Window board/cill/sill material

[Shell820810]

We cant get (and have been told to avoid) ~300mm solid boards for our internal window cills. I want to paint them white, so its looking like MR mdf .  Or is there a better alternative?

[PeterW]

If they are going to be painted then why not get 2 150mm boards biscuit jointed and glued up as a 300mm board ..? Would be cheaper than 300mm

 

 

[Stones]

One of my friends cut up an old pine wardrobe for his window cills.  Being 500mm deep there was plenty of timber available and in good lengths.   Something that otherwise would have been a pain to dispose of ended up saving him money.

Worth considering if you have similar furniture to get rid of, or can source from gumtree etc.

[ragg987]

My architect is a fan of MDF vs real wood if painting the boards. Have just ordered pre-primed window boards, architraves and skirting in HDF, which is claimed to be moisture resistant. The samples looked good.

I must admit I came to this process with a prejudice against MDF, but was convinced otherwise on costs, stability and straightness grounds.

[Jeremy Harris]

We wanted fairly chunky looking, 285mm wide, window boards and I ended up buying some 30mm thick solid timber worktops and ripping them in half.  It worked well, as we wanted a finish to match the natural lacquer finish of the inside of the windows. 

The boards I used were radiata pine, 600mm wide x 2400 long x 30mm thick.  They were "engineered" boards, made from jointed strips, but as the radiata pine is very straight grained and completely knot-free the joins don't show at all.  I finished them with several spray coats of 2 pack satin lacquer, rubbed down with a Scotchbrite pad between coats and we're pleased with the result, they are a very close match to the finish of the windows.

 

[Construction Channel]

If you are planning to paint them MDF will be fine. Just make sure they don't get wet before you have painted them. They will still "blow" while they are only primed. 

 

Fwiw 300mm pine window boards from most merchants will be 2 6" boards laminated together ( no biscuits) and end up at 284mm iirc 

[Declan52]

Mine are painted MDF. Easier to work with than real timber, easy to sand and prime and paint. If it's a painted cill presumably white then its MDF all day long.

[Shell820810]

The timber yard just suggested we could have issues with moisture, condensation etc I assume. Are PVC cills a no no?

[Shell820810]

11 hours ago, Declan52 said:

Mine are painted MDF. Easier to work with than real timber, easy to sand and prime and paint. If it's a painted cill presumably white then its MDF all day long.

Did you get actual cill board or just cut sheets?

[Gone West]

I used 18mm timber window boards in my last house. I used HDF this time. With timber you run the risk of cracking and or cupping, but with HDF you don't. I bought bullnose profile, 4.2m lengths of the width I wanted.

Edited July 15, 2016 by PeterStarck

[daiking]

I put a MDF window board in a bathroom last year. The shower blasts straight on to it and it was used 2+ times a day for nearly a year often had standing water. It did "bloom" early on but I sanded off the sharpness of the edges and repainted and it's been ok since. 

Needed to use proper slow dry gloss paint, leave it dry and harden for days before putting anything on it and keep soap off it that seems to lift the paint. 

I wouldnt be be worried about putting an MDF board elsewhere and have 3 boards to fit plus 3 more to size and buy before fitting. When I get around to it, I'll replace the bathroom one with tiles.

[Declan52]

17 minutes ago, Shell820810 said:

Did you get actual cill board or just cut sheets?

I just bought 5.5m lengths and cut from them. Not sure you can get it 300mm deep though. If not you can rip it out of a sheet a use a router to put the bull nose on it. Any good joiner should be able to do this.

 

Edited July 15, 2016 by Declan52

[Shell820810]

54 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

I just bought 5.5m lengths and cut from them. Not sure you can get it 300mm deep though. If not you can rip it out of a sheet a use a router to put the bull nose on it. Any good joiner should be able to do this.

 

Joiner told us just to get sheets, builder said to get boards.

Do you have to do anything to finish the edge other than paint?

Thinking chunky with square edge. Is 18mm or 25mm the norm?

[PeterW]

Square edge will dink quite easily - worth bearing that in mind. It will also wear through any paint quicker than a bullnose. 

 

[Declan52]

Mine where bullnose. The boards come with a primer coat already on. The sheets don't. If going for sheets put a couple of coats of pva on first to seal it up or it will suck the paint in like you have never seen. 

If you can get 300mm boards with a primer on them I would go that way. If not then suit the budget. How much will the final cost be to cut a sheet up, put a bullnose on it, seal it and a few coats of paint compared to a 300mm already primed and rounded on the edge board.