why do i need to remove One of the skirting boards?

[sethno1ram]

Hi folks,
Have read that i'll need to remove at least on of the skirting boards to fit my laminate flooring. Why? Why can't I just cut away at the bottom so i can slide the laminate under it?

Advice gratefully received
many thanks

 

[mattylad]

How do you propose to cut away along the bottom of a skirting board for all its length?

Unless your a patholigist/mortician and have one of those skull cutting open rotary saws that would be extremely difficult & time consuming, it may well be much easier to simply remove it & either refit it a little higher or trim it down and then refit it.

Or you can fit scotia strips to cover the expansions gap.

(I was uner the impression that you need an expansion gap on ALL edges not just one)

 

[big-all]

How do you propose to cut away along the bottom of a skirting board for all its length?

Unless your a patholigist/mortician and have one of those skull cutting open rotary saws that would be extremely difficult & time consuming, it may well be much easier to simply remove it & either refit it a little higher or trim it down and then refit it.

Or you can fit scotia strips to cover the expansions gap.

(I was uner the impression that you need an expansion gap on ALL edges not just one)

or a cheap buiscut cutter [silverline do one for 35 ish pounds]

with the floor extending under the skirting by half the skirting thickness each side you need to manover the floor constantly to be able to drop and click you also need oversize any pipe holes in the floor so a 15mm hole would be 10mm bigger all round to allow for the movement
without removing the skirting you wont be able to click the last bit in the length into place

 

[sethno1ram]

i was going to use a jamb cutter, multi-tool etc, rater than remove the skirting board because i just know it'll either snap or the plaster will break away. Wasn't keen on using beading partly because of the prices and the fact that i'm pretty sh*t at intricate cuts.
Don't know what to do, so many decisions
Was also thinking of sliding the last row of laminate in so the final piece will be at a door.

More advise please

 

[kevnurse]

Unless you know how to do it, how can you fit a row of boards so that both ends fit under the skirting? Lets take this one step at a time:

1. You undercut the opposing skirting boards.
2. You fit the first few boards (left to right) and then get to the last one in the row.
3. You tap the row to the left so that it butts up against the end of the undercut, therefore giving you the clearance to connect the last board, which you then fit.
4. How do you now slide your brand new row of boards back to the right to ensure that both ends of the row fit under the skirting?

I don't know how to do it. I'd be very interested in knowing how it can be done without damaging the boards.

So, I chose to use white pre-painted beading (with a concave curve) to match the white skirting. I had to buy a cheap combi saw for the mitres; well worth the investment. No undercutting needed. It looks good.

 

[big-all]

3. You tap the row to the left so that it butts up against the end of the undercut, therefore giving you the clearance to connect the last board, which you then fit.
.

it cannot be done without removing 1 ends off skirting because

you need half the thickness off the skirting for expansion not quite the required 12mm but 10mm each end will do ------- or will itt!!!!!

say the total room width is 3000mm plus the skirting x2=3040mm

so to get your floor covering the floor plus half the skirting each side = 3000+10+10 =3020 which means with the flooring hard against the plaster 1 side its clear off the skitring the other side

how can you add the last peice becase the end locking of the clicks system requires another 7mm or so to slide in sideways this is what requires the skitrings removal to work

 

[sethno1ram]

Ok cheers guys,
So i'll be removing the skirting. Should i remove all the skirting then? what is the be way to do this without damaging it, and getting out the nails and then putting it back on.
Thanks again

 

[kevnurse]

You only need to remove one side of 2 opposing skirting boards. You undercut (at least 10mm deep) the skirting that is to remain fitted to the wall. You then remove the opposite skirting which you then skim to the correct height (ie reduce it by the thickness of the underlay and laminate (approx 10mm). It would be sensible to remove the skirting that is least likely to be problematic with removal/refitting. You then fit the boards in the direction where the removed skirting is at the end (right end usually?)where the last board in the row will be fitted.

Personally I would recommend leaving the skirting alone and fitting white pre-painted beading. Or fit a carpet or vinyl (which is very good these days when fitted on top of a flat surface).

 

[sethno1ram]

cheers kevnurse, re-thought my ideas and will leave the skirting alone and use beading. Thanks for your input.