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My house was refurbed up to just before the plumbing by amatures. I noticed last winter that the sills of the windows were always either wet or iced. But I'm painting around one last week and notice something which looks loose. I pull on it and a bunch of paper comes off, with drywall underneath.
Whoever thought of using DRYWALL on a window sill where the windows ice over in the winter and them get it all wet????
So, then, what do I do? I would like to cover it with something that will protect them and I can either buy in a specific color or paint. Any suggestions happily welcome.
Sounds like a few problems going on. First I'm assuming you are painting the interior and someone actually used drywall as window trim?
Second, interior windows should not ice up and sweat so it sounds like the humidity inside the house may be too high in the winter and the windows may need to be re-glazed. The old aluminum windows are a problem as they do tend to ice up and are a poor choice in areas that get freezing winter weather, IMO.
If your sills are made from drywall, then you need to replace them with wood. Cut them to size, screw them into the 2 x 4(rough sill) below it, (counter sink the screw heads and fill with wood putty, prime them, paint them and you should be good to go. Check all of the others in the house as well. Also the sills need to tilt away from the inside towards the outside of the house so the rain water drains down and away when they get wet. Your problem sounds funky though.
The sills of the window should be part of the double hung window if it is a modern window. If the window is old, you may want to tear out the entire window and replace it completely which is why I put the other links in as well. Sound to me like the old wndow sills rotted out and someone just riped them out and covered with drywall. A big mistake. You may want to consider repacing the window. Depending on the size it should only cost a few hundred dollars if you DIY.
This link should help you understand how to accomplish this correctly:
The typical finish for these type windows (by the big production bldrs and cheap-ass flippers) is a d/wall wrap. In other words, the rough opening is wrapped with d/wall up to the frame of the window. And what you have experienced is par for the course.
The only alternative you have is to remove the d/wall wrap and replace with F/J pine flat jamb material for the sides and header, finish with casing. Use flat stool for the bottom, cut with horns for the side casing, and finish with an apron from casing material.
Nothing to it!
If this doesn't sound like something up your alley- contact a trim carpenter, he'll know exactly what to do from my description.
I recommend using non porous sill materials in situations such as yours like: cultured marble, composites, granites, glass. That way if water does get on the sill it can be wiped off or you can just let it dry there and no damage will occur.
Many of these materials come in a variety of colors and some have routed/ sculptured edges or can be routed/sculptured! You may even find premade examples of these type of sills at your building supply store/home improvement store. You just have to cut to fit your size/length.
Make sure that the top of the sill material is sloped AWAY from the window AND you use a silicone or synthetic sealant( not acrylic) on the edges; especially against the window and the sides of the opening.
The OP really is not clear here, pics would have helped us all. Sounds to me like the outer sill of a single or double hung window with a poor job repairing the outer sill.
If it is the inner and drywalled to a AL frame, I would change out to oak or whatever, called a stool and apron. You leave the drywall on the sides and top, the oak stool creates a little larger shelf like platform.
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