Insulation behind skirting boards

chanakyapundit

Hi all,

We moved into our new house a few months back. We had to remove the skirting boards in the ground floor in order to lay new wooden floors. Now that the floor has been installed the skirting boards are still out, we can see some pretty big gaps through which cold air is entering the room. The plastering ended at the top of the skirting boards, so we can see the bricks of the walls and some big empty spaces. I know that fitting the new skirting boards should stop the draft significantly. However, I cant imagine that it will make the room completely airtight.

My question is, does it make sense to try to use some kind of filler behind the skirting boards to make the room more air tight ?

For example, can we use an expanding foam filler to fill the gaps before putting the skirting boards ? Will this have any long term impact in terms of damp etc?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Regards
Sunil

keystone

Why do you want the room completely airtight?

Cheers

BertieUK

keystone wrote: »

Why do you want the room completely airtight?

Cheers

Now you have got them thinking keystone... I agree with you.

chanakyapundit

To be honest, the main goal is to make the room more energy efficient.

If its that cold and drafty behind the skirting boards, wouldn't it make more sense to insulate ? I can see some pretty deep gaps between the end of the floorboards and the walls.

securityman

expanding foam will make a right mess. Try some decorators caulk or bonding if the holes are that big.