reduce depth of a window sill board (part 1)

[Christian M]

hi guys,

I need to reduce the amount an internal window sill protrudes into the room. It currently comes out from the window and carries on beyond the wall line by approximately 4cm, I need to reduce it to approx 2cm, so it doesn't stick out more than the thickness of the skirting board does.

i was thinking...

a. Could a router be used to shave off 2cm from the sill? I don't have the tool but wondering if it is even possible, then could I buy/hire the power tool, or pay a carpenter a few quid to take it back?

b. Remove the current board completely, cut it down by 2cm along the back edges using a jigsaw, then put it back (keeping the rounded, room edge un-damaged). However I can't seem to get the sill off, I think I'm going to make a mess of the sill/wall doing this, it might be screwed and glued but hard to tell.

cheers

 

[big-all]

heeelllooo and welcome christian m

several ways off doing it
if you need a"finished" visible front edge then you need to add to the front to cover the cut face or remove the board reshape and refit
what are you putting in front off there
and is it dead level or higher than the sill top??
also if you have carpet and gripper underneath it can throw the unit forward at a slight angle clearing the ledge
when i build high units i cut the bottom with a small angle to help them "lean" back against the wall
its only perhaps 2 or 3mm at the base but that is magnified between 3 and 5 times dependent on depth and height
for example if its 500 deep and 2000 tall a 4mm reduction to the back will throw the unit back 8mm central and 16mm at the top assuming the floor is level and no compression on the floor covering
with a carpet grip it would equate to around half that

 

[Christian M]

cheers big-all

so it sounds like it isn't possible to cut back and create a finished edge in one? I'm not sure what the sills are but are glossed wood of some kind.

The 'lean' won't work i dint think as it's a 3m long run of wardrobes that would have to lean 'sideways'.

To explain why....

I've got a room that I need to fit 2 x 1.5m wide Ikea PAX wardrobes side by side (they 3,000mm wide and will be almost full ceiling height).

The room is 3,000mm wide and I have 3,015mm between the skirting boards (I.e. Just enough space to fit snugly), BUT the window sill protrudes further than the skirting, by an extra couple of CM giving me just too little space.

Hope that makes sense

 

[Gazman16]

The window board will be under the plaster at the ends and also nailed down into blocks of wood underneath.
Getting it out in one piece with no damage to the plaster is pretty much impossible. You may be able to cut and chisel it out with less damage but its still very tricky.

Your easiest option would be to cut the end off and cap over the window board with PVC.
PVC window boards do scratch up quite easily though so I don't recommend it if you have cats.

 

[Christian M]

thanks Gazman16

You kind of confirmed my findings that the board won't come up without a lot of force and damage (based on my trying already).

So if I understand correctly you suggest maybe clamp some kind of straight guide (metal rule or something dead straight) then use that to guide a jigsaw along to shorten the overhang, then get hold of a curved finishing cap/piece, fix on, sand etc. to restore back to the curved edge?

 

[big-all]

15mm is cutting it very tight
you are relying on everything being more than 99%accurate and going together tightly
have you measured a unit at ikea

 

[Christian M]

Yes, I agree 15mm is very tight in terms of breathing space. On the plus if they go in as planned it will look good as it will fit snug wall to wall, if it doesn't I'll have to re-think, either shave back further or swap a 1.5 wide for a 1m wide and have a gap by the window. I measured up in IKEA, the display units measured just under the specified widths by a 1-2mm. Which doesn't really give any extra but at least they are not over the stated dimensions.

 

[geraldthehamster]

Can you not butcher the unit rather than the window board?

 

[big-all]

when you say nearly full height how high and what height is the room
what depth are the cupboards [back to front]
are they in one or 2 sections in height [stacking]

 

[TheVictorian]

I'd use a multi-tool to just nip off the part of the sill that is in the way, clean, no mess and leaves the rest of it looking tidy.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...=B0091GDVZK&linkCode=as2&tag=technoturkeyc-21

 

[big-all]

I'd use a multi-tool to just nip off the part of the sill that is in the way, clean, no mess and leaves the rest of it looking tidy.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...=B0091GDVZK&linkCode=as2&tag=technoturkeyc-21

if he has to reduce it for the carcass
the doors will probably ruin that plan when open

 

[big-all]

2 threads cause problems

//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/how-to-reduce-depth-of-a-window-sill-board.455598/