How to finish this skirting around pipes?

[JP_]

I could leave it after painting, but wondering if a better way.

 

[blup]

Leave as is if it ends there, otherwise take back to either side of pipes to get a clean run of skirting: paint pipes, people get over exercised about pipes on display, when often they’re less intrusive than boxing in

Blup

 

[JP_]

Yeah, not boxing in, we need the heat in the room.

I've stuffed insulation around them, so no drafts can get through from below, but still a hole on top. I think we can live with that.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Ideally you should have made up a one piece top for that boxed in skirting, accurately drilled two holes in it for the pipes, then carefully cut out the back using a jig saw so that you could fit the two pieces tightly around the pipes. You'd need to add some sort of support to hold the pieces, but I'd have expected to build a lightweight (2 x 1in lath?) frame beneath the boxing in any case, so it wouldn't be a problem.

BTW, mitred inside skirting corners?

 

[justigator]

BTW, mitred inside skirting corners?

Just doing a refurb on partner's flat and for the first time I've tried scribing rather than mitre-ing the internal corners on the skirting. Results are OK but in my view no better and no worse than mitre-ing (mitring?). Both still need a bit of caulk afterwards. Is that normal or am I just rubbish with a coping saw?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Just doing a refurb on partner's flat and for the first time I've tried scribing rather than mitre-ing the internal corners on the skirting. Results are OK but in my view no better and no worse than mitre-ing (mitring?). Both still need a bit of caulk afterwards. Is that normal or am I just rubbish with a coping saw?

The purpose of the scribe is to minimise the joint opening up as the material acclimatises to the house - an internal mitre can open up, even with MDF (albeit mostly to a lesser extent than mitres in softwood). An inside corner mitre can open and close like an accordion, depending on the season, in some houses, meaning that caulk can't fix it.

In terms of coping saws, a lot of the saws and blades on the market these days, including the modern Eclipse, are absolute rubbish. The best modern frame I've come across was an Irwin, which held a good tension (although it was a few years back) although it was awkward to adjust the blade angle. Best blades by far are by Pegas, which run rings around most orher blades (sharp teeth, decent set, durable, stiff)

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

still need a bit of caulk

Caulk you say, we have an expert on that.

 

[JP_]

BTW, mitred inside skirting corners?

I really don't understand anything about this, i just cut it so it almost fits!

 

[foxhole]

I would have boxed across to door frame , neater than the chicane you have at the moment and doesn’t need to be that deep , just enough for pipes .

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You start by cutting on piece square, and a mitre on the other piece (which is left over length). The mitre edge is highlighted by running the edge of a pencil up and down the front edge of the mitre. The coping saw is used to remove the waste by sawing tight to the pencil line. ideally you need to apply a few degrees of back bevel to the cut as opposed to cutting square to the front face of the material as this will accommodate slightly out of square corners

 

[Wayners]

A good chippy would cut skirting like this
Yeah, I did have to think about how to fill this. Not much hope.
Sorry. Just wanted to share and not adding anything to thread.

Skirting looks tidy in above picture.

 

[robinbanks]

So that's how caulk is supposed to be used

 

[JP_]

I would have boxed across to door frame , neater than the chicane you have at the moment and doesn’t need to be that deep , just enough for pipes .

Yeah, was going to be a bit smaller, but then I found a couple of bits of wood I could use so that's the size!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I would have boxed across to door frame , neater than the chicane you have at the moment and doesn’t need to be that deep , just enough for pipes .

Personal opinion but I think what he has now looks better.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

A good chippy would cut skirting like this

I've obviously been getting it wrong for years...