Fixing skirting boards with pinkgrip

Hello,

I have always nailed skirting boards up to now. I have tried to use glue before but the boards have come away from the wall, requiring nails to hold them in place whilst the glue dries, which defeats the point of using glue rather than nails! Is there a glue strong and quick enough to use without nails to help it?

Some people speak highly of gripfill, is it better than anything else?

I was reading the everbuild web site which was promoting its own product: pinkgrip. It claimed that it had better tack than other brands. How true is this? Or are all of the no-more-nails type of thing more or less the same?

Or should I be looking to use adhesive foam?

Any other hints and tips for securing the skirting boards?

TIA

Reply to
Fred
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unless small lengths that are *actually* flat/straight, screws/nails (and filler to hide heads) would be my method of choice.

Cheers Jim K

Reply to
Jim K

All much the same IME. The solvent based types cure faster but are more difficult to clean off adjoining surfaces

Reply to
stuart noble

Now that we have power screw drivers and drills, and plastic rawplugs, by far the easiest way is screws. Don't glue the boards, especially not with the awful chewing gum stuff like 'pink grip/gripfill' etc. If you ever need to rub down the boards for painting, or remove them for getting at floorboards or wiring, a couple of whizzes with the power screwdriver and you are ready for action: with nails and or glue, you are going to damage the board and the wall getting it off, or spend a back breaking exhausting time on hands and knees, working on them while still fixed. Get some nice wood, smooth and varnish it and make it a feature. If your wall is particularly undulating and there are gaps, either run a line of decorator's caulk along the gap, or overlap the wallpaper a little to cover the gap.

S
Reply to
Spamlet

If you force a skirting board to follow an uneven wall by using nails or screws it doesn't look very good. Better to glue the board where it does touch the wall & fill any gaps with caulk.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Or with Gripfil

Reply to
stuart noble

I've stuck lots of skirting board with Gripfill - and it's fine. It's particularly good in situations where you want to paint the skirting before fitting - for example to avoid getting paint on new wooden floors. You may still need the occasional screw or nail in places where the wall and board are not the same shape - or you can sometimes hold it in place while the Gripfill cures by jamming with a length of timber running to an opposite wall, particularly in narrow hallways etc.

I've recently been using Pinkgrip for another job because I ran out of Gripfill and my local BM only stocks Pinkgrip. My impression - based on not very much experience - is that Pinkgrip isn't as good as Gripfill - particularly when trying to get it flowing again after several days of non-use.

Reply to
Roger Mills

I've tried solvent free pink grip for my skirting and it didn't stick that good, for some reason it wont stick to the plaster here :-( screws fixed it.

Solvent based stuff wasn't too hot either but dual thread screws work wonders ! As mentioned, don't force the skirting to follow the wall, it looks awful, fill gaps with ermmm filler.

-- Mart

Reply to
martop

Still can't imagine why anyone wants or needs to stick skirting to a wall.

S
Reply to
Spamlet

Presumably because it's quick. Squidge some goop onto the board shove into place, wait a few minutes, job done. Far quicker than screws and plugs long enough to reach the real wall or if it's a stud wall locating the studs.

I use a pair of screws every 4' or so, if the wall is straight enough, otherwise where the skirting and wall meet.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

I used 5mm x 50mm screws for mine with good plugs and it was both pretty easy and vwery efgective. 1 screw every 2-3 ft worked for me.

Reply to
Tim Watts

Quick & cheap. Another reason - when I did my lounge/diner about 15 years ago I got through about 6 masonry bits because the walls are cement rendered not plastered - common around here in 50's built houses. Didn't have an SDS at the time, right PITA drilling & plugging.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Same here: no need for goo at all. I even like to leave the screws neatly lined up and painted a different colour - though now I have a supply of 3" brass ones I might go that way next time.

S
Reply to
Spamlet

--

Ah you've got me there. My old house used to just bounce the drills for me too, and I had to use a lump hammer and rawlplug tool and mole grips to make holes. Bit different now: but we didn't have much in the way of glue in those days either... Perhaps that is why the rooms used quarter dowel (Nailed to the concrete floor) instead of skirting...

S
Reply to
Spamlet

Nails / screws have alot to be said for them on this app! Glue sometimes works on very flat walls with nice flat skirting.

There are others that seem quite good as well.

No, some are crap - Wickes "forget nails" being one!

Reply to
John Rumm

I agree about keeping the board straight - no need to draw people eye to a wonky wall!

You can use screws at the high points though.

Reply to
John Rumm

The solvent free eco one is yes, the full fat nasty fume one has been one of the better IME. Of course, that's assuming they haven't changed it recently...

Darren

Reply to
D.M.Chapman

Thanks. Nails have always been my method but having very sandy browning behind the skirting board has meant I have needed to use big nails to reach the block behind it. It seems crazy having to use three inch nails for skirting board! Then there's the hassle of having to fill over the head and any dents where the hammer missed ;) Then having to sand it before painting.

If I have used a cut clasp nail too near the edge, I've had one or two boards split. I've heard a lot of people recommend gluing but never seen it done. Like you, I doubt it would be effective where the walls aren't straight and don't most walls fall into that category?

Having read so many replies against glue, I think I will stick with the nailing.

Thanks.

Reply to
Fred

Thanks. I did wonder whether a solvent type might work faster but when I read two tubes of toolstation's glue screws they both said something along the lines of allow 24 hours to cure. That's a long time to have to hold the boards in place whilst the glue sets.

Reply to
Fred

[...]

I have heard of people using screws but I thought you countersunk and filled over them, like you would with nails. Done that way, I would think the boards would be harder to remove than ones that were nailed. It sounds as though you leave your screws exposed? I haven't seen that done before. I can imagine brass screws on a dark wood may look nice but I'm not so sure about painted boards.

Ours are white and I don't know how I could make screws look pretty against that. I suppose I could cover them with those plastic caps but that wouldn't be ideal. OTOH how often do you need to remove a skirting board though? To add a socket, usually you can drill behind it.

Thanks.

Reply to
Fred

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