Replacing gappy Victorian skirting boards

sourpuss2021

What should I do here?  It's a box room in a Victorian conversion.  Outer wall is brick, left hand wall is 20 year old stud wall.

If I just rip them off and try to fit new ones that meet the wooden floor would I likely also need a plasterer to repair the wall?

Also, unsurprisingly, the property is prone to getting mice!

FreeBear

Depending on hor the boards are fixed to the walls, you may need to do a bit of plastering. If they are fixed with screws or nails, the damage should be minimal. On the other hand, if fixed with a grab adhesive (suc as NoNails), you could end up with a lot of plaster on the floor. Quite likely the existing plaster doesn't go all the way to the floor - This will provide a gap for vermin and draughts... I'd suggest running a bead of expanding foam along the wall/floor join and let it set. Trim back, then fix new skirting. In a Victorian property, a Torus profile around 150mm high would be in keeping. Just don't buy the stuff from the likes of B&Q. All the boards I've had, cupped like crazy after a few days in the house - The cupping was so bad, the boards were rendered useless.

If you are fitting the skirting yourself, practice "scribing" on a few bits of scrap first - A well scribed joint is not difficult to achieve and is essential on internal corners. A brief how-to using a simple profile - https://www.carpentry-tips-and-tricks.com/scribe-skirting-board.html

sourpuss2021

Thanks, FreeBear.   I was getting restless so I just ripped them out.  

I did rip off some plaster on the internal wall, which solves the issue of whether I'll need the services of a plasterer! And on the external wall something fell down into the cavity (I think a bit of wood that the skirting was nailed to) but I don't suppose that matters so long as there will be other places to nail the new board to.  The boards were still held in with Victorian nails, by the way.

More troublesome is that I found the outer wall skirting board, though cut in the middle, runs through the wall into both adjoining rooms.  That makes sense because there were originally two rooms (bedroom and bathroom) and they carved a bit out of both to make this box room.  I think I'll be able to cut through at either end with some delicate sawing, though.

With a proper amount of money that whole left-hand stud wall would be replaced, because the bottom plate of the stud is rotten (though long dry).  However for now I'm just patching up.   I do have some drywall I can use for the section, leftover from the bathroom.

There's a timber merchants up the road from where I can get new pine skirting boards.

So... hopefully won't long stay as bad as it looks!

FreeBear

sourpuss2021 said: More troublesome is that I found the outer wall skirting board, though cut in the middle, runs through the wall into both adjoining rooms.  That makes sense because there were originally two rooms (bedroom and bathroom) and they carved a bit out of both to make this box room.  I think I'll be able to cut through at either end with some delicate sawing, though.

If you want an excuse to buy toys tools, a multitool is just the ticket for a job like this (other brands available). They are also handy for trimming off the end of the skirting when you come to scribe the joints.

sourpuss2021

Thanks for the recommendation! In an impatient moment though I did the job with my Stanley FatMax saw.   Now there's bare brick!   

There were a couple of old pieces of wood between the skirting board and the brick, with nails going through both. I was thinking I'll likely need to replace them.

Or do I need to add a coating of something or other between the brick and the new skirting boards first?  

rob7475

If you have enough wooden noggins that are still solid, you can attach your new skirting to that.

You'll probably find though that the wall has been plastered down to the previous skirting and you won't get a great fit so you may need to remove the bottom of the plaster where it's likely to be bumping out a bit.

What I usually do on walls like this is remove the bottom couple of cm of plaster and the old noggins. I then using bonding plaster to bring the brick wall out level with the plastered surface leaving a couple of cm gap at the bottom. I'd then fit new skirting which is higher than the old stuff which will cover your joint between the bonding and and original plaster. I use brown plugs and 75mm screws to get a good fixing into the brick work.

sourpuss2021

Thanks, rob7475 for your very helpful post!    Previously I had a plasterer come in and apply bonding plaster in the kitchen after I ripped down some old kitchen units to open up an alcove, and more of the wall came off than I'd intended .   I'm not sure if I feel confident mixing it up myself but since it will be behind a skirting board anyway then I guess it shouldn't too difficult so long as I get the mix right.   I mean it's not like I will be needing a perfectly smooth finish since it will be behind the new skirting board.

sourpuss2021

Can I fix the new skirting boards to the new plaster within 24-48 hours, or should I wait longer so that it dries out properly and doesn't warp the wood?

FreeBear

Let the plaster dry completely before attaching any wood (or paint or wallpaper).

sourpuss2021

FreeBear said:

Let the plaster dry completely before attaching any wood (or paint or wallpaper).

Thanks, is 48 hours likely to be enough time?   

FreeBear

Depends on the type of plaster used, how thick it is, and local conditions (temperature, humidity). I'd give it a week to make sure.