Window sill finish ruined from dog nails

Question

I have a large bay window with a low sill.  Dog's nails have ruined the paint and I'm looking for another option to protect and finish the sill.

Jean Myles · Answer

I would purchase a couple of pieces of wood to cover the top and front of the window  sill. Screw them on in a couple of places that way you can save the window sill and replace the boards as needed.

Phyllis · Answer

take the dimensions, and have a  piece of man made marble put on top in a color to match room or even something w/brown n'beige in it. u wont need to replace wood all the time . hope this helps

Ruidoso · Answer

I would get someone who installs tile to go to your aid.  Have him/her measure and cut a piece of ceramic tile to fit.  We live in a rental home and a previous tenant put in something.  It looked tacky so my hubs broke out his tools and put in two pieces of tile.  They look great!

MN Mom · Answer

I like @ Jean Myles suggestion. I have a similar issue with my dog vs. a window sill and cured him from scratching by placing a small table under the window. He can't reach it now

Kimberly O'Hara · Answer

You could buy the backsplash tiles that are connected and adhere them to your window sill. Would be very pretty.

Wjgp · Answer

We had this problem with our miniature daschunds...got pieces of acrylic sheet cut to the size of the window sills, re-finished the sills and put the acrylic sheets on top. We thought we'd have to replace the sheets every few years but so far 7 years in place and hardly any scratches. For us it was a cheap effective solution that still leaves the beauty of the wood will to shine through.

Wjgp · Answer

Oops ! That should be 'still to shine through'.

Anita Gian · Answer

How about a piece of granite? You could also install sheets of river pebbles. Large ceramic tiles would be a sturdy option, too

Dwi5997718 · Answer

Sand smooth the use an epoxy glue mix to fill in scratches. Smooth the glue with s flat putty knife or plastic smoother and let dry. May sand smooth. Then paint with paint and over with polyurethane.

C. Bousquet · Answer

Had the same problem..  After sanding and re-staining window sill  just  slip in clear plexi glass  cut to fit.

Donna · Answer

You could also tile the sill with small tiles and make an interesting mosaic.

Diane · Answer

Home Depot and Lowes sell marble sills already cut for window sizes and you can just glue them on with contractors glue. If they didn't have your size, I'm sure you could have it cut down.

Patricia · Answer

I had the same problem with my sliding door.  i bought the thin metal plates they use on doors to push them open and it solved the problem!  They're 3.5 inches wide by 15' and very thin.  You can probably cut them to fit!  They came in three colors too! They are about $7

J Ruhl · Answer

I've had dogs for many years.  The windowsills in my home are marble and they have been clawed at and walked upon with no damage.

Carol Ann Jones · Answer

Thank you...it never crossed my mind!

Carol Ann Jones · Answer

I had considered tiles but it was rejected because the sill is so close to the floor which is made of green variegated tiles.  But with your thought maybe some other matching  green tile could also be the solution.  Thanks

Carol Ann Jones · Answer

These are great suggestions, thank you.  I think I had become so frustrated my brain froze up!

Jab7280842 · Answer

We protected the paint with a thin piece of acrylic cut to the size of and attached to the sill with carpet tacks. The acrylic is clear about 1/16 ' thick. Only 4 small carpet tacks were needed in the corners. It has lasted for many years.

Carol Ann Jones · Answer

Thank you I will add this idea to the others and work on one of them.

Barbara · Answer

We had a similar problem and had a sill cut out of Corian that matched the woodwork. You could match your tile. This worked for us.

Kathy Vansickle · Answer

marble sill, or bricks. also think some sort of seat, bench if they really want to see out the window

Judy · Answer

I used a scrap of vinyl flooring in my bay window, glued on and then I added small vinyl molding to cover the outer edge: caulked the inner edge. Now my rottweiler can sun bathe and nap with no damage.

Wjo5975375 · Answer

Our boxer not only left scratches on the sill, but tried to go through the window.  After we sanded and stained the sill, we put up a low fence, just the right height to keep the dogs paws off the sill.  We stained it to match the wood on the sill and frame and it not only kept the dog down, but looked really great!

Buster Evans · Answer

Ceramic Tile... comes in Many colors to accent the surrounding trim and woodwork... easily cleaned.. durable.

Carol Ann Jones · Answer

Thank you...my concern is finding something that will match the floor and unfortunately they no longer make that tile otherwise it would be an easy fix.

Barb Wirey Grigsby · Answer

Add the tile that has the netting glued on the back.
You can change them out any time, no need to glue.

Gypsy · Answer

Plexiglass

Carol Ann Jones · Answer

Thanks, you and everyone has been so helpful.

Wjo5975375 · Answer

We used wooden spindles that were high enough so our dog couldn’t get his paws on the sill. Also placed them on th edge of the sill to help prevent that. We had wood on the top and bottom....just like a banister for stairs. It looked like the fencing was a natural look. We stained the fencing to match the window trim. Depending on how high your dog jumps will be the height of the fence. It sure saved my 8 feet of glass from being broken. Good luck with your project.

Wjo5975375 · Answer

It looked like an ordinary wood railing. Just like a banister on the stairs. We picked rails that were turned. The ones we bought were standard size, about three feet high. For the window fence, we cut them in half. When the banister was added, it was just the right treatment to keep,the dog away from the glass.

Window sill finish ruined from dog nails

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Window sill finish ruined from dog nails

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