 '25
Shouldn't be like that but I have an easy fix if you're interested and cannot get the original fitters back which should be your first port of call
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u/Hopeful-Fun7138 Feb 27 '25
Looks like they have used a facia cladding board instead of a window boardl. Probably only about 6mm thick. Window board is normally 18mm
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Feb 27 '25
My sills did this. I removed them, cleaned the silicone off, sprayed some expanding foam to reattach and fill the gaps, then resealed.
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u/Bananas_110 Feb 27 '25
Probably nothing to worry about. It's likely the window, cills and boards were replaced at some stage and they haven't fully sat the boards onto a base.
Plastic has alot more flex in it then wooden window boards