do you leave a gap between skirting and floorboards?

[compact]

we are about to fit skirting boards to newly plastered walls. should we leave a gap between the bottom of the skirting and the floorboards or not? why is there a gap at the bottom of some skirting and not others?
is there something you can put in the gap to keep draughts out while we decide whether to get carpet or not??

 

[noseall]

NO GAP.

fit the skirting boards snug to the floor boards.

 

[compact]

OK

But what happens if you want to re-lay a carpet, is it hard or messier to fit without the gap to tuck under the ends of the carpet?

I heard if you lay a floor on top of the boards, they sometimes spread a little, which is where the gap comes in useful?

I'd rather not do a gap as I'm sure handling a3mtr skirting board will be hard enough on my own.

 

[Deluks]

Carpet fits against the skirting, not under. If laying a laminate type floor you should always leave a gap between the new floor and the skirting, it should not touch or go under skirting boards. You can then use beading to cover this gap if need be.

 

[sigibbons]

Deluks: When fitting a new wooden floor and new skirting boards, the correct way to do this is to lay the floor leaving around a 10-15mm gap all round the walls then the skirting butts down onto the floor coving the gap.

Its looks messy IMO if you use beading/quadrant etc.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Deluks: When fitting a new wooden floor and new skirting boards, the correct way to do this is to lay the floor leaving around a 10-15mm gap all round the walls then the skirting butts down onto the floor coving the gap.

Its looks messy IMO if you use beading/quadrant etc.

Deluks was assuming the laminate was being retro fitted, in which case you'd leave a gap as he said. The OP want's to fit skirtings before deciding on the floor finish, if he then decides on laminate, how's he gonna get the laminate under the skirting?

 

[Deluks]

Well spotted.
Well I'd leave the skirting until I'd made my bloody mind up

 

[compact]

I've made my bleedin mind up as far as
It's either Carpet or bare floor boards (already painted, by someone years ago).

So it's skirting boards sitting on the floorboards.
cheers

 

[noseall]

So it's skirting boards sitting on the floorboards.
cheers

yup.

 

[cravenbiker]

im refurbing a flat at the moment and i have concrete floors
i have removed the skiring in one rooom as i wanted to put the skirting straight onto the laminate so to irradicate the need for beading/ quadrant.

has anyone tried to take skirting off that has been glossed and frefit after a light sanding and clean up of glue from the back?

Is there any downsides to this, ideally i would start with the skirting from scratch but i cant afford 40 meters of new skirting..

discuss!

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