Sealing gap under skirting

[BuddyHolly9]

I recently ripped up my carpet in preparation for a new one. I noticed a few carpet beetle larvae.

I caught most of them but one escaped under a gap in the skirting board. There is about 3mm gap between the bottom of the skirting and the floorboard.

I was wondering if sealing under the skirting is a good or bad idea. Is a gap handy to let the room breathe a bit, or would closing it eliminate a way for the larvae to hide.

It's probably worth noting that the house is a modern, timber frame, brick outside, plasterboard inside affair and I am going to have large ikea wardrobes against the wall where the skirting would be potentially sealed. Thanks!

 

[blup]

You could scribe the skirting to get it level, there will still be a small gap.

 

[dazlight]

Won’t you be taking the skirting off for your wardrobes to fit flush to the wall.

 

[Diver Fred]

You could always fit beading (Scotia, concave or Quadrant, convex) along the skirting - press it tight to the skirting but fix to the floor.

With having bugs wandering around it may be a good idea to treating anything you use with wood preserver first.

 

[JohnD]

You can fill the gap with white silicone sealant. If you are painting the skirting white it will not be noticeable.

For carpet beetle you can use an insecticide spray first. I think it is the same as used for clothes moth. Hoover a lot to get them out.

 

[robinbanks]

Is a gap handy to let the room breathe a bit

Uncontrolled ventilation in buildings is generally regarded as a ooor idea..

..but if your house is a modern timber frame it should have been constructed to a better air tightness standard than a draughty old Victorian pile anyway, so "room breathing" should be done by something better* than a chance hole under the skirting

*like an MEV, PIV or MVHR

 

[Wayners]

Low tack masking tape along skirting to keep it clean and use a Polymer mastic to fill.Then pull masking.
Use multi solve like you would water with caulk to smooth off or clean polymer.
You can paint polymer and will last Vs silicone.

Gap was made under skirting with packers to ride out any floor level problems. It's common.
I'm convinced having seen 100s of houses that the gap was originally made to tuck the carpet under, although many say different.

There are other products like foam nuddles designed to fill gap prior to mastic

 

[BuddyHolly9]

Won’t you be taking the skirting off for your wardrobes to fit flush to the wall.

Thanks, that's a good point. I was wondering if I should leave the skirting boards to give a bit of an air gap to help with mold as I am putting them against an outside wall?

 

[BuddyHolly9]

I want to say thanks for all the replies here folks. Really appreciate it. Been off the forum due to some family issues but it's made me well please to see the replies - as I say thanks all.

All great comments, and I totally get the point that letting it breathe by accidental gap is not the purpose. The treatment for the bugs has been applied twice (OCD) and I aint seen any of the buggers.

 

[robinbanks]

Thanks, that's a good point. I was wondering if I should leave the skirting boards to give a bit of an air gap to help with mold as I am putting them against an outside wall?

No. Insulation, heating, controlled ventilation and modifying behaviour to reduce moisture generation in a house are used to prevent black mold. Leaving draughty holes all over the place is more a problem than a solution (and admits creatures too)