Fitting Skirting and Architrave – Questions

paperclap

Hi all,

Soon, we'll be fitting out skirting and architrave, alongside new laminate flooring.

A little information...

We're in a 1950s bungalow, so no doubt the walls are a little out. Brick / blockwork internal walls.

Where the previous skirting board came off, it pulled off some mortar / plaster with it. So, I have made good with mortar.

MDF vs Wood?
I think we were going to opt for MDF, due to less imperfections, less warping and shrinkage, less prep work, less prone to moisture, etc. Thoughts?

Adhesive vs Nails vs Screws?
If we opt for pre-primed MDF, I was hoping to be able to get away with adhesive (say, Gripfill or the like). But, have read it is a nightmare to use on its own, as will have a tendency to pull away from the wall when curing. Lost head nails (perhaps in conjunction with adhesive) seems like a good option, but will of course have to make good post fixing. Screws, hadn't given this much thought, as means creating pilot holes and fixing plugs... but, does seem to be done.

Size of Nails or Screws?
Our skirting is 18mm deep. What size nails or screws should we be looking at using? I've heard the 2.5 times the depth of your material rule-of-thumb (e.g. 18mm x 2.5 = 45mm nails).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

FaceHead

I've opted for pine, so that it a. matches through the house b. because I think it looks better - more characterful - but I suppose you have to be down on your knees to notice and c. the timber yard across the street has a ready supply of what I need.

I've been primarily relying in screws, with a bit of 'sticks like'. Screws are a pain - drilling holes and then filling them over - but as every wall in my Victorian house bulging or something, the screws are essential to bend the board around the wall whilst the adhesive dries. 

For a piece of skirting less than a metre where the wall is straight-ish, I found myself able to get away with adhesive only. Other than that it's screws every c. 1m to keep the board nicely on the wall whilst the adhesive cures. 

My go to is 5x60 screws, with brown (7mm) plugs. 

If using adhesive - when you have screws every metre adhesive might not be necessary at all! - I think a white adhesive is essential. The horrible brown gripfil looks awful if it squeezes out and is a pain to tidy up, whereas a white one if it squeezes out is basically saving you the job of caulking the top of the board. 

rob7475

I always used to recommend pine but would only ever use MDF now. The pine from the sheds is awful these days, full of splits, twists and knots. MDF is easier to paint and doesn't warp.

I always use mechanical fixings unless the wall is perfectly flat which 90% of the time, they aren't. For 18mm MDF, I tend to use 60 or 70mm screws (you 've got to get through the skirting, the plaster behind and well into the brick/block. You can either use a brown/red plug or hammer fix frame fixings work well. If you drill a 6mm hole straight through the skirting into the wall behind, you can partially screw the screw into the plug and hammer through until the plug is in the block work before tightening with your combi drill. I find this gives a strong hold without having to pilot drill through the board to mark the wall, before removing the skirting to drill for the plugs.

Bendy_House

laurencewhymark said:

Hi all,

Soon, we'll be fitting out skirting and architrave, alongside new laminate flooring.

A little information...

We're in a 1950s bungalow, so no doubt the walls are a little out. Brick / blockwork internal walls.

Where the previous skirting board came off, it pulled off some mortar / plaster with it. So, I have made good with mortar.

MDF vs Wood?
I think we were going to opt for MDF, due to less imperfections, less warping and shrinkage, less prep work, less prone to moisture, etc. Thoughts?

Adhesive vs Nails vs Screws?
If we opt for pre-primed MDF, I was hoping to be able to get away with adhesive (say, Gripfill or the like). But, have read it is a nightmare to use on its own, as will have a tendency to pull away from the wall when curing. Lost head nails (perhaps in conjunction with adhesive) seems like a good option, but will of course have to make good post fixing. Screws, hadn't given this much thought, as means creating pilot holes and fixing plugs... but, does seem to be done.

Size of Nails or Screws?
Our skirting is 18mm deep. What size nails or screws should we be looking at using? I've heard the 2.5 times the depth of your material rule-of-thumb (e.g. 18mm x 2.5 = 45mm nails).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

LWM, MDF wins on most accounts - more even finish, doesn't warp, pre-primed, no knots to seal, easier to cut - no splinters, but I would suggest it's more prone to the effects of moisture than solid wood. Having said that, unless you actually have damp problems, it shouldn't be an issue.

Paint the walls first, right down to just above floor level - that should make that surface suitable for using adhesive (don't expect adhesive to adhere to bare plaster - it basically won't...).

