Materials for the window sill: what to choose

Recommendation points

• Plastic
• MDF and chipboard
• Wood
• Artificial and natural stone
• Concrete
• Tile

The window sill performs three functions at once: it unites the window frame and walls, decorates the overall space of the window – from the street to the house, and prevents heat leakage. Materials for arranging a window sill are very different, let’s deal with their pros and cons.

Plastic

Since PVC windows are the most popular today, this choice is logical, the simplest and most affordable. When ordering plastic windows, any manufacturer will immediately offer you a similar window sill in the kit. Traditionally they are white to match the color of the window. Of course, there are brown options that imitate wood and even stone, but the plastic remains plastic..

Pros: affordable cost, ease of installation, very light weight, moisture resistance, durability.

Cons: Matte light plastic window sill gets dirty very easily. The dust literally eats into it; it can only be washed off with abrasive agents. Of course, if the window sill is not white, this problem is less noticeable, but it is. If you put something hot on a plastic window sill, it will deform. It’s very easy to scratch too.

Important! For the kitchen, it is better to choose plastic window sills with a special heat-resistant and durable coating. Yes, they cost a little more, but they will last longer. Although, judging by the reviews, it is absolutely impossible to put a hot pan on such window sills anyway.

MDF and chipboard

Window sills just made of chipboard are now practically not used, since they have a lot of disadvantages. Laminated chipboard is stronger than MDF, so let’s talk about these materials. In general, if you have MDF furniture in your house, then you can perfectly imagine all the advantages and disadvantages of such window sills..

The price is higher than that of plastic, there is a wide selection of shades and textures. It is more expedient to choose laminated plates for window sills, they are more resistant to moisture.

Minus: you cannot put hot things, during installation you can damage the edge, a special tape should be laid between the window sill plate and the wall. If the top layer is damaged, the entire window sill may swell under the influence of moisture.

Wood

Do you still remember the good old wooden window sills, usually covered with white paint? We lived with them for many years, and they remained in many old houses. Natural wood has a lot of advantages: safety, environmental friendliness, ease of care.

But old window sills made of ordinary boards could crack over time, the paint had to be renewed regularly. And such a traditional option itself is simply considered unfashionable..

Now solid wood window sills cost a lot. Resistant oak and ash are especially appreciated, which look great even without tinting.

Disadvantages of natural wooden window sills: high price, obligatory grinding and impregnation with colorless wax or varnish, risk of scratches. In addition, the varnish or wax coating will have to be regularly renewed..

Artificial and natural stone

This is the most expensive, but very beautiful and durable option. Now the window sills made of artificially created stone are almost in no way inferior to natural ones, so their popularity continues to grow. You can not be afraid to put it on hot, drop something heavy, dust is easy to brush off and usually it is not too noticeable.

Disadvantages of stone window sills: high price. This is, of course, the most powerful argument against. Otherwise, it cannot be cleaned with abrasive products, natural marble, for example, can absorb spilled liquids, you will have to regularly look after.

Concrete

There is nothing new in concrete window sills. Outside the house, they were often decorated this way, this is a traditional technique. Why not? The concrete is durable and can be painted with different colors. A massive, durable, reliable, if necessary, subject to repair and restoration, maybe a little cold, but quite attractive concrete window sill has few drawbacks. These include the complexity of mounting a heavy slab, as well as the likelihood of cracks in the event of temperature drops and violation of the pouring technology..

Tile

In general, we admit that it is wrong to carry out ceramic tiles and mosaics in a separate type of window sill decoration. A base is needed for such coverage. It can be concrete, wood, plastic. That is, tiles can be ennobled, for example, an ordinary plastic window sill, but you cannot use it as an independent material..

This option has many advantages – resistance to damage, easy maintenance, beauty, durability, the ability to replace individual parts in case of damage. But you should be especially careful about the tile joints, because they are often responsible for the durability of the entire coating..