Working out angles for skirting

[grifter]

Can anyone explain how l work out these internal angles for skirting board please. Thank you.

 

[danfre]

Look for videos for scribed mitre skirtings

 

[^woody^]

You don't need to work them out. You just need a bevel or make one with two strips of timber or cardboard.

Do not cut an equal mitre - you'll regret it.

 

[aveatry]

Look for videos for scribed mitre skirtings

I do it that way too and its great for off perfect angles but would it work on those more open angles.

 

[SawdustSparrow]

I agree with the scribed approach for internal corners, especially in an older house where the walls are rarely a true right angle. What has worked best for me is to fit the first board square into the corner, then cut the second board with a mitre and scribe the profile with a coping saw so it follows the shape of the first board.

For the more open angles, a simple bevel gauge is worth its weight. Set it against the two walls, transfer that angle to an offcut, and test the fit before cutting the real board. Two strips of card or thin timber laid along each wall and overlapped in the corner also give a reliable template without any maths.

One small tip: leave the skirting slightly long on the first test fit and trim a little at a time. It is much easier to take a fraction more off than to fill a gap that ends up looking obvious once painted.

 

[chirpychippy]

If you have profiled skirting...

I masking tape the floor on the internal and external corners that the skirting boards will follow in this area.

With an off cut, say 300mm long, cut square edge, I put the skirting against the wall and slide it into the internal corner and mark the front path of the board onto the masking tape, do this for the left and right handside of both internal corners.

You'll see that the pencil lines cross each other, this cross point helps you find the true angle for each piece.

Put the off cut back on the left side of the left internal corner, slide it back into the corner until it stops, on the bottom face edge of the skirting mark the point where the lines cross.

With a sliding bevel marry the back corner of the skirting to this mark from underneath, this will tell you the exact angle for this piece and all subsequent boards using the same method.

If you also trace the front line of the skirting around the external corners it not only gives you those angles it also tells you how long each piece of skirting should be when you measure the cross points on the masking tape.

Test all internal mitres prior to doing final full length cuts.

Patience is required.

 

[grifter]

If you have profiled skirting...

I masking tape the floor on the internal and external corners that the skirting boards will follow in this area.

With an off cut, say 300mm long, cut square edge, I put the skirting against the wall and slide it into the internal corner and mark the front path of the board onto the masking tape, do this for the left and right handside of both internal corners.

You'll see that the pencil lines cross each other, this cross point helps you find the true angle for each piece.

Put the off cut back on the left side of the left internal corner, slide it back into the corner until it stops, on the bottom face edge of the skirting mark the point where the lines cross.

With a sliding bevel marry the back corner of the skirting to this mark from underneath, this will tell you the exact angle for this piece and all subsequent boards using the same method.

If you also trace the front line of the skirting around the external corners it not only gives you those angles it also tells you how long each piece of skirting should be when you measure the cross points on the masking tape.

Test all internal mitres prior to doing final full length cuts.

Patience is required.

Thanks for the explanation. It's going to be square edge skirting, no profile.