Plastering and skirting boards

[Kirsten]

I hope someone can help, do I need to remove the skirting boards and picture rails prioir to having the walls plastered?

thanks in advance for your help

 

[roughcaster]

If it's a skimming job that you're getting done Kirsten, I would leave them on. It would be ideally perfect for the plasterer to have them all off and out of the way, but you can do a lot of damage to the walls, and to the skirtings/picture rails etc themselves by removing them, especially if they are original and are going to be put back on again...... Different if you are going to replace them all with new stuff... If not, I'd leave them on.

Roughcaster.

 

[Peadee]

I agree. It's ok to leave them on and will also make the job easier for the plasterer cos the areas he has to cover are smaller. The downsides are that the plaster may obscure the edge of the Dado/Picture rail if it is very fine and also, if you ever want to change it in the future, you will need to have the plastering done again. The skirting boards should be no problem.

 

[noseall]

It's ok to leave them on and will also make the job easier for the plasterer cos the areas he has to cover are smaller.

er, no. it will not make the job easier, but a lot harder and will only seek to prolong the plastering.

you are increasing the wipeable margins by 3 fold.

he cannot have absolute freedom with his trowel.

nothing but a nuisance for the spread.

a plasterer would rather have a flat wall then one that is the same size but occupied mainly by a patio door, for example.

 

[roughcaster]

I think everybody would agree that it would be perfect not to have any skirtings,dado's,picture rails etc in the way, just clear walls, but if you went to a house with original 100 year old plus skirtings etc and the occupant said, is there anything you want me to do, to get the room ready before you skim, and the plasterer said, "yes, remove all the skirtings, picture rails etc", although that is the correct way foreward, most people would not be prepared to go to this extent, and also considerable expense, with the added risk of damage to the walls and the woodwork itself.

Roughcaster.

 

[Kirsten]

Thanks for your help. You are correct, we have a 100 year old house and I was concerned about taking them off and then either replacing them or putting them back on


We are having our very uneven walls skimmed so your advice is really useful

thanks
Kirsten

 

[noseall]

i agree entirely with what you are saying rough, but my response was to the question of - "the area is now smaller, so will it be quicker......."

the uninitiated don't realise about obstacles, reveals, plug sockets, windows etc.

if i were plastering two opposing walls in a room of identical size - one completely flat and the other had a large patio door installed almost filling the wall. the clear wall would be easier and quicker to plaster even though there was less wall area to skim.

some would even argue that it should cost less because of the lack of plaster-able area.

 

[roughcaster]

Tell me about it Nose',,,,, I agree 100%. We've been stripping paper in our kitchen all day, and the bigger, clear areas of walls were no problem, but as you said, the smaller areas above the window/doors, reveals, above the cupboards, underneath the small breakfast bar.. all very time consuming, the same with plastering/building/tiling, even stripping wallpaper. Smaller fiddly work is always slower, and the lack of plasterable/tileable etc areas should make no difference to the overall cost of a job, it is still very much, sometimes even more labour intensive than the straight forward job. Size is not everything.

Roughcaster.

 

[Peadee]

I agree with you chaps mostly but, we are not talking about tiny areas here or corners or reveals. It's flat areas above and below a rail.
It's a 100 year old house. Take off the rails and they won't be straight anymore and therefore won't be easily refitted if at all. Leave them, skim round them, nice and tidy. More work yes, but a more satisfactory result will follow. The dowside is that the skim may obscure the profile of the rail if it is very thin on it's bottom edge.

 

[roughcaster]

That's the one and only reason I would leave them on too. I've never had anybody remove them just to skim, unless they were putting on new ones.

Roughcaster.