Attaching skirting baords

[pennelldj]

Hi Guys, wonder if you can help me, I have recently had the walls replastered and in doing so I removed the skirting baords and have replacment ones ready to go.

However the plasters havent plastered below the level of the old skirting baords therfore I now have a lip where the old skirt board was so I have no flat surface to attach the skirting to.

My other problem is the old skirting was nailed into the concrete walls whats the bets way to affix the skirting to the walls that are concrete? ie hwo to i go about it? do i have do get raw plugs etc? i havent much experience in drilling and afixing wood to conrete.

Thanks for your help

 

[JohnD]

You could screw a timber batten to the wall, and fix your skirting to that. The batten can be packed out or shaved down to give a straight surface. You can also use a gap-filling glue like Gripfill but the old wall needs to be clean and dust-free.

One batten 18mm up from the floor, and one lined up with the bottom of the plaster, will be right. You may find if the plaster is uneven that you have to do a bit of filling with the top one. But the skirting should then fit on easily and only needs a few small countersunk screws to hod it to the battens.

You may need to use quite large plugs and screws to hold the batten to the wall, but that does not matter as they will not show.

If there is a draught round the floorboards where they have a gap at the wall, you can use a foam filler between the floor and the bottom batten. Again, it will not show, because the skirting, when attached, will hide it.

You can fix things to the walls using a masonry drill and plastic plugs. You will find these in any DIY shop. The bigger plugs need a bigger drill. I mostly use brown plugs for everything but red ones would do for this job.

Even a cheapish rechargable electric drill would do for a few holes like this, though they would be a bit weak for any major capentry, they are handy for light jobs like curtain rails and shelf brackets.

 

[pennelldj]

Thanks John

I read about the batten method but there isnt a big enough gap, so ill probably have to skim it with mortar then fix the skirting to it with plugs like you mentioned my worry is that the plus will pull away out of the masonary - are the masonary drill bits the silver ones? i apologise for my lack of knowledge.

 

[JohnD]

masonry bits can be recognised by a flat piece of very hard material (Tungsten carbide) welded into the tip.

they are often painted silver.

they will drill brick or concrete

they are no good for drilling timber like the skirting boards.

 

[pennelldj]

No I was going to use the masonary drill bit on the wood I was going to use it to drill into the concrete behind the skirting

 

[noseall]

any decent sds drill armed with a 7mm masonry bit will pi$$ through both wood and masonry.

first countersink the skirting board, bang the drill through, pop in a brown plug then screw in a twin start, 3", 10.

use shaped off cuts of skirting to form the spacers.

if you are going to stain the skirts then you will need to drill 'n' dowell with pre-cut timber plugs.

 

[pennelldj]

first countersink the skirting board, bang the drill through, pop in a brown plug then screw in a twin start, 3", 10?

Can you explain this bit a little? im a noice

 

[markie]

first countersink the skirting board, bang the drill through, pop in a brown plug then screw in a twin start, 3", 10?

Can you explain this bit a little? im a noice

counter sink - use an counter sink bit http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Tool-Shop/Countersink-Bits

bang the drill through as in the mace bit will go through wood.

plugs =
http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/280pc-Screw-Wall-Plug-Asst-61273-Draper-HW7?sc=9&category=1047



and 3" 10 is the size of thr screws.

 

[pennelldj]

Thanks Markie for that - is there any particular plug that i need for the masonary wall?

 

[noseall]

Thanks Markie for that - is there any particular plug that i need for the masonary wall?

brown ones.

 

[JohnD]

You can fix things to the walls using a masonry drill and plastic plugs. You will find these in any DIY shop. The bigger plugs need a bigger drill. I mostly use brown plugs for everything but red ones would do for this job.

... pop in a brown plug ...

different sizes (and types) are different colours, you see.

 

[pennelldj]

Ahhhh I see - cool thanks guys,

 

[pennelldj]

Could i be a pain in the A$$ and ask someone to send me a link to the correct screws on screfix? - I think I know what to do now but just looking at the screws not sure which one, should they be wood or masionary ones?

Cheers

 

[JohnD]

screws that go into plasplugs are ordinary woodscrews. You want contersunk ones. Go and have a look in the DIY sheds if you need to familiarise yourself with screws.

 

[pennelldj]

Cheers JohnD