Attaching skirting boards

[macadonald]

Hi guys,

Quick one re skirting boards. As all the rooms have been stripped back and replastered, I have exposed floor boards. I've now bought some new MDF moulded skirting boards, which I need to attach.

1. do I leave a gap between the skirting and the floor boards for the carpet to tuck under OR do the skirtings sit directly on the floor boards. I seem to recall coming accross both situations over the years when lifting carpets. Sometimes they are simply butted up against the skirting boards and sometimes they go under.

2. with mdf, can I assume that grip fill with a few screws and rawl plugs are good for mdf and lastly some flexible polyfilla or decorators caulk?

Thanks

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Just sit the skirts on top of the floor, there may be a little variation in floor levels so keep an eye out for that.
I'm not a big fan of gripfill or no nails on skirts I prefer to plug and screw them, then any gaps deco caulk, unless really big then may need to fill out.

 

[paulsheldon7]

I've always had trouble with grip-fill and similar, they never seem to work properly

 

[festive]

+1 for Screw and plug, i've applied many lengths of skirting in my newest house to speed up the work using gripfill no more nails etc that have just fallen away from wall. Now i have to redo the same job properly..or stick it back on to last maybe another year!

 

[paulsheldon7]

+1 for Screw and plug, i've applied many lengths of skirting in my newest house to speed up the work using gripfill no more nails etc that have just fallen away from wall. Now i have to redo the same job properly..or stick it back on to last maybe another year!

Exactly my problem.. in worst cases, use plugs but even then simply old fashioned way works best

 

[ban-all-sheds]

1. do I leave a gap between the skirting and the floor boards for the carpet to tuck under

You can.

It's not usually done, but IMO the carpet looks so much better than if it butts up against skirting. It also makes decorating easier - you can slip a piece of cardboard under the skirting to protect the carpet when you paint.

Pop over to the flooring forum, and ask what sort of gap you should leave.

 

[maltaron]

I find masonry nails work well, and easier to fill than screws. But if the walls are uneven then screws and plugs can pull the skirting against the wall. When cottage bumping in the 60's and 70's we used cut nails into breeze blocks on inner walls and the brickies put breeze bricks along the skirting line in structural walls.

 

[paulsheldon7]

Any advice when fitting skirting boards onto blocks?

 

[tony1851]

Any advice when fitting skirting boards onto blocks?

As malatron, use cut nails - being cut from sheet steel, they have irregular but sharp edges which grip block far better than the smooth wire nails.

Masonry nails are OK to a point, but there has to be somewhere for the nail to go and some bricks don't take them easily.

Screwing probably best, and it gives you some leeway for packing if the wall is in and out, though you've got bigger holes to filll.

There's also the traditional way of using taper wedges cut on the twist and driven into the vertical joints (cut out first with a plugging chisel) but it's difficult to cut the wedges correctly.

 

[paulsheldon7]

Any advice when fitting skirting boards onto blocks?

As malatron, use cut nails - being cut from sheet steel, they have irregular but sharp edges which grip block far better than the smooth wire nails.

Masonry nails are OK to a point, but there has to be somewhere for the nail to go and some bricks don't take them easily.

Screwing probably best, and it gives you some leeway for packing if the wall is in and out, though you've got bigger holes to filll.

There's also the traditional way of using taper wedges cut on the twist and driven into the vertical joints (cut out first with a plugging chisel) but it's difficult to cut the wedges correctly.

Thanks i'll try that, I am and the end of my tether, having tried even the large window bracket screws, the boards just pull away from the wall because of the strength of the boards

I was even thinking of using some of those hollow skirting boards like these

http://www.skirtingboards.com/pvcu-skirting-boards/white-pvcu-over-skirting-boards-5m-lengths.html

 

[conny]

Are the boards pulling away because of a large dip in the wall? I had that trouble in a house I once owned and a joiner advised me to put some saw cuts into the back of the board to allow it to flex easier. Just make sure you don't cut all the way through. Any saw cuts visible along the top edge can be filled and sanded prior to painting.

 

[paulsheldon7]

Are the boards pulling away because of a large dip in the wall? I had that trouble in a house I once owned and a joiner advised me to put some saw cuts into the back of the board to allow it to flex easier. Just make sure you don't cut all the way through. Any saw cuts visible along the top edge can be filled and sanded prior to painting.

Thanks for reply. No, they are new walls and fresh top quality blocks. but for some reason the boards just seem to come away and pull the screws out of the blocks!

 

[mfarrow]

Gaps are useful if you are going to have the boards up at any point and want to avoid the edges fraying. Our carpet fitter said 1/4" from floor and then same from board to the gripper.

My preferred fixing method is 6mm hole all the way through to brick then bash 3" screw & red plug in till ~1" left protruding, tighten up and fill holes/paint. Like frame fixers but cheaper!

I've put another screw directly underneath the securing screw on older walls for setting the board off from the wall to keep the board upright. Prevents unnecessary gap filling/plastering.