Gap between skirting floor and wooden floor

[NorthernLights811]

I've installed this new floor and used acoustic underlay (mutemat-3) and plywood below the wooden floor. The floorboards weren't changed and are quite old and crooked (in retrospect I should have changed them but wasn't guided to do so). Also, perimeter strip (a foamy strip) has been installed to hold the underlay and plywood together, so that raises the edges of the floor a little bit.
In certain parts of the flat there are gaps between the skirting and the floor, around 0.5cm maybe 1cm in other areas where heavy furniture are placed.
What do I do ? Put caulk in between?
I've put some pictures to show the normal floor as well.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Needs a flexible filler, such as silicon, not caulk, however the maximum I'd be happy with is 5mm. More gap than 2 or 3mm and I would probably have scribed to the floor (although TBH with a "wonky" floor I'd have smoothed things out first with either a layer of thin ply and/or some SLC before installing finished floor). I think the best and easiest thing you can do now is to install some quadrant moulding all round to cover the gaps

 

[NorthernLights811]

Thanks, I was reading about caulk and found out that it is indeed inflexible once it sets. I used mastic in some other areas to seal similar gaps, although not up and down, rather in between the skirting and floor (if you know what I mean).
I really wanted to stay away from beading, that's why I removed both skirtings and carpets when I did the floor, otherwise, I could have gotten away with just the carpet + beading.
The contractor I used said it would have been a very expensive job to raise the floorboards and level the floor, but I don't think he knew the implications of not doing so to let me know beforehand.

What if I stuffed it with mastic? I was thinking of giving it a try, but not sure about the end result.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Firstly, could we sort out terminology please? Caulk (as in decorators caulk) is often a flexible acrylic filler. Whilst it is paintable, it is more prone to cracking, but it also attracts dirt in the unpainted condition making it really unsuitable for most floor level sealing tasks where it will quickly become permanently grubby

Mastic, or at least the real one, is a resin obtained from the mastic tree, although construction mastis are more often derived from the resin of other trees or petrochemical equivalents these days. It is often padded out with some form of filler which can be cementitious or silica based giving a coarse surface finish in some cases. It is designed for exterior use and has limited flexibility. Common uses include weather sealing around door frames and window frames between the frames and masonry. It is generally not suitable for interior use

Silicone sealant is a flexible sealant which is spread (from a tube) in liquid form and needs time to set. It generally doesn't crack in service

Just trying to ensure you ask for the right stuff when you buy it (and BTW some manufacturers also play fast and loose with terminology just to confuse things)

TBH as a tradesman I would normally never exceed 5mm in a silicone bead simply becaude it always looks like a cover up for a cock-up. If you do need to exceed 5mm closed cell polythene "string" (for want of a better word) is available from decorator centres, etc to provide some backing support for the silicone bead. You'll probably also benefit from using silicone finger (Google "Kramer -Fugi") to get a good quality bead.

Did your contractor install the skirting? If not did he make you aware of how floor levelling could be achieved? Or failing that did anyone mention scribing the bottom edge of the skirting to the floor?

 

[NorthernLights811]

Wow, a lot of useful info, thanks for that!
Regarding terminology, we more or less agree. That's what the builder used to caulk the skirting boards: https://www.builderdepot.co.uk/evo-stik-decorators-caulk-white-380ml
And that's what I used as an acoustic sealant (mastic) to do the other bit I mentioned: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0012RLYJ6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I looked at the Cramer Fugi, nice piece of kit, I might buy it, it looks nice to have it in my toolbox anyway, I'm sure I'll use it somewhere (e.g. bathroom).

So the verdict is that I should go for closed-cell polythene and apply some silicon at the outside to make it look even with the skirting?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

If you must, yes. As a chippie I'd be tempted to pull the skirtings off and scribe to the floor, but I recognise that if they or the wall are already painted that's probably a no-no. It can be handy to have a decent caulking gun (not just a cheap skeleton gun) to get a consistent size bead of silicone and you'll need some kitchen roll to wipe off your silicone fingers (to remove the excess silicone). If you do get it wrong, dig the stuff out before it sets and reseal. It can take s bit of practice to become proficient

 

[NorthernLights811]

I'd do the same, I'm quite a perfectionist, but at my job (and I'm not a builder, closer to software development! ).
Walls are freshly painted, and skirting is screwed on wall etc, all done a few months ago, so I wouldn't re-do it.
Any guns that you can suggest from Builder Depot or Amazon that as per your experience are better? I've got a bare skeleton gun...£2.50 or so.
Also, any silicon type that you suggest? Many thanks!

 

[foxhole]

Interested to know what a foamy strip is and why it was required to hold the underlay to the floor .?

 

[NorthernLights811]

Interested to know what a foamy strip is and why it was required to hold the underlay to the floor .?

It's these:
https://www.ikoustic.co.uk/products/floor/perimeter-flanking-band-fb8
https://www.insulationsuperstore.co...MImumR49Cs6QIVVZ3VCh2-XQkTEAQYBSABEgJGHPD_BwE
https://www.heatdirect.co.uk/edge-i...MI3LX9x9Cs6QIVGKd3Ch2KZQS_EAQYASABEgKZoPD_BwE

Basically it absorbs the vibrations that travel through the walls. It was highly recommended by most suppliers for better performance.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I use a Tajima Convoy gun (Japanese) these days, but both Cox (British) and Ox do heavy duty guns which are good for many years providing you grease the centre rod before putting them away at the end of the job

As for silicone - Dow Corning is always reliable. For areas where moisture can be encountered (such as floors - spills, mopping, wet shoes, etc) sanitary silicone, which contains an anti-funga, is preferable. I try to avoid neutral cure on the grounds that it smells quite strongly of vinegar