How to clean this concrete sill.

Bendy_House

I do have 'Bostik Concentrated Mortar & Brick Cleaner' (bought to clean out P2P exchangers, of course) but I'm a bit terrified of using it on this sill. Is it the right stuff to use, or is there another way? What's the worst that could happen?

Thanks.

pmartin86

I'd probably just get a stiff brush and some mild detergent top start with on that! 

flashg67

I'd say it sounds like it would work - of course check if it needs diluting first and / or maybe try on a part that's not visible  normally? Concrete is pretty tough - I can't see it dissolving or anything scary

stuart45

Hydrochloric acid will attack Portland cement. Good for cleaning mortar and concrete splashes off a level. Breaks it down and leaves just the sand.
It will etch the surface. Read up on acid etching of concrete. 

diystarter7

No offence but rather than worry about your sill, how about addressing the rotting frame?  Treat the frame now, touch it up and it will last a lot longer and look a lot better and no damage to the inside of the property

Bendy_House

diystarter7 said:

No offence but rather than worry about your sill, how about addressing the rotting frame?  Treat the frame now, touch it up and it will last a lot longer and look a lot better and no damage to the inside of the property

No offence taken

Er, if you had to do this, how long would it take you to patch and paint that window...?!

diystarter7

Bendy_House said:

diystarter7 said:

No offence but rather than worry about your sill, how about addressing the rotting frame?  Treat the frame now, touch it up and it will last a lot longer and look a lot better and no damage to the inside of the property

No offence taken

Er, if you had to do this, how long would it take you to patch and paint that window...?!

That's the exact reason we don't have wooden windows. However, when we did, I recall dad cutting out a bit of wood then putting anti-rot stuff  and then a small piece of treated new wood and wood filler and then he painted a week or so later. As they were white frames like yours it made the frame look much more healthy.

Er, it's your property, your choice I was just trying to help.

Enjoy the sun.

Bendy_House

Ha-ha, thanks DIY.

Actually mum-in-law's, and it's leasehold (a retirement bungalow).

Yes, PVC makes sense, and that's what they are ultimately being replaced with, but these wooden windows are so much nicer on the inside than the PVC equivalents, hence me intending to repair them instead.

The folk who run the 'village' seem happy to pay for this, as it'll save them a multi-£k outlay for a few years. I was trying to get a ballpark figure to give them - it'll be pocket money essentially, and lot less than what a pro would charge, but it would help to have an idea of the number of hours involved. And, it doesn't deprive a pro decorator of a job either, as they would just have them replaced with PVC when needed.

It would be good for Nan - much nicer insides - good for the estate - defer a sizeable outlay (11 window sections in total) - and good for me...

stuart45

It is quite rare for a pro to work on old timber windows these days as you could pay out 2 or 3 hundred per window and you still have a window full of filler that will be looking tatty again in a few years time. Saying that I always do our windows, but I wouldn't pay someone to do it.
Wouldn't surprise me if you took 40 hours to do a really good job on those windows Bendy. If you want a really long lasting paint use linseed oil based, although you might be better using Wilko to give you some work every few years.

Bendy_House

Good quality paint it'll be, Stuart - I want this to be a one-off!

They get decorators in to repaint them every, I dunno, 5 years or so, but clearly a lick of paint isn't going to sort anything properly.

Cool - I'm sort of looking forward to it. Just spent countless hours restoring the decking at Nan's expense (my labour was free, but lots of ham sandwiches...) - another area they neglected until it rotted through in places

stuart45

I had on old window lying around in the shed. My daughter needed one that size for the porch I was about to build her, so I restored it for her.
I burnt all the paint off, which helped see where there was any rot, and allowed it to dry out better. After preservative, hardener, filler and painting, plus new glass and putty it looked reasonably good. Nice feeling when you restore something old, but for the amount of time I spent on it I probably could have bought 2 new ones.