skirting, laminate and boarded floor problem

[bobturnip]

I went to remove my skirting boards yesterday in preparation for lamintae flooring.

What I found was that the hardboard floor boards have been fitted in front of the skirting (ie the boards don't go under the skirting, instead underneath of the boards are level with the bottom of the skirting). So I am having dificulty in getting the skirting prised away from the wall enough to remove the nails - the boards are in the way.

Also, looking down behind the skirting, there is a draught, and it appears there is nothing but sub-floor space and unplastered wall. This means that the lamiate edges (the expansion bit to go under the skirting) would not be resting on anything, and will overhang the edges of the floor boarding. Hope this explanation makes sense.

I am looking for some advice:

1. Is any of this normal ?

2. Any tips on how best to remove the skirting without having to lift the boards?

3. Will the laminate be okay overhanging very slightly at the edges? Or will I need to lay some kind of thin strips down to "extend the floor boarding to under the skirting/wall ?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[ree]

From what i can make out: you can cut the skirting with a multi-tool to slice off the bottom 20mm or so (whatever is required). This would be pretty tedious work.

Or you could indeed lever the skirting away from the wall by first cutting any paint/plaster edge. Then slipping a wallpaper/spatula scraper behind the skirting and then a thin chisel or wedge of some sort to prise the skirting off its fixings a little.

Do all this gently and slowly, and then get some thin tool under the skirting, and gently lift and pull at the same time to release a section from its fixings.

After the first section is released the rest should come easy. Cut the nails dont drive them back thro the face.

Applying a sand and cement filler to fill the gaps where the draft comes up might work - but without a pic its difficult to say.

 

[crazydaze]

Take the skirtings off, fit the floor, re-fit the skirtings, you should be fine.

If you try under cutting the skirtings, you can only do this on two adjoining walls, as you wont be able to angle the flooring down against the other two.