Draughty floor

[con1_uk]

Hi, posted before about this.

Just have a couple more questions please.

We had a laminate floor ages ago that got damaged when the fridge leaked so we had LVT fitted, now the LVT is a lot thinner than the laminate which meant the skirts now hover above the floor and it creates a draught in the Winter. I have the decorator coming tomorrow so I have removed all the skirts and I am going to get him to paint the walls low down and I will refit the skirts when he has done but I need to fill the gaps between the floor and the wall. What’s the best stuff to use please considering I don’t want to damage the LVT with foam etc.

Question 2, what’s a good product for refixing the skirts back to the wall please, want to avoid drilling etc if poss.

Thanks all.

 

[John D v2.0]

Big gaps, foam but don't overdo it, and trim it off flush. You can always masking tape plastic sheets to the floor

 

[John D v2.0]

Sorry didn't finish my post last night, you can always tape sheets if you're worried about mess. And if you have a small shallow gap then some cheap caulk would do.

 

[Lower]

Its normal to use the skirting boards to bridge the gap between the walls and the floors and for the decorator to decorate with them in place.

 

[phatboy]

Expanding foam is your best friend here. Protect the floor with wide masking tape.

Then fit the skirting, and then get the decorator in. If not, he may end up creating a little bit of a bell shape to the bottom of the wall, then you end up planing out the back of the skirting, or having a big gap along the top. And anyway, the top edge needs caulking, which gets covered by the cutting in.

 

[JohnD]

To make the foam stick well, clean around the gap and mist with water to dampen it immediately before applying foam.

If you have not used foam before, it expands more than you think, and is intensely sticky. Mask the floor and wall with clingfilm and tape. Do not touch the foam with fingers or tools until set hard. Have a box of disposable gloves and change them the moment you get foam on them.

I use pink fire foam for gaps like that

To make the surface of foam harden quickly, mist it with water. This cures the stickiness.

When refixing your skirtings, use countersunk screws into plasplugs. Not nails which may make lumps of plaster fall off. If you are having varnished wooden skirting you can use brass screws.