Skirting - straight or bent?

[GMM]

Just about to put the skirting on for my current job. The wall is (as ever) far from straight and bellies into about a 15mm dip in the centre of a 2m run, so there's a choice: either follow the wall with the risk of the deviation showing against the line of the tiles or set the skirting straight and leave a great big gap to fill.

So which is the lesser of these two evils in terms of anyone noticing it? (I know I'll notice it more than anyone else, you always do on your own jobs). Obviously the best thing is to have a straight wall but I shall have to like with it in this case....

[Dave Liquorice]

I'd follow the wall the "shelf" on top of the skirting will be far more noticable than the deviatation against the floor tiles. If the grout line in the tiles is a more than a few inches from the skirting it probably won't show at all.

[Owain]

Can you split the difference, have the skirting out by 7.5mm along the tiles, and with a 7.5mm gap to fill against the wall?

If the skirting is bendy enough, tack it into place and ajust the distance from the wall until it just looks right.

Owain

[John Rumm]

Always fit the skirting straight (i.e. fix to the high spots), then fill behind. Its much easier to "eye up" a bit of skirting and see its wonky, than it is to see errors in the wall.

[The Medway Handyman]

+1

If you fix the skirting straight, caulk the gap & paint it the same colour as the wall, it's hardly noticeable.

Bent skirting stands out like a sore thumb & looks awful.

[stuart noble]

+1

[stuart noble]

+1

[Huge]

What he said.

[harry]

The best way is to fix the plaster assuming it is sound. Wet the wall down with some PVA/water 50/50 mix. Let dry and do a couple more coats until a shiney finish is obtained Mix up some plaster using water with the same mix and fill in the low spot. You will find you can feather out the edges of your plaster patch and so do a non-bodge job. The plaster is easier to manage with PVA in it as well.

[Bill Wright]

Whether you're straight or bent remember that horizontal stripes will make you look fat.

Bill

[GMM]

Clearly the most erudite view on the matter (!)

Seems the majority is in favour of the straight approach, so we'll leave being bent for now.....

[Tim Watts]

On Saturday 27 April 2013 16:17 The Medway Handyman wrote in uk.d-i-y:

I disagree. I have a couple of walls that were bendy and I pulled the skirting in to the profile. I cannot tell anything's wrong and I'm a perfectionist.

But I do not have square floor tiles so there's nothing to sight the bend against.

[GMM]

I think that is the basis of my dilemma Tim: I've moved the skirting to the curve of the wall before and, against a carpet etc, it's looked fine. In this case, a small room and tiled, it seems more likely it would show badly. It's a complete tile to the wall in question (30cm) and the grouting is the same colour (black with black granite) but even so. I'm sort of pondering a third way at the moment. It's a d/stairs cloakroom and might look good panelled (maybe the mdf matchboard they do), with the panelling run into the boxing for the back to wall WC. The wall straightens put higher up, so it could lose the problem entirely.

Having a little trouble explaining the concept to SWMBO today though, so I'll have to find a pic online(!)