Methods to fix skirting to solid wall other than screws & glue

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I know there's plenty of references to skirting after searching the word but there's too many to go through to see if the answer has already been given! Apologies for this.

Quite simply, other than using screws & raw plugs, is there some machine I can hire like a nail gun that will drive the nail effortlessly into solid (breeze block) wall?

I know there's plenty of nail guns for driving the nail into plasterboard and wood but just wondering if there's an accepted method for doing the same into solid wall?

Using just glue won't work because the walls are really not straight, a lot of pressure is needed!

I had bought some skirting that was already pre-painted but didn't consider that I may have to stick holes in them to put screws in. This will mean I have to paint it again myself after filling in the holes otherwise they will be noticeable :(

If there is such a device that, could you include a link to it so that I have an idea on the type and price?

Thanks very much and hope you can help.
 
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If you nail you will still need to fill and repaint. IMO nailing to breeze block is not very secure, screws or glue will be much more secure.
 
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Depending on what you mean by "breeze block" - to me it's an "aerated concrete block" looking something like a Cadbury Wispa chocolate bar inside. Some people refer to dense concrete blocks (looks more like a Rice Krispie cake) as breeze blocks

If it's an aerated concrete block wall, you should be able to use dabs of glue and a finishing nailer gun with two long nails driven in at 45 degree angles (away from each other) to hold in place while the glue sets- this is in response to your assertion that the wall is uneven and reasonable force will be required to hold the wood against the wall in places where there is a dip. You should only need to nail the dips.

Finish nailer nails are very thin and make a tiny hole in the face of the wood. Driving two nails (one angled forward, one angled backward) gives pull out resistance because a force pulling the skirting away from the wall will have to deform the nails to pull them out. Firing the nails in perpendicular to the skirting offer little pullout resistance as the blocks won't grip the nails at all. Larger fixings (concrete screws) offer better grip for perpendicular application but are more visible on the face of th skirting

Ps; don't use a finish nailer on a dense concrete block wall. A framing nailer probably won't cut it either, and will make a big mess
Use concrete screws sparingly (dips) if it is a dense block wall, and fill over the heads. Or use glue and a moveable weight to hold the skirting against the wall. Bear in mind that moisture changes over time may deform the skirting of its natural wood and it will likely overpower the glue and pull it off. Using engineered wood (mdf) skirting eliminates this warping, though mdf is far less water resistant than natural wood
 
Have you thought about twisted plugs? That is, removing mortar between every 3rd or 4th brick and hammering in widths of timber into the gap. Nails can then be put through the board and into this.

One of my first posts on the site talked about this and since then I've done all my boards that way.
 
Have you thought about twisted plugs? That is, removing mortar between every 3rd or 4th brick and hammering in widths of timber into the gap. Nails can then be put through the board and into this.
Works well on brick and stone - used it loads of times on listed building jobs (well, sometimes it is specified by the conservation wallah) - but I find it generally doesn't work on blockwork, often because either the mortar joint is too thin or the block isn't dense enough (i.e. it is too soft). And the OP did state that the wall is blockwork. Also, it requires a hatchet/axe to do the job well which maybe isn't such a common tool for folk to have these days.

In the absence of timber grounds I'd tend to go the way CJArd has stated - gobs of grab adhesive with opposed skewed pins. You can use a similar technique with Thermalite block, which is very soft, using a first fix gun, but it isn't advisable on heavier blockwork.
 
Works well on brick and stone - used it loads of times on listed building jobs (well, sometimes it is specified by the conservation wallah) - but I find it generally doesn't work on blockwork, often because either the mortar joint is too thin or the block isn't dense enough (i.e. it is too soft). And the OP did state that the wall is blockwork. Also, it requires a hatchet/axe to do the job well which maybe isn't such a common tool for folk to have these days.

In the absence of timber grounds I'd tend to go the way CJArd has stated - gobs of grab adhesive with opposed skewed pins. You can use a similar technique with Thermalite block, which is very soft, using a first fix gun, but it isn't advisable on heavier blockwork.

Good point -- I've no experience of building blocks so that's new information to me. I took the original skirting off in my living room and replaced using the same method. I actually enjoyed doing it this way, so much so I employed the same method in all the other rooms I replaced the old skirting.
 
I've used everbuild pinkgrip dryfix foam - only because I had it left over from fixing insulation boards. Does the job. Just make sure you give it full cure time (5 minutes) to it is not expanding when you put it on while is it setting. And put some supports on. I did this also because it was on the new internally insulated outside walls, so didn't want to start making loads of holes. Not the fastest way though, you need to be patient with the waiting bit ...
 

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