Fixing skirting boards with pinkgrip

[Fred]

Thanks. I realised that the claims on the everbuild web site were biased, so I wanted an independent opinion. Thanks again.

[stuart noble]

I used the TS solvent based one yesterday on some door architrave. It certainly sets hard on your fingers within half an hour :-) I can't see the point of fixings on anything that doesn't need it. How often do people take their skirting off? Don't answer that

[Dave Liquorice]

Not often but with screws just use a metal detector to find 'em under the filler, unscrew, break the caulking along the top edge and lift away. Nails lots of prising, head pulling through board, damage to board from prising... Gripfill, rip off old board, dispose, clean up/repatch damaged wall fit new board...

[stuart noble]

Not ever IME

[Roger Mills]

Well you might, if you want to do a proper job when fitting laminate (ugh!) or engineered or hardwood flooring.

[Tim Watts]

Spamlet wibbled on Monday 16 August 2010 00:18

I cut some little wooden plugs and fitted those with just a drop of PVA, chiselled off and went over the skirting with oil. The plugs are hardly visible, but you could find them if required and remove them (I tried one to prove a point).

Wasn't much trouble. Gripfill would be much faster, iff and only off everything goes together without requiring any clamping, otherwise it might be just as much effort. I chose 5mm x 50mm so I could pull the boards into the slight curves in the wall.

[Spamlet]

?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=screw+caps&searchbutton.x=0&searchbutton.y=0&searchbutton=submitActually it is all arbitrary because even if you put wood filler over the screw holes it is the work of seconds to see it and pop it out with a bradawl. S

[stuart noble]

Ah, but, as TMH has pointed out, skirting looks better straight, however much filling (or Gripfilling) you have to do behind it. It's about creating the illusion of straightness.

[Fred]

I think covering the screws with wooden caps is a good idea, as is using a metal detector and bradawl to remove filler but really do skirting boards need to be removed that often? Roger suggested the installation of a wooden floor but that's a one-off. If you install a new floor once in a blue moon, isn't it easier just to replace the skirting board at that point?

I'll see what I've got in the garage. I think nails might be quicker as there is no need to pre drill a hole, as you would need to if using plugs.

Thanks again everyone.

[Fred]

I think I misread the tubes. IIRC they both say allow 48-72 hours for full adhesive effect but having looked more closely at the tube today, it does say on the solvent one that it will work within 10-15 minutes. I can't remember what the solvent free one says as the tube ran out and got thrown away last time. I always thought the solvent version must work faster, otherwise what's the point of having two types? Or is the idea that a solvent version is waterproof?

Anyway, the only wall I had straight enough to glue the skirting boards onto was the stud wall I have recently put up; everything else was too curvy! I managed to use 2" nails to hammer the skirting boards onto all but one of the walls.

The final wall is an external wall of some sort of breeze block covered in sandy browning. Round nails simply won't hold in the block, so I have to use cut clasp nails. However, even then they don't always hold. The longest ones I could find were 65mm from tool station; perhaps I should look harder for some longer ones? The problem with the cut clasp nails is that they seem to split the boards. After I had turned a lovely new board into something looking like cheese, I decided to try screws!

Previously I had thought it would be a lot of hassle to drill a hole, then drill a countersink, then insert a plug, and finally screw but I spotted some 4" frame fixings in the garage and used two of those and whacked them in! It didn't allow for fine adjustment suggested by THM; the board is pulled against the wall but at least the dam thing is finally securely in place! I can't believe it should take a 4" screw to hold some skirting board! Are my walls unusually bad or does everyone else have the same problem? Is there any reason that frame fixings/hammer fixings can't be used, they seem quicker than using separate screws and plugs.

Thanks again.

[The Medway Handyman]

I think solvent based was the original formulation, then they realised it would melt some plastics, so a solvent free was introduced.

[Spamlet]

So long as the nails are blunt, they are supposed to crush the wood fibres rather than push them out of the way and split the board. As with the recent post on floor boards, whether this is actually likely to be sufficient safeguard, rather depends on how carefully you have chosen the wood: as noted, the stuff in the sheds tends to be rubbish. With nails you are not just giving the wood a pounding, but also the plaster and the brick work behind it, and as you have found, there is no guarantee that the nails will hold in the wall even then. Screws, on the other hand, are easy, nowadays.

No, you can buy a pilot with counterink built in cheaply from Screwfix. Then you just put your screws through the board, hold it against the wall; tap each screw with a hammer to mark the wall; put the board down; drill and plug your masonry and whizz whizz you are done. No messy glue, no dents, no splits, easy to remove should you need to do so. Covers available for the screws in a number of colours or simply fill with 'plastic wood'.

then insert a plug, and finally screw but I

Hammer fixings are just more expensive and, as the sleeve flares out on top of the board, it would not normally be easy to lift the board again without damage, but as your masonry is so soft it will probably still be easy to lift it with a flat pry bar should you feel the need (the plaster may come with it though. On old walls and plaster, minimum disturbance is sensible, and that may mean not even using the hammer setting on your drill. If the masonry really is powdery you may find it useul to squirt some pva or polyfiller in the hole before you insert the plug.

S