Doing without skirting boards... how?

wywywywy

Hi all,

You know in magazine show rooms, art galleries, and generally many of the million-pounds urban apartments, the walls often don't have skirting boards. But how is this look achieved?

I do not understand how it works... how is the wooden/laminate floor supposed to be able to expand? Or does the plastic board actually sits on top of the floor?

Basically, is it like -
| Wall
|
|
|

---

Floor

Or this -
| Wall
|
|

---

Floor

And also, wouldn't the bottom edge of the plaster walls be really fragile? I guess it would be damaged by vacuum cleaning easily?

And finally... what is the process? Lay plaster boards and skim as usual but all the way to the bottom, then use a plaster knife to trim the bottom so it looks tidy? Or something like that?

Oh and... what is the name of this "look"?

By the way, I am not going to be DIYing it. I just would like to know what is involved.

Many thanks!

latecomer

I believe its the second way. One of our friends were going to have it in their extension until they realised that their 2 year old son would probably spend his life stuffing things into it

And as one of the primary functions of skirting boards is to protect the bottom of the wall I suspect they would be a lot easier to damage.

underlay_guru

You could always use what the contractors use for commercial applications, however, is very difficult to fit!

these are the main guys in the trade: http://www.gradusworld.com/content/accessories

(.....please be aware, I am not promoting my own company here!)

basically, these guys manufacture coloured rubber skirting for commercial applications.

They also do 'Cove former', which adheres to the corner between the wall and the floor, allowing the flooring to 'run up the wall'.

Again, be aware, these are GENUINELY difficult to fit and quite expensive. Hope this helps!

Fire_Fox

In a previous house the plasterwork ran right down to the concrete floor behind the skirting board in the ground floor bathroom. We also had rising damp in the room, and were advised by a specialist that this was because the plaster was breaching the damp proof course.

Doozergirl

It's called a 'shadow gap' I believe. You can buy a kind of beading that your plasterer plasters to. I haven't seen it in the flesh, just read about it.

Mikeyorks

Anyone who's keen on preserving spiders should love the gaps ... the spiders do.

Give me cornices and intricate skirtings any day. They're more difficult to decorate ..... but at least you can see the little pests and aim the vac nozzle.

owls

Plaster shouldnt ever go to the floor because in case of any damp in floor and to allow a wood surface room for expansion, as previously mentioned you can use a stop bead to plaster up to,thus giving it a nice neat edge to finish to.