Attaching MDF Skirting - what technique would you use?

[Temmy]

Hey folks,

I'm working on the skirting in my house and need to decide how to attach it to the wall. Couple of questions:

- I've spotted a few recommendations around here about using foam adhesive (low expansion, like Dow Insta Stik), however a lot of my walls bow in the middle, which brings the skirting away from the ends:

If I press on both ends, it bends to become more flush. Do you think foam adhesive will be strong enough to keep it attached to the wall? Should I be using mechanical fixings as well?

 

[Tigercubrider]

A dollop of gripfill and a couple of heavy tool boxes against it might work.
Or long bits of timber across the room overnight.
MDF will bend within reason.

you could use a screw at each end

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Agreed - MDF will bend quite well. I'm trade, so I generally do it the City & Guilds way - grip adhesive and 16 gauge pins (from a 2nd fix nailer). The pins are only there to hold the skirting board in place whilst the grip adhesive cures, nothing more. You can substitute tool boxes, weights, concrete blocks, or even "go bars" (thin bits of timber running from one side of the room to the other), in fact anything you have to hold the skirtings in place whilst the glue cures, but if you don't fancy stepping gingerly over/round the temporary "clamps" at this time of year, when it can take 24 hours for grip adhesive to go off, then low-expansion fixing foam does make a lot of sense as it goes off in 20 to 40 minutes (at which point you can remove the trip hazards)

One tip I will give you is to get some Mitre Mate (or similar) 2-part adhesive and glue all your outside mitres together before you install them. This keeps your skirting corners square and therefore upright at the corners.

Also, before installing skirting check the bottom of the walls for plumbness. Plasterers often start their stroke at the bottom of the wall which can mean the plaster is a bit thicker at the bottom than further up (leading to top edge gaps on installed skirting boards). You can often compensate for this by planing/rasping some of the bottom of the skirting away at the back to get a tighter fit to the wall. On really bad thick plastered walls I've sometimes had to resort to pencil marking where the top of the skirting is expected to go, then "adjusting" the bottom of the plasterwork with a lump hammer and electrician's bolster before now. Not ideal, but gets the job done and it is never seen

 

[foxhole]

Hold in place with weight while it goes off, bucket of water or full tins of paint can be used.

 

[Deleted member 292770]

I use toolstation multi stik. if the wall bows out in the middle your mitres will hold the ends in place . if the wall bows in in the middle i pin it with a masonry nail until the adhesive is set.

 

[Notch7]

I generally do it the City & Guilds way

I’d thought that would be cut clasps and a lump hammer

I bet you’ve still got a Yankee somewhere in the shed -I’ve wrecked a few door linings with one of those

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I’d thought that would be cut clasps and a lump hammer

Sounds brutal, but works a treat when some dopey spread has made a hash of it. When I was doing my C&Gs there was no grip adhesive (I think) and there wer cartainly no nail guns othre than the ones that worked like a gun (Ramset, Tornado, etc). And today we still use cut nails on some flooring jobs because they are better than ovals or gunned nails...

I bet you’ve still got a Yankee somewhere in the shed -I’ve wrecked a few door linings with one of those

A "Yankee"? Singular? You poor dear! I still have five of them. All different sizes, all in working order

 

[vala]

Foam adhesive and use a second fix gun is what I do with skirting against plasterboard.
Plug and screws with foam adhesive against solid walls.

 

[Temmy]

I went with simply bracing / holding the skirting in place, and the Dow Insta Stik foam set brilliantly. No need for nails or mechanical fixing at all. Fantastic stuff.