Door Sill Removal

Remove a door sill only if it is rotted or cracked.

Many people call the door saddle or threshold a sill. The sill is actually the support piece found beneath the saddle. It sits atop the heavier construction sill, a support piece in the structure of the home. The jamb of the door rests atop the door sill. Removing a door sill is not something to be done without good reason. It requires a skilled carpenter not only to remove the sill, but to replace it.

Reasons

The door sill can be removed and replaced when there has been extensive damage to it. An improperly maintained door jamb may allow water to seep down to the sill and rot it. Mildew can eat away at the sill. Failing to replace it can affect the stability of the door opening and the floor inside the house. Flooding, fire and termites can cause damage to door sill that would necessitate replacement of the sill, door jamb, part of the floor and door.

Considerations

Before you start to dismantle the door sill, learn how the door jamb and sill are constructed in relation to the structural studs and the construction sill. Consider the age of the house and the materials and type of construction used in building it. A door sill built on an 1850's farmhouse will be much different than a door sill on a 1950's ranch house. There may have been replacements of the sill before, or inexpert carpentry. So study the door itself and learn whatever you can find about how it was built.

Preparation

Preparation begins with taking the door off its hinges and pulling up the door saddle. Save the saddle so you can buy or make a replacement the exact same size. You must brace the door jamb so that it does not pull away when you are pulling up the sill. You can either nail one-by-three lengths from the jamb to the first construction joist, or wedge a two-by-four into the jamb itself to brace it. The key thing is to keep the door jamb from shifting so much that the door will have to be not just reattached to hinges, but completely re-hung.

Removal

You will find a door sill that is either notched into a groove in the jamb or extends beneath the jamb. To find out, pry off the door-framing. If you see that it does not extend beneath the jamb, just pry it up, remembering that you will be struggling against the nails that hold it in place. If the sill does run beneath the jamb you have to cut it crosswise in three pieces and wrestle the pieces out or split it lengthwise with a chisel and pull out the splinters.

References

• The New York Times: "Home Clinic; Replacing Rotten Door Sills," John Warde, April 16, 1989
• Old House Journal:" New Life for an Early Doorway," John Leeke, March-April, 1993