Skirting boards and bay windows

[niknott]

very new at this DIY stuff. Just moved into new house and it needs a LOT of work! At the moment trying to fit skirting boards to all downstairs rooms. walls have been newly skimmed. Am planning on fitting to wall with screws. Main problem at them moment (haven't started the work yet so sure to be many more problems soon!) is the skirting under the bay window. HOW DO I MAKE THE SKIRTING BEND AROUND THE CURVE????? I've been told to score the back of the skirting but how many scores do i need and what do i do this with and how do i make sure the scores can't be seen on the front at the top??
ANY help gratefully recieved.

 

[masona]

Here

 

[hdj]

You will need to cut the back of the skirting to allow it to bend - unfortunately the cuts will be visible on the top edge, though decoraters caulk covers a multitude of sins

As for how many cuts its a try and test job

The only other alternative I can suggest which may not be practical is to insert the skirting into a tube thats sealed at on end. add water and boil-this is what the old boart builders did to make the timbers malleable

 

[Scrit]

The only other alternative I can suggest which may not be practical is to insert the skirting into a tube thats sealed at on end. add water and boil-this is what the old boat builders did to make the timbers malleable

Steam bending works, although not with all species of wood (for example tulipwood/poplar won't bend - it simply breaks). You also have to watch out for breakages especially on tightish radii like a bay window would have, plus the material has to be bent to a tighter radius than its' going to eventually be fixed at because when you take the clamps off it will spring back.

I'd stick to kerfing - much safer and easier......

Scrit

 

[steviec]

never kerfed my skirting,just spragged it progressivly a little bit at a time over a few nights.used a very thin piece of mdf which i bent round the bay and marked my mitres,which i then transfered to my piece of skirting.once marked i used a little off cut to get the right angle of mitre,once i was satisfyd i cut my mitres on the skirting,then slowly ,PATIENTLY i spragged the skirting using 12"x2"x1" wood, bending it every night until it reach the wall.i then fixed it with gripfil and expanding foam.i kept the timber spraggs fixed to the skirting for a number of nights until the gripfil and foam had cured.
never moved a millimetre in both my bay windows.

 

[steviec]

niknott,any news on your skirting ? its allways nice to here accounts on how the jobs went.