novice with skirting boards

No point in trying to seal them, they're only decorative. If you have a damp problem, best to sort that out first

Adhesive every time, especially on a rough surface. Quicker, neater, but use it like it's going out of fashion for a good bond.

Aren't clout nails the ones with the big heads? If so, that would be the last thing I'd want on my skirting. Using "No more nails" on mine was impossible due to the bend / unevenness of my walls so I just used oval nails and once varnished they couldn't be seen. In my last house I just used panel pins to secure them. In fact now I think about it, I haven't used any kind of fix on the skirting boards upstairs, they have just been cut that tight they don't move as they are wedged together.

Who told you to seal the boards? Did they not mean seal the boards as in run some sealant / filler between the boards and wall once fitted?

Steven.

Use Polyfilla to fill any big holes behind the skirting, and make the suface as smooth as you can without too much effort.

Then use Gripfill to stick the skirting boards on. When they are firmly stuck, run a thin bead of decorators caulk along the top to fill any remaining small gaps.

Really? That sounds like a recipe for screws and wallplugs to me...#

David

A thick bead top and bottom so it squirts out at the edges. Like tile adhesive, it sticks initially by suction

Polyfilla is expensive and not suitable for large holes because of the way it dries. One coat patching plaster is the best and most economical way for the amateur plasterer.

Maybe we're differing on our definition of 'large'. I had in mind the sort of hole you get when (say) a 2" circle of plaster comes away with a nail - rather than *huge* areas. Pollyfilla - or a generic eqivalent from a shed - is fine for this, and the OP is probably more likely to have a packet of this lying around.

This is what I do. If you glue or nail they will be harder to remove again.

Mark

I have yet to find anything better than filler. I've tried patching plaster, Artex, and drywall joint filler because they're available in bulk, but they don't quite have the non-shrink qualities of the Polyfilla type products. A compromise is to fill the bulk of the space with whatever plaster you have lying around and finish off with filler

But even a 2" circle of normal depth plaster will take for ever to dry if filled with Pollyfilla in one go.

If patching plaster shrunk it wouldn't be any use for making good. If it is shrinking you're doing something wrong.

Aye aye captain.

Thanks to all. We went for putting on some patching plaster.

I rang the local B & Q and they said their gripfil costs £12.99, which seems a lot.

Now that the surface we are sticking to is quite good, is there a reasonably priced good alternative to gripfill to stick the skirting boards on with please? thanks

If you want Gripfill by another name you can get the same product as a Screwfix own brand.

If you want a better substitute at a lower price then hava a look at EvoStick Nail and Seal, sold at B&Q.

Where are you based?

You can pick Gripfill up from Screwfix or TLC or any other decent builders merchant.

=A312.99 is taking the piss - it's possible they were confused as to what you were asking for?

Steve

Gripfill £1.89 from screwfix if you have a trade counter handy.

Sounds like a pack of 4 or 6! Try

found gripfil at a 'buildbase' not far from me for £2.20 odd. thanks to all.