Skirting board

[Chris Styles]

I'm about to replace all our skirting boards (with the primed MDF stuff from my local shed), and ideally I'd like to stick it on with adhesive, as I figure if I use nails, I'll have to mess around counter sinking them, filling, sanding before painting. The only thing that makes me think twice is that the developers glued and nailed them (really weird thin wiry nails), and I guess that if it were not strictly necessary, they wouldn't bother...

so...

Any one have any opinions on whether I can just glue them on, and if so, which would be the best adhesive (preferably from Screwfix - it's just easier) should I use..

Thanks in advance...

Chris

[Weatherlawyer]

Are you sure you are up to the job?

[John Rumm]

Nailgun possibly..

You can, countersunk screws under wood plug caps would be best should you ever want to remove them without lumps of wall attached, but glue will do it as long as the walls are flat enough.

Solvent free gripfill.

[Antix]

I've replaced most of mine over the years...providing the plaster behind is sound (i.e adhered well to the wall) you can just use "No More Nails". The problem comes of course when you try to keep them attached to the wall whilst the glue sets...I used a couple of screws to keep them in place as they don't need to be super strong you don't need so many, and don't need to worry too much about how secure they are into the brick work (which was the main problem with my house as the bricks and inevitable mortar gap you end up drilling into aren't very secure). You're going to have to paint them anyway (as you'll need to seal the gaps between the board and the wall, and between sections of board so will want to paint over that) so a couple of countersunk screw holes to fill aren't a big issue. I'm sure there's more sticky glue available / quick setting stuff, but the above approach has worked fine for me.

Ant.

[Chris Styles]

Yup, I just like to canvass opinion. As I have about 70m to fit, around a house with lots of angular nooks and crannies, I was a quick and simple method, so that it doesn't take until 2009 to complete :-)

The last time I did a siimlar job i did use just adhesive, and the results were okay, a little gappy due to the very uneaven walls. The walls in the new place are prettry straight and sqaure, so it'll be easier this time. Since the last time I did this, all the ahesives seem to have changed thier names (probably thanks to to mergers and takeovers in the industry)

Reading the other posts, solvent free gripfill seems to be in the lead at the moment...

Cheers Chris

[John Rumm]

Even if the walls are out a bit it is better to put the skirting in straight rather than following the contours of the wall since it is very easy to "eye up" the skirting and see that it is wrong (i.e. curved). If the walls are out, just fill the gaps after - it is far less noticeable than meandering boards!

Yup, don't use a solvent based one - they skin too fast.

[Cordless Crazy]

Oh yay!

Gripfill all the way!

Another soultion with my favourite glue gunk (oh, plus a few screws t hold it in position whilst it dries

-- Cordless Crazy

[Chris Bacon]

Use proper solvent-based Gripfill in the greeny tube, it's superior.

[Dave]

Yep, wot he said. The solvent based stuff is far superior and sets faster IME.

Dave