Getting Twin and Earth past the skirting boards

[fex10]

I was at the vets today and the place is being rewired, and I see that they've pulled the twin and earth past the skirting boards without removing or cutting the skirting boards. You know, to get the cable from under the floor board to above the skirting board where it is then chased in the wall to the socket.

From what i can see, but I'm not certain, they've taken a long SDS drill bit and drilled at an angle from the wall above the skirting board towards the floor. It won't be directly down because the drill wont clear the wall to be at 90 degrees.

Is this the way it's done?

 

[Iggifer]

Thats one way to do it. You'd be surprised though, with a long (~400mm drill bit) and a nice wide chase in the plaster, you can get your drill pretty much flat to the wall.

You can also use an angled chasing bit, but chances are you will still need to drill the floorboards afterwards - unless of course you're just going to lift them anyway

 

[fex10]

Whats the best way of getting the cables past the skirts?

 

[Iggifer]

If the skirts are staying, that's the method I prefer. You just gotta be careful not to rub the drill bit on the top of the skirt and make a nice semi circular burn in the top of it.

The BEST way, is to remove the skirting board altogether!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Whats the best way of getting the cables past the skirts?

When they are busy on the phone or booking owners & their pets in for their appointments?

I know, I know....

 

[flyingsparks]

I got one of these back along, very good bit of kit for getting behind skirting or coving.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/armeg-sds-plus-skirting-board-chisel-20mm/15097

 

[fex10]

Awesome with teh skirt chisel! What about for cutting socket holes?

 

[Iggifer]

I just use a good ol' fashioned flat chisel bit + SDS

 

[flyingsparks]

Awesome with teh skirt chisel! What about for cutting socket holes?

I also have the armeg box sinker. It is expensive but does quite a good job of making a nice tidy hole providing the wall isn't too hard. Not tried it on brick but block is fine.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You'd be surprised though, with a long (~400mm drill bit) and a nice wide chase in the plaster, you can get your drill pretty much flat to the wall.

Use a 1m long bit and it's even better.

 

[Iggifer]

You'd be surprised though, with a long (~400mm drill bit) and a nice wide chase in the plaster, you can get your drill pretty much flat to the wall.

Use a 1m long bit and it's even better.

I'm pretty short!!

 

[RF Lighting]

Yep either a meter long drill bit, or a strategically bent piece of threaded rod can be hammered down behind the skirt. The same works on coving if you're careful.

 

[Iggifer]

Yep either a meter long drill bit, or a strategically bent piece of threaded rod can be hammered down behind the skirt. The same works on coving if you're careful.

Coving is a MUCH riskier business! I prefer to multitool a section out (assuming the client/site manager etc is ok with it) gotta be easier to patch two little joints than a massive great crack should things go wrong

 

[skenk]

Aside from the appearance, cracks in old cornice aren't really a problem as they are held together with fiber (horsehair?), in fact you will be hard-pushed to find a tenement flat in Glasgow with original cornice which ISN'T cracked/repaired somewhere. The main risk of ancient lath & plaster ceilings is when areas of lath become detached from the plaster, but this will manifest at first as cracks across the surface of the ceiling.

It's easy enough to repair straight cornices but nigh on impossible for non-straight/decorative ones (unless you're a talented sculptor I suppose) without making a mould and replacing a section. Filling a crack with caulk is easier again than repairing gaps in a straight cornice, imo.

I'm talking late 1800's builds here.