French door sill broke.

[mikehub]

Hi All,
Our French door sill broke recently. So we thought this might be a good time to replace the carpet with wooden flooring. After removing the rest of the sill we notice the part marked in red with packers seems like sand. What would be the best way to prep this to lay the underlay and flooring on top?
Many thanks

 

[Doghouse Riley]

Hi and welcome.

I'm assuming the packers were put there to support the window by the double glazing installers.

What you think is sand is probably supposed to be a cement render. I'd brush it all out and re-render it making sure you support the window. Once it's gone off I'd put a bead of silicone between the render and the bottom of the door frame. But check the level that you need for the depth of the render.

 

[mikehub]

Thank you for your reply
That would make sense. I remember the installers setting the door slightly forward so the doors could open more. So I'm guessing all the weight is taken on the brickwork alone. I've poked into the corners and the 'sand' seems to carry on. I've also poked down and it has a depth of approximately 90mm.
Do you have and product in mind that would be good for this? As there seems to be quite a lot on the market.
Once again, thank you for your time.

 

[Doghouse Riley]

Just get a bag of ready mixed mortar (or however many) that's all you need, nothing fancy and a bricklayer's float.
Brush out all the loose stuff, (the mortar was probably made with not enough cement). You only want this stuff, "sandcastle sand damp," you'll find it easy to spread and get level as it's not going to run away at that consistency.