Fitting skirting boards

creedp

Another difference of opinion with builder - this time in relation to fitting of skirting boards. I was always of the view that skirting boards should be mitred at 45deg in corners for a snug clean finish. Builder has just started fitting skirting boards and lo and behold he is fitting them square, i.e. 1st board full lenght in corner and next board butted up against it.

I asked why he wasn't mitring them (probably not a real word!!) and he said that's the way he does them!!

Anyone got any views of this - how are the skirtings fitted in your houses?

Thanks

BryanF

creedp wrote: »

Another difference of opinion with builder - this time in relation to fitting of skirting boards. I was always of the view that skirting boards should be mitred at 45deg in corners for a snug clean finish. Builder has just started fitting skirting boards and lo and behold he is fitting them square, i.e. 1st board full lenght in corner and next board butted up against it.

I asked why he wasn't mitring them (probably not a real word!!) and he said that's the way he does them!!

Anyone got any views of this - how are the skirtings fitted in your houses?

Thanks

he's full of BS, insist he does it your way. sounds like he doesn't have a finishing carpenter on his team!

sas

For external corners you have to cut at 45 degrees.

That cutting at 45 degrees job is not the way to go from what I've seen for internal corners.

What my carpenter did and it works really well is that the first piece of skirting is butted into the corner.

The second piece is cut so that it slots into the shape of the first and installed like that. I think they call it scribing.

Is he butting external corners?

martinn123

Depends on two factors, external corner at 90 deg, +1 sas 45 deg. mitre.

Internal corner at 90deg, scribe works and looks well, with a moulded skirting.

Plain skirting, i.e not moulded I would go with 45 deg mitre both int/ext.

Not all corners are 90deg, so I hope your builder is up to it, sounds like he may not be.

creedp

sas wrote: »

For external corners you have to cut at 45 degrees.

That cutting at 45 degrees job is not the way to go from what I've seen for internal corners.

What my carpenter did and it works really well is that the first piece of skirting is butted into the corner.

The second piece is cut so that it slots into the shape of the first and installed like that. I think they call it scribing.

Is he butting external corners?

Now don't be too hard on me but what is an external -v- an internal corner?:)

In my case he has completed one room and all the corners are finised the same way, i.e. one board is butted tightly against wall and the next board is butted against the first. There is no attempt to scribe etc. However, the skirting is plain (i.e. flat/square top with no moulding) with the exception of a straight grove cut into it about an inch from top so when butted the groves meet and there are no unsightly gaps .. however, it just doesn't look right and the comment re: finishing carpenter may be the real reason why this approach has been taken.

His reasons for butting the boards is that it allows them to be fitted tightly and therefore even if they shrink there wouldn't be a gap. He said if mitred at 45 deg the boards cannot be tightly butted and therefore if they dry out a gap will occur. My only concern with this logic is what happens if they soak moisture? Will they bulge from wall!

LLU

sas wrote: »

For external corners you have to cut at 45 degrees.

That cutting at 45 degrees job is not the way to go from what I've seen for internal corners.

What my carpenter did and it works really well is that the first piece of skirting is butted into the corner.

The second piece is cut so that it slots into the shape of the first and installed like that. I think they call it scribing.

Is he butting external corners?

An advantage of scribing is that it's easier to remove the skirtings at a later stage, eg if you want to put wiring, etc behind them. Can be very hard to remove it in a room where all the angles were cut to 45 degrees.

creedp

creedp wrote: »

Now don't be too hard on me but what is an external -v- an internal corner?:)

Sorry I engaged my brain and I know what you mean:D So far its all internal corners so I'm not sure how he will handle external corners .. will check in advance so as not to be surprised

Thanks

Carpenter

The reason a scribe is used is because of shrinkage if you use a miter it will be seen from both sides when you use a scribe it is only seen from 1 side but if the boards are mdf then there should be no shrinkage you can then use a miter.

http://www.carpentry-tips-and-tricks.com/scribe-skirting-board.html

tred

Carpenter wrote: »

The reason a scribe is used is because of shrinkage if you use a miter it will be seen from both sides when you use a scribe it is only seen from 1 side but if the boards are mdf then there should be no shrinkage you can then use a miter.

http://www.carpentry-tips-and-tricks.com/scribe-skirting-board.html

Yep I believe its common place across the water to scribe the skirting joints...ud nearly think its more work...how does it look creedp?

Carpenter

creedp?

feichin

sounds like the man knows what he is doing. "mitre's" don't work on internal corners for many reasons, whereas a well cut scribe will always look right.If he's right handed you'll probably also find he's going anti clockwise around the room

mickdw

Scribe looks very well when the board has a moulding. It is also useful if dealing with bad walls in that if one board is sitting marginally off vertical, the joint is still perfect when scribed.
I think a square edged board is better cut at 45 deg in all cases though.
The external corners must always be mitred regardless

creedp

Carpenter wrote: »

creedp?

Sorry I was off the grid there for a couple of days:)

My skirting is white oak and is not moulded. Butting one board into the next without mitring/scribing looks ok from a distance but on close inspection it looks a bit amatuerish. I take people's views on scribing and I think that would work well with a moulded skirting but I think a mitre is better with a plain skirting. However, its like everything else to-date my guy does it one way only and insists it the only way he'll do it. Of course I called to one of his previous houses to find that he had mitred the skirting there even thoughit was moulded .. so much for 'only butts skirting' . I think personnel changes , i.e. the lack of a skilled carpenter might be an issue in this respect. At this point Im tired and although my preference is otherwise I'm almost at a point of pretending its fine!! Presumably no long term issue with this approach?

Carpenter

creedp wrote: »

Sorry I was off the grid there for a couple of days:)

My skirting is white oak and is not moulded. Butting one board into the next without mitring/scribing looks ok from a distance but on close inspection it looks a bit amatuerish. I take people's views on scribing and I think that would work well with a moulded skirting but I think a mitre is better with a plain skirting. However, its like everything else to-date my guy does it one way only and insists it the only way he'll do it. Of course I called to one of his previous houses to find that he had mitred the skirting there even thoughit was moulded .. so much for 'only butts skirting' . I think personnel changes , i.e. the lack of a skilled carpenter might be an issue in this respect. At this point Im tired and although my preference is otherwise I'm almost at a point of pretending its fine!! Presumably no long term issue with this approach?

Is he using glue on all joints

creedp

Carpenter wrote: »

Is he using glue on all joints

To be honest I don't know for certain but I very much doubt it. I'll check ..

Carpenter

creedp wrote: »

To be honest I don't know for certain but I very much doubt it. I'll check ..

If he is and the walls are bone dry you will have no problem

creedp

Carpenter wrote: »

If he is and the walls are bone dry you will have no problem

The walls were plastered and skimmed in early March so at least that shouldn't be a problem. The sand/cement screed has been in with 10 weeks so should also not be a source of moisture.

For clarity here would installing skirting by butting boards at corners be more prone to moisture problems that if they were mitred? Also should skirting boards always be glued into place - both along their length and also the corners?

Thanks for professional advice - I seem to be lacking the home grown sort:)

tred

creedp wrote: »

The walls were plastered and skimmed in early March so at least that shouldn't be a problem. The sand/cement screed has been in with 10 weeks so should also not be a source of moisture.

For clarity here