Skirting board attachment method and lower edge gap

[Jim Walsh]

Dear All,

I'm about to fix some new skirting board to the recently plastered walls of a bedroom in my house. My first thought was to stick them on with No More Nails; there certainly seem to be a few DIY sites/blogs etc. that suggest t his course of action. I don't want to drive nails into the walls and I'd ra ther avoid screwing and having to fill the recess where the screw head sits .

My first question is: are there any major drawbacks to gluing, or is it fin e? The walls are straight and the board sits flush against them, right the way along.

My second question is: should I sit the skirting board directly on the floo r boards, or should I maintain a small gap at the bottom edge? It occurs to me that it makes removal of floor boards a little easier if there is a gap .

Thanks and best regards,

Jim.

[Tim Watts]

On Wednesday 28 August 2013 11:01 Jim Walsh wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Seems OK then - a modern method that is actually used. Only downside is if you want to get them off.

I'd buy a pack of 2-3mm glazing packers and use them to shim it up. You'll not see that gap but it will help with board removal.

[Dave Liquorice]

It'll work but should you ever want to take them off... The gap bewteen plaster and floor can make a handy cable duct...

Personaly I'd screw them on and use a bead of decorators chaulk along the top edge.

Gap, helps with lifting floorboards. It will also provided a corner to hole the edge of fitted carpet over the griper strip.

[SteveW]

That's the way I did it, although they may have been even thinner, as I was only aiming to allow the laminate flooring to expand and contract horizontally under it.

SteveW

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Personally I'd screw them in place. Doesn't take long to fill screw heads

- and at least they'll come off without damaging anything if ever needed in the future.

[Jim K]

once you've located them again...

Jim K

[Dave Liquorice]

Metal detector/stud finder or mark on the floor boards.

[Tim Watts]

On Wednesday 28 August 2013 14:03 Jim K wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Fridge magnet :)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Topically, I've just removed mine in the living room to fit a new wood floor under. Some of them were replaced and screwed to the walls some 30 years ago. Found the screws and removed them no problem. The originals which were nailed needed some repairs.

[Nige Danton]

I was thinking the same although I've screwed in past. Has anyone screwed and left the screws exposed e.g. brass screws and cup washers' at regular intervals?

[charles]

yes, once in a very un-notceable place. After that I used counterbored holes and screws which ended up below the surface then some filler and you have to look very hard to see them.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I've done that in the bathroom - but it has natural finish oak boards.

[Nige Danton]

Did it work well? How did u finish the joints etc?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Very, very carefully. ;-)

[D.M.Chapman]

I glued mine on in the spare room and used a small stack of plasterboard offcuts to space them out from the wall (basically in place of the more traditional blocks of wood to make up the plaster thickness). Caulk along the top and it worked fine. This was a bodge with what I had to hand late one night before guests arrived :-)

I recently had to take one off - stanley knife along the top to cut the caulk and a screw driver hammered into the plasterboard "stacks" and it came off really easy (the nonails held, but the plaster board gave way).

refitting with a bit more nonails was also trivial, and then redid the caulk.

Was surprised at how well it worked, and less hassle than screws. Wil be tempted to use it in the future tbh.

Darren

[The Medway Handyman]

There are no downside to using a grab adhesive, it's quick, neat & easy. Much better than screws or nails. They will come off easily should you ever wish to replace them.

Don't be tempted to make the board follow any curve in the wall, glue them on & fill any gaps with caulk.

Toolsatan Glue Screws is excellent & cheap as chips;

And their caulk is also good;

[GMM]

Not really answering your questions (my answers would be: 1, screw out of preference but glue should be fine and 2, Anything up to about 6mm of spacing should be fine if carpeting - maybe less if it's visible like over a solid floor) but I thought I would chuck in my 2p's worth, (assuming you're using timber skirting and not mdf).

I had some skirting custom made last year (cos it needed to be deeper than I could buy). Primed it while the new plaster was drying, then whacked it on with no more nails and it looked fine. Now, in places, it's cupping away from the wall. Only by a bit, but enough to irritate me. I assume this is because I didn't prime the backs and it's picking up moisture from the walls. As much as it's a pain, I would paint the back in future, even if only with primer.

[Jim K]

presumably a small screwhead sized one? ;>) unlike the views of carnarfon 3d monstrosity we just acquired ;>))

still take a while to locate em shurely?

Jim K