Have you checked out Loki custom furniture in Boston? Jamie custom designs steel window sills - that's an option and would look quite nice...

http://www.lokifurniture.com/interiors/Window_Sill.html

Holly

I don't hate the slate (or ceramic) because I think wood windowsills take a beating with rain, plants, etc. I would regrout the tile in a dark grout to make it less visible. The wood trim can be replaced with simple molding painted to match the wall.

Just to address the front:
The reason ppl put in wood trim is to hid rough openings such as the one below the slate. It is quicker and easier to do this than to smooth out joint compound, even though the latter is not difficult to do.

So that is my suggestion for the front. Get some joint compound, fill and smooth and you won't need any wood trim. Do this after installing your replacement for the sill. Sorry I don't have any suggestions for that.

i think the slate looks nice. i have plaster (wooden?) sills, and the moisture, temperature changes, etc. have wreaked havoc on them.

if you hate it, i'm guessing you could pry them up and have a wooden sill installed. a cheap, quick, and easy solution would be to get a plank cut to size and just lay it over the slate. you could paint the plank to match your walls.

i'd take jamiepup's suggestion about the joint compound.

I would get a new sill a bit deeper than the current one with the overhanging portion being thicker. The chunkier edge would cover the junction with the wall and the existing slate if you have to install on top.

Do they look dirty out of spite, or do they look dirty because city dust from outside means they *are* constantly dirty?

If the latter, I'd repair the grout and take Jamie Pup's solution on the joint compound. City dust on white painted wooden sills won't look any cleaner (a fact I wish I didn't know), and it's surprisingly difficult to get all the dust off paint. You can always replace the slate with a tile you like better, too.

I agree with regrouting with darker grout and fixing up the front with joint compound.
I love the slate sills... just scrub them well with mild soap, let them dry completely and then apply several coats of clear floor wax (the one for tile floors. When the wax dries, shine the sills with a dry fluffy rag... they will look great and you will find that it will be easier to keep them looking clean. Re-apply wax about every 6 months.

Thanks so much everyone for your suggestions! You're right that the ugliness factor mostly is because we just don't like slate and want something simple--not green and not matching the floor! We also have a lot of terrible wood trim in the apartment and we're trying to bring it back to some cleaner lines.

If we were to re-grout, which we've never done, does anyone have suggestions on how best to do it and what to use? Do we have to rip up the tiles first? We would need to replace some tiles as well since the sill in the photo is actually in the best condition--others are cracked, chipped, and stained.

Holly, the steel sills look interesting but I wonder how well they would hold up to water? We would really prefer a solution with another material like this--not wood and not slate. Does anyone have other suggestions?

Jamiepup, we would be happy to use joint compound on the front but I just don't see how we could get an even surface level with the wall--there are several messy layers of tile, grout, wood, bits of glue, drywall, just lots of gunk. Having a thicker overhang might be something to think about, or maybe capping it with a material other than wood trim?

Thanks again everyone!

I actually laid mirrored glass on top of my windowsills. Now before you think "Jersey cheese", it actually was pretty subdued, reflected whatever was placed on it and caught the sunlight and reflected it up into the apartment at certain times of the day. I stole this idea from someone who did the same thing in Time Out NY's design issue.

It does get dusty after a couple of weeks (or sooner, depending on how high up you are) but you can pick them up and clean them in the sink.

I lived in a condo with very ugly window wells. My father bought wooden stairs, the actual steps, that come with a rounded edge.

You buy the stair or step in a nice oak, paint it or stain it, and set it down IN the window well, and the rounded edge settles down around the window well against the wall!

All you need is someone to sell you a stair (the phone book will guide to a custom staircase maker) and a measurement for the depth of your window well.

An added benefit is that if your window well has uneven lines, the stair corrects the lines for you.

Good luck!

My painted wood windowsill in the kitchen is in horrible condition due to water splashing on it and sun exposure. I really really want to replace the sill with a granite one...

Why are all you people getting wet window sills? Don't you close the window when its raining? I've seen people who use their window sills as extra bookcases - they are dry as a bone and never get wet...

Plants in the window = wet sills

Hi there,

Here is something to consider. Sills represent a great way to play with different materials (other than tile, which is an equally good option). For example, I know of one person who found some old barnwood and had them cut for their sills, creating an interesting old wood charm effect. Soapstone is another interesting and unexpected option. One other person, cut bamboo plywood (double thick) and that worked too. My recommendation would be to visit a flooring store, a lumber yard, etc. and look for a material you find interesting. Given that sills are not that wide, you won't need a lot of material, so you might be able to do an exotic material for a reasonable cost. Just some food for thought.

You might want to look at replacing the slate with a new vinyl sill. Although, the depth of the sill in the photo may be to larger for this particular solution, if you have window openings with shallower sills, this could be a perfect answer. These vinyl sills are durable and attractive, protect your sill area from moisture, and are easy to wipe clean. I put these sills in my house and my wife loves them. Check them out at www.sill-rite.com