Not sure which adhesive to use, but I prefer solvent-free stuff in cartridges, such as 'no-nonsense' stuff. And extruded excess of solvent-free will wipe away with a damp cloth, leaving a neat finish. Having said that, 'solvent'-based types are probably stronger, and will bond more quickly - but they also 'skin' far more quickly. Then there's poly-based products like StixAll which is very powerful and should easily do the job. Finally, there are 'foam' adhesives, and I think this is what the chippy used on the skirtings on our extension.

The last time I fitted skirtings, I relied wholly on adhesive to do the actual sticking, but also used 2mm panel-pins in order to temporarily hold the boards in place until set. Dry-fit each length first, and check how well it sits against the wall. Any slight undulations is not a problem, solved with a combination of the board being pressed in to follow the wall - to a degree, until it's visually obvious it's wobbly - and filling in the hopefully-reduced gaps with decorator's caulk afterwards. If the boards are 'arched' or the floor level is not perfect, then you will usually find that if you place a further board or plank on top of the skirting top edge, and then press down with your foot or knee, the skirting board will flex down enough to follow the floor undulations. Again, tho', this can de done to some degree, and not if it's visually obvious (in which case you should 'scribe' the bottom of the board).

Finally, check that the board is perpendicular to the floor using a try-square when it's pressed in firmly against the wall. If needed, you may need to add spacers of some sort in order to ensure the boards are completely vertical when you press them in for fitting. I've used bits of hardboard for this - it's 1/8th-inch thick, but can be sliced down thinner quite easily. These are held in place using a blob of adhesive in the required positions - usually only needed every few feet or so.

In essence, you want it all set up so that you can then place each length into place and press it firmly against the wall and know that it's plumb and level. In the required places - again every few feet or so, and always where there are spacers (if fitted) or where the boards make good close contact with the wall, I tap in the 2mm p-pins until their tips are just coming through. Run the necessary beads of adhesive/spray of foam, position the board, hold it firmly and then tap in the p-pin until it grips. It'll usually do this even in block and brick walls - it'll 'bite' just enough into the plaster layer. Don't keep hammering or the nail will bend of the plaster might crack or break. Just enough so the board is held where you want it. Let it set fully, and then withdraw the sticky-out pins, fill and sand.

(Although supposedly 'finished' and pre-primed ready for the top coat, I bet you'll find some roughness on any shaped/routed parts, and these will thank you for some 180-grit sanding first.)

Gavin83

I had this decision recently and went for solid wood. Personally I think MDF looks cheap, is more prone to moisture and is easier to damage, plus harder to repair, or sand down to repaint. It doesn't grip screws/nails as well as solid wood either. MDF does require less prep though and is easier to work with. It's really down to personal choice but I don't regret going for solid wood.

As others have pointed out unless your walls are very straight (most aren't) I'd recommend screwing or nailing them to the wall.

FreeBear

rob7475 said: I always used to recommend pine but would only ever use MDF now. The pine from the sheds is awful these days, full of splits, twists and knots.

The few lengths I've had from B&Q have all cupped after a few hours of getting them home. Some were so bad, they got returned.

In the meantime, none of the lengths I've had from a proper timber merchant has exhibited the same problem. The added advantage was that I can buy 4.8m lengths, so no joins in the middle of a room.

benson1980

Even though in theory you shouldn’t notice the difference between painted mdf and wood, I have never seen mdf skirting that looks as good as painted pine. Especially when it gets knocked and marked etc which tends to happen with skirting. Pine looks much better but depends what finish you are going for. 

I pre primed and painted it in lengths before fitting the last time I did it, and then sanded after a few coats of top coat. This turned out so much easier than fitting then painting, and the finish was pretty much perfect.

I’d have a mixture of grab adhesive and screws/plugs to hand. Some lengths you’ll be fine gluing ( such as the shorter ones) and others you may need a few screws.

Ideally I’d want to choose my own pine from your shed of choice for aforementioned reasons- to get a straight batch. I ended up with one quite warped bit when I had it delivered but I could still fit it. I just needed a couple of screws/plugs at either end.

Bendy_House

LWM, go for MDF...

When we had our laminate flooring and tall ogee skirting fitted, I cut long narrow strips of DPM which was left over from the job, and the chippy slipped them under the skirting before fixing them in place. These were easy to move and remove - the laminate has a thin underlay to allow some movement - but it didn't 'alf make painting easier; no need to follow that torturous dead straight and tight edge against the flooring.

As soon as a section of skirting was painted, the (slightly (cough) 'overpainted') plastic film was just slipped slightly sideways and out a cm or so, and this broke the paint line along the bottom of the skirting before the paint started to dry. Then fully removed once dry. No mess.