Cost of fitting skirting boards?

ginvzt

I am looking to get skirting boards fitted, and I am getting some quotes. So far I had quotes £200-£300. Ok, I don't know how much it should cost, but it sounds a lot to me - this is more than the solid oak skirting boards cost me!

How much should I expect to pay? It is about 25m over two rooms to be done, solid oak, prefinished skirting boards. I want them screwed and plugged - they will not be painted over, so I don't want screws exposed.

Any ideas? How long do you think the job should take?

MX5huggy

You want a skilled person to fit your expensive skirting that you you can't paint when they make a pigs ear of it. How many corners have you got? alcoves, chimneys, bay windows have you got.

Have you seen these trades persons other work?

Russe11

how many corners do you have, each corner is a scribe to be cut(depends on mold to the time that takes), any walls that are longer than the lengths of skirting will have to be precise 45 degree lap joints. If screwing and plugging the plugs will have to be trimmed and then refinished.

Much more time consuming than wacking on some prefinished mdf with pinkgrip then caulking.

Sounds like a days work to me.

ginvzt

Living room has 4 corners. Two walls will need the join in the middle, possibly one more. Dining room will need more corners - 8. Plus 4 more corners for the opening between the rooms. I do realise it is not a simple job, and I want to get someone reliable to do it.

The skirting is 95mm chamfered profile, so nothing too intricate.

1 day sounds reasonable to me, but then I hven't done this before, so I can't judge.

kabayiri

I'll be needing new skirting in the next couple of weeks, and I should be seeing my joiner tomorrow about some oak internal doors.

I can ask him what he charges if you want a separate benchmark ? I'm also in the North West so I expect labour rates might be similar.

HTH

phill99

Its worth paying a good experienced chippy to do this kind of work. You could probably get it done cheaper but if the joins are wrong, you can't hide them with caulk. The same woth plugging - this needs to be done properly.

If you get them done properly, no one will notice. If they are done badly everyone will comment and it will look like a pigs ear. Remember the phrase: if you pay cheap you will pay twice.

ginvzt

kabayiri wrote: »

I'll be needing new skirting in the next couple of weeks, and I should be seeing my joiner tomorrow about some oak internal doors.

I can ask him what he charges if you want a separate benchmark ? I'm also in the North West so I expect labour rates might be similar.

HTH

Yes, please - that might be useful.

Russe11

if you have 8 corners in the dining room then the 4 other corners must be inverted ones where its an extension?, its the first place you notice a bad join and if the skirting has any moisture the first place a gap will appear.

if its a simple profile and small 95mm skirting you might as well just glue in on and mitremate inverted corners.

ginvzt

We were thinking of glueing. But, as these are solid wood skirtings, they are prone to warping, and the glueing will not hold it in place for long. I expect short pieces may have to be glued on, but the longer ones would have to be screwed to make sure they stay in place.