Skirting board issue

Zola.

We put down a new wooden floor in the house, and replaced the skirting board at the same time.

The new skirting board we opted for came with a very neat white vinyl wrap on it, doing away with the need to paint it, or so we were told and so sold.

The floor was fitted well but the skirting board has small nail heads showing at various places on the boards, along with a few very visible joins on a couple of places. To me it looks like the holes need filled and the whole thing then painted... which seems a big pain in the !!!!.

Should we complain? I am not sure if I am being too fussy, but it doesn't seem quite the perfect finish I had in mind...

Furts

My personal taste is to avoid products such as yours. Timber can be filled, sanded, caulked and repaired. It will have a vastly longer life when allowing for knocks, wear and tear.

I suspect that your skirting should have been glued to the walls with GripFill or a similar product.

There should not be any running joints unless you had short lengths or have very long walls. Internal corners should be scribed and neat.
Externals should be mitred. Here if your walls are not perfect some gap/ backing material may show.

You could challenge the floor fitter - it probably should have been glued. Be prepared to receive possible mutterings about selecting a poor quality skirting that will not stand the test of time.

Doozergirl

I know it can often be gripfilled but what about where you have a large unplastered gap and only an inch or so touching the skirting, iyswim? It won't give the fitter much of a choice.

I don't spend a lot of my time looking at skirting gaps, mind.

I wouldn't buy that product, personally. Primed skirting is plenty good enough.

brightontraveller

Doozergirl wrote: »

I know it can often be gripfilled but what about where you have a large unplastered gap and only an inch or so touching the skirting, iyswim? It won't give the fitter much of a choice.

I don't spend a lot of my time looking at skirting gaps, mind.

I wouldn't buy that product, personally. Primed skirting is plenty good enough.

You fill the gap before fitting :rotfl:? The vast majority is glued now supposedly for ease of removal and to lesson likely hood of damage to cable/ pipework etc hidden within walls when the carpenters obliviously bang in a dozen three inch nails to hold up a 3" high 2 foot long bit of skirting ......

Furts

brightontraveller wrote: »

You fill the gap before fitting :rotfl:? The vast majority is glued now supposedly for ease of removal and to lesson likely hood of damage to cable/ pipework etc hidden within walls when the carpenters obliviously bang in a dozen three inch nails to hold up a 3" high 2 foot long bit of skirting ......

I was going to challenge Doozergirl on this point but you beat me to it!

In recent years hit has been accepted practice to plaster down to floor level, and before this time around 30 years ago when dry lining came in these boards would go down to floor level. Hence no issues with fixing and the reason that GripFill has become the norm.

But in fairness to all concerned one cannot expect a floor fitter to be patching walls - his trade is not a plasterer. So if the walls are poor this is an issue for the homeowner to address prior to new skirting being fixed.

Doozergirl

It was a genuine question, not an opportunity to laugh or challenge.

I've got my plasterer bonding foot-high gaps behind old skirting right now, but floor fitters armed with nails won't be doing that and genuinely won't have much of a choice.

The skirting isn't a cheap option and doesn't save labour of painting when you're filling in behind instead.

brightontraveller

Furts wrote: »

I was going to challenge Doozergirl on this point but you beat me to it!

In recent years hit has been accepted practice to plaster down to floor level, and before this time around 30 years ago when dry lining came in these boards would go down to floor level. Hence no issues with fixing and the reason that GripFill has become the norm.

But in fairness to all concerned one cannot expect a floor fitter to be patching walls - his trade is not a plasterer. So if the walls are poor this is an issue for the homeowner to address prior to new skirting being fixed.

In renovations and some new builds many do not board / battern /plaster etc down to floor but stop 15 to 30mm short this allows a floorboards removal without cutting or damage to the wall and on dubious solid floors leaves a gap supposedly to aide in stopping damp rising up plasterboard wall but then they go and shove the skirting tight to the floor :rotfl:

brightontraveller

Doozergirl wrote: »

It was a genuine question, not an opportunity to laugh or challenge.

I've got my plasterer bonding foot-high gaps behind old skirting right now, but floor fitters armed with nails won't be doing that and genuinely won't have much of a choice.

The skirting isn't a cheap option and doesn't save labour of painting when you're filling in behind instead.

There is no point or need for plastering behind skirting ? Small battern fixed etc to wall skirting fixed to that plaster or boarding down to level of skirting or inch below top of skirting?

Furts

brightontraveller wrote: »

In renovations and some new builds many do not board / battern /plaster etc down to floor but stop 15 to 30mm short this allows a floorboards removal without cutting or damage to the wall and on dubious solid floors leaves a gap supposedly to aide in stopping damp rising up plasterboard wall but then they go and shove the skirting tight to the floor :rotfl:

Whilst I understand your logic, there should be no rising damp on new builds. The gap with boards is usually where the footlifter has been used to push the board up tight.

It has been accepted good practice for some years on new builds to go right down to the floor, or else this has to be sealed with foam, or silicone. This is because houses are supposed to be insulated, sound proofed, draft proofed and capable of passing an air pressure test. The realities of the testing is a different topic, but it exists in principle!

brightontraveller

Furts wrote: »

Whilst I understand your logic, there should be no rising damp on new builds. The gap with boards is usually where the footlifter has been used to push the board up tight.

It has been accepted good practice for some years on new builds to go right down to the floor, or else this has to be sealed with foam, or silicone. This is because houses are supposed to be insulated, sound proofed, draft proofed and capable of passing an air pressure test. The realities of the testing is a different topic, but it exists in principle!

By coincidence footlifter does raise board, sealing (only if wall etc itself doesn’t pass requirements ) , If needed we've find lots go [FONT=&quot]acoustic intumescent [/FONT] as opposed to silicone, foam etc [FONT=&quot]even though [/FONT][FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]its l[/FONT]ikely to shrink and distort being [/FONT][FONT=&quot]acrylic ? [FONT=&quot]A[/FONT]ccepted practice [/FONT]I suppose it depends on the architects designers etc you work with?
Raised boards is something we come across more and more flowing architectural lovey stuff , Sort of Recessed Shadowline Skirting pics show better than i can explain it http://drywalltaping.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/D-300-drywall-trim-and-D-1001.jpg

With led incorporated strip (basically stuck into [FONT=&quot]acoustic intumescent sealants[/FONT] )
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e5/05/b8/e505b8643af4a656288a9e11f6cf5262.jpg

http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/Shadowline_zpsf1e7c0fc.jpg

Damp was “loose renovations”( should have made my post clearer apols )e.g clients, designers, etc insisting on keeping authentic "flagstone floors " etc reality crap farmer found in shoved down on mud stable, pig, cow, shed floor that became a lovely little country retreat.... Apols doesn't really help the original poster,

As for poster They work in theory rooms square, level walls, no s joins apart from corners etc ( at trade show or showroom displays ) reality all I’ve ever seen in installations other than above look pretty bad and need filling painting etc and defeat the point of wrap completely....

Furts

brightontraveller wrote: »

By coincidence footlifter does raise board, sealing (only if wall etc itself doesn’t pass requirements ) , If needed we've find lots go [FONT=&quot]acoustic intumescent [/FONT] as opposed to silicone, foam etc [FONT=&quot]even though [/FONT][FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]its l[/FONT]ikely to shrink and distort being [/FONT][FONT=&quot]acrylic ? [FONT=&quot]A[/FONT]ccepted practice [/FONT]I suppose it depends on the architects designers etc you work with?
Raised boards is something we come across more and more flowing architectural lovey stuff , Sort of Recessed Shadowline Skirting pics show better than i can explain it http://drywalltaping.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/D-300-drywall-trim-and-D-1001.jpg

With led incorporated strip (basically stuck into [FONT=&quot]acoustic intumescent sealants[/FONT] )
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e5/05/b8/e505b8643af4a656288a9e11f6cf5262.jpg

http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/Shadowline_zpsf1e7c0fc.jpg

Damp was “loose renovations”( should have made my post clearer apols )e.g clients, designers, etc insisting on keeping authentic "flagstone floors " etc reality crap farmer found in shoved down on mud stable, pig, cow, shed floor that became a lovely little country retreat.... Apols doesn't really help the original poster,

As for poster They work in theory rooms square, level walls, no s joins apart from corners etc ( at trade show or showroom displays ) reality all I’ve ever seen in installations other than above look pretty bad and need filling painting etc and defeat the point of wrap completely....

A good reply. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I am not bowled over by the fashion - it will date and appear "so last century". Then there are the practicalities - damaging the bottom of the walls, replacing broken or defective lights, spiders at the ceiling line...Crazy really, because the purpose of skirting is to protect the bottom of the wall from impact from furniture, footwear, vacuum cleaners and so on.

But we all do as we are told, and aim to keep the client happy. Architects and interior designers have a lot to answer!