How do I fix a bay window?
by Chris
+5
What the best/ easiest/ CHEAPEST way to redo a bay window? The one that came with our house was rotting through, and they painted over it so I'm not even sure how bad it is but we just had a baby so the fix has to be cheap. This is the worse side but it goes all the way across the big window
Looks like a lot of water damage. Don't know how bad the damage is. You can try to remove the paint with Citristrip stripper. Then dig out any damages wood. Use Bondo, auto body filler, to fill the damaged areas. As it starts to dry it becomes rubbery. That is when you can use a sharp knife, razor blade, etc. and form it into rough shape. Then let it harden. Sandpaper to smooth it out and form it further. Prime and paint.
Is it water damage or termites? Bay windows usually leak from the roof line edge down to windows. Maybe check into your homeowners insurance or home warranty program to see if either could help with cost of estimates &/or repairs. Seems like home Inspector should have caught this http://www.kuhlscontracting.com/2017/04/faulty-flashing-above-lake-harriet-bay-window/
Hi Chris, Here's a "how to" video that may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l5q0xaQEf8 I think the product cost around $20 or $30.
Good luck!
Maybe you should get back to reality, there is no cheap easy fix for this. The whole sill frame is rotted, the window frame is rotted. Bondo is just a real bad idea unless you know what your doing and have a lot of tools ,besides there’s so much rot you’d have to rebuild the entire frame. You need to bite the bullet, find the problem and probably replace the unit.
First - fix the leak! If you don't anything you do will be compromised by further water damage.
Second clean out as much of the damaged wood as possible. Use a shop vac or hose to vacuum it clean.
I use Water Putty to restore damaged wood. It's great. After it dries, sand smooth and paint.
Do you live in a cold climate? It appears to me that you might have condensation damage. Bay windows can be very problematic, but one issue that is often overlooked is the insulation in it. A bay is cantilevered out from the main house, so there's often no insulation between the foundation and the edge of the bay underneath. The floor will be cold and condensation will form. Any repair you make will have the same problem until you fix that. The roof line also is tied in. Those areas can leak, but it's also common for the bay roof to have no insulation once again causing condensation to form.
The good news is that insulation is cheap!
I hate to say it but the window needs to be replaced. That much water damage insures that there is dry rot in the wood. You can patch, caulk and repaint but the repair won't last.
First, find where the leak is coming from and take care of that or any repair work that you do will be ruined.
I feel your pain, I had to replace a huge picture window because of water leakage. Not cheap.
find out where the water leaks, surprise home inspector did not notice this, but by the looks of the picture I think the window needs replaced and then what ever repair to stop the leak. Otherwise you are putting a bandaid on it. Depends on the age of the home and call the health department about the Lead program if the house is old enough and has lead paint, program pays for the windows for free and other work
Replace it with a vinyl window, install a gutter over the window and check for splasback of water from rain hitting the ground.