Need help with Skirting Boards please...

Ember999

Hi, don't know if anyone can help? I recently had a damp proof course fitted in the small porch off my kitchen. When the guys took off the skirting prior to taking off all the plaster, they found the bottom of the skirting boards to be rotten with the damp that had come up from the ground. Thus, rather than putting them back on when they had re-plastered the wall, they advised throwing them out and getting new one's.

This is proving to be an impossible task! I have phoned several joiners/joinery companies in the local area (difficult with it being a village location!) and hardly anyone would even come out to quote. Saying either too busy or job too small.

One guy did come out and after humming and thinking a lot he quoted £70 to supply and fit some 5 inch skirting. Is this a reasonable price? The porch is only quite small and he also said it would take 3 -4 hours!

Does this sound right or is he ripping me off due to my being a girl and knowing nothing about skirting?

Any advise appreciated

chrisw

Skirting board can be bought very cheaply from places like B&Q and stuck on to the wall with a tube of 'no-nails'. The most difficult bit is cutting a 45 degree angle where the corners meet. It's possible to buy a mitre box very cheaply which lines up the correct angle, so you put the board in and saw down the 45 degree slot.

However, if its not really in a prominent place or fancy board, you may get away with just butting the joints up to each other and not bothering to cut the angles.

djohn2002uk

Chippies only cut mitres now on "outside" corners. For insoide corners they draw an outline of the shape of the skirting by holding one piece against the other and cut it with a fretsaw and but them together. Apart from Nonails, Gripfill is a popular adhesive for sticking skirting too.

uncle_buck_3

djohn2002uk wrote:

.... For insoide corners they draw an outline of the shape of the skirting by holding one piece against the other and cut it with a fretsaw and but them together....

This is called a scribed joint & as you point out it is used for internal corners.

http://www.thediyworld.co.uk/fitting_skirting.html

http://www.thediyworld.co.uk/fitting_skirting2.html


HTH