Skirting boards advice (Decorating)

joseph9a

Hi guys,

I'm in 2 minds wether to strip all my skirting boards down from white and varnish them. I am unsure wether it would be cheaper to just buy new skirting boards, as to strip them down i'd need a heat gun and lots of sand paper. Anyone have an idea how much it would be for a 4x4m room for skirting boards.

Thanks

Joe

Ebe_Scrooge

Depends on the style you want. Here's just one of the first examples Google threw up :

http://www.wickes.co.uk/interior-timber-mouldings/skirting/icat/timskirting/

So for your room you'd want a couple of packs of the MDF stuff, 40 quid or so. Considerably more if you want posh solid oak stuff.

Your best bet is have a look in places like B&Q, Wickes, Homebase etc. ( maybe Jewsons and Travis Perkins as well - they tend to be cheaper but I'm not sure if they sell skirting boards ? ). They'll have plenty of choice and you can easily see how much the style you like is going to cost. I would suggest that it's probably going to be easier to replace it with new skirting - not exactly MSE, but stripping back old wood is a right PITA and you don't always end up with a decent finish. I would think some mid-range new board is not going to cost a fortune, and may well be worth it to save the hassle.

ormus

for basic skirting boards then just renew them. they are not that expensive.
burning off paint and sanding down takes an age, and you still may never get them completely clear ready for varnish.

spadoosh

Depends how there attached, if its something like no nails i would just rip them out and replace. If theyve got 6" nails and plastered into the wall then i would heat gun and sand. Normally its a case of spending time making good the plaster from ripping out or spending time peeling and sanding.

I love using my heat gun (dont know why) but if your going for a varnished finish even a heat gun might not remove all of the under layers

You can get a heat gun for about £20 and it obviously does more than one room. Agree with scrooge on the prices about 40/50 quid a room. Again bear in mind you'll probably need to do some filling though filler isnt too expensive.