Best way to fit skirting

E

ennisjim

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Hi,

I need to fit red deal skirting to new build. I will be painting off-white. There is quite a lot to fit and would like to go about it in the most painless way. I had considered using adhesive of some sort but suspect boards might be hard to remove if needed in the future. So I'm leaning towards steel nails. Is there a preferred size/shape for the nail and can I rent an electric/pneumatic gun to help do the job ?

Also what is best way and what are the best tools to do a good job on the 45degree corners ?
 
I'd go with screwing (I know a lot of drilling) especially as you mention painting and even removal at some time. Nailing can cause cracks to the skirting and walls.

When fitting skirting lay the board along the section of wall that you're fitting it to and check for gaps underneath along the floor and behind along the wall, you should try to place a screw/nail at theses points to get a better fit.

Fit one end and then use a meter long piece to use as a lever (lay it on the top edge of the skirting and at right angles to the wall, kneel/step on it for inwards & downwards pressure) to fill the gaps.

You should get a decent coping saw - tiny blade to shape the designed area around the corner cuts.
 
Ya screwing is best. If the wall has a slight bow the screws will close the gap between the skirting and wall the best. If you have a timber framed wall there isn't that much drilling into blocks.
If nailing option is used (steel nails), you might damage the skirting by missing the nails with the hammer etc. if your aim is as consistent as mine.
 
Pee said:
You should get a decent coping saw - tiny blade to shape the designed area around the corner cuts.
Click to expand...

Definitely a coping saw gives a good finish for all internal corners, especially in the cases whee corners are not square.

Best method is to cut one skirting board square and place it into the corner. Then cut the other at 45 degrees with a chop saw. Then cut down along the line of the front face of the board , where the 45 degree face is , with the coping saw as this line is 100% perfect. May sound a bit tricky, if its not fully understood , I will try and post a cad detail.

sabre
 
Hi sabre, cad detail would be much appreciated. I think I know what you're getting at but I'm not sure.
 
This article has all you need to know, including the coping of internal corners on the second page.
Leo
 
ennisjim said:
Hi,

I need to fit red deal skirting to new build. I will be painting off-white. There is quite a lot to fit and would like to go about it in the most painless way.
Click to expand...

Ennisjim, why use red deal if you are going to paint them. I have done this job recently, and used mdf skirting. It comes in long lengths (over 5m), so you do not have as many joins in the middle of a long wall. It is more flexible than Red Deal, - important if your walls are not exactly true. It cuts more easily than red deal. And it gives a superb finish when painted. It is available in a couple of profiles and heights from Chadwicks, and probably from any other builders providers. Costs a little more, though!
 
Thanks guys for the useful link. The external corner instructions are very good but I'm afraid I can't follow those for internal corners. In particular the steps for the second board cut (supposedly covered by figs 11, 12, 13) are not clear to me. Can someone please explain these steps. Thanks
 
In order to do the cut with the coping saw, proceed as follows.

First cut the board at an angle of 45 degrees. With the board placed face up on a bench, the short angle of the mitre should be on the moulded face of the skirting, and the long angle of the mitre should be on the back face of the skirting, that is the face in contact with the bench.

If you look closely at the mitre on the face of the skirting board, you should be able to trace your finger along the front face of the cut. This is the line of the cut that you will follow with the coping saw blade at an agle of 90 degrees to the face of the board. Start at the top edge of the skirting board and work towards the bottom edge.

If its still unclear, I,ll do the cad tomorrow

sabre
 
Picture number 4 , cutting profiles, is the way you will be using the coping saw. The reason you will cut at 45 first , is to give you the line to follow when you are using the coping saw. Basically by cutting at 45 , you will not need to draw the skirting profile on the board, as you will have the 45 degree line to follow instead.

Hopefully its a bit clearer now

sabre
 
Ennisjim, don't worry if you don't understand... I have found that 'scribing' internal corners of skirting boards is one of the most difficult things to explain in words... just keep checking back here and looking on Google, eventually someone will have a good explanation with drawings.

It is easy to understand if you saw a finished joint, just very difficult to explain.

You should use straight forward miters on all external corners.. and the 'scribed' joints on all internal corners... the internal corners should be done with the scribe facing away from the doorway as this will be less noticeable if the scribing isn't perfect.

Also any joins in the skirting along (straight) long walls should be done in such a way that you aren't looking 'into' the join when you enter the room, in other words the join should face away from you. (Joins on long walls should be cut at 45 degress, not square, called 'splicing')

Finally you should really consider the order in which you are attaching the skirting before starting.. this can help in preventing having two scribed ends on one length for example, so do a simple drawing of the room and draw in each piece and number it from 1 upwards... as you draw you can see if you will have any problems... I wouldn't recommend just whacking up some skirting and working clockwise around the room, sometimes a bit of thought beforehand can save time afterwards... you sometimes would attach some skirting to one wall, then a totally different wall, then you skirt the wall between the two previous. (This may not seem natural, some people may just work around the walls in a circle but this can cause some difficulties)

Cheers
Joe
 
Hi Joe,
Thanks for all the helpful details. The order of fitting of boards hadn't occurred to me, and neither had the splicing idea. I feel well equipped to have a go now - after a bit of practice in out of the way places of course, eg. inside walkin-wardrobe :)
 
JoeBallantin said:
....

Finally you should really consider the order in which you are attaching the skirting before starting.. this can help in preventing having two scribed ends on one length for example, so do a simple drawing of the room and draw in each piece and number it from 1 upwards... as you draw you can see if you will have any problems... I wouldn't recommend just whacking up some skirting and working clockwise around the room, sometimes a bit of thought beforehand can save time afterwards... you sometimes would attach some skirting to one wall, then a totally different wall, then you skirt the wall between the two previous. (This may not seem natural, some people may just work around the walls in a circle but this can cause some difficulties)

Cheers
Joe
Click to expand...

I'll add you should consider which sections are likely need to be removed for access to something like wiring or plumming in the future.
 
One last thing... Is it feasible for a DIYer to use some sort of power nailing tool to nail skirting onto block/plastered wall ? Can such things be rented ?
 
Sorry aircobra19 I don't understand. My thinking was to speed up the process and to do it better. I am not expecting to use screws so I was wondering if a nail gun would be a good idea for driving the steel nails. I have had variable results with plain old hammer and steel nails in the past and would like to avoid hacking the skirting.
 
ennisjim said:
Sorry aircobra19 I don't understand. My thinking was to speed up the process and to do it better. I am not expecting to use screws so I was wondering if a nail gun would be a good idea for driving the steel nails. I have had variable results with plain old hammer and steel nails in the past and would like to avoid hacking the skirting.
Click to expand...

Nail gun + steel nails + red deal = very poor job in my opinion.
 
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