Skirting - How to Improve?

[AndyJ88]

Hi fellow DIYers,

Attached a few photos of our current skirting. The skirting is:
-Chewed in places, presumably from a dog
-Not stuck on in places
-Has a varying gap from the wall (between 1mm and 1.5 cm)

The appearance isn't great. Any recommendations on how we can improve this? Should we replace all skirting board? Sand and paint while attached to the wall? What's best to fill the gap?

 

[foxhole]

Remove and refix or replace if removal causes damage.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Sand and paint while attached to the wall?

That's what I would do (fill gaps first). No need to replace it since the damage looks very minor, unless you want a different profile or something. In places where it's not fixed well, you can probably sqeeze adhesive down the back and wedge it against the wall while it sets.

What's best to fill the gap?

Ready mixed filler. Many people use decorator's caulk but this is only suitable for small gaps -anything more than a few mm and it sags, and paint will tend to craze on top of it. It's also kind messy to use. Filler doesn't do this, but for the really big gaps you will need to do it twice since the first application will shrink and crack.

 

[foxhole]

That's what I would do (fill gaps first). No need to replace it since the damage looks very minor, unless you want a different profile or something. In places where it's not fixed well, you can probably sqeeze adhesive down the back and wedge it against the wall while it sets.


Ready mixed filler. Many people use decorator's caulk but this is only suitable for small gaps -anything more than a few mm and it sags, and paint will tend to craze on top of it. It's also kind messy to use. Filler doesn't do this, but for the really big gaps you will need to do it twice since the first application will shrink and crack.

Don’t you think a 15mm gap on skirting is going to look cack, even filled?

 

[AndyJ88]

I’m inclined to agree. The gap is so large and uneven I’m unsure how it would look with such a large gap even if filled?

 

[Keithmac]

Mine looked similar, drilled rawlplugged and screwed it to the wall to pull in the gaps.

If you're painting it anyway you can sink the screw heads deeper and fill the holes.

Skirting board is relatively cheap so I'd replace the dog eaten bit..

 

[AndyJ88]

Mine looked similar, drilled rawlplugged and screwed it to the wall to pull in the gaps.

If you're painting it anyway you can sink the screw heads deeper and fill the holes.

Skirting board is relatively cheap so I'd replace the dog eaten bit..

Any good ideas on how to find the same style of skirting board?

 

[Keithmac]

I got some from Howarth Timber in the end, local timber supplier may be a good first step?.

Mine looks same profile as yours but slightly higher.

 

[Doggit]

You're donald ducked whichever way you turn. Fill the gaps with 2 part filler, and it'll look odd, but if you pull it into the wall with rawlplugs, then it won't follow grout line on the floor tiles, so maybe you've got to compromise a bit. You'll need to hunt round for a match, so either remove and cut off a sample, or take a photo of it. But if you remove it (which I suspect will be easy), then you could put on some 2 part wood filler on the damage bits, sand it down, and then refit it.

 

[foxhole]

Standard skirting pattern, you could replace with primed mdf if you are painting.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Standard skirting pattern, you could replace with primed mdf if you are painting.

Hmm I'm not so sure. Where it meets the door frame it looks like a non-standard version of Torus...

 

[Keithmac]

Took a while to find ours, not common around here!.

 

[RigidRaider]

Sorry to suggest this but... I had the same problem in a small downstairs loo with uneven plaster. I ditched the wood and bought a long piece of PVCu and glued it onto the walls. It looks very minimal and discrete, it hides the rough bottom of the plaster, it's inert, stable, doesn't need painting, doesn't mind getting wet when we wash the floor and was super-easy to glue on as it conforms to the wall. Your local stockist will have a big variety of sections at ridiculously cheap prices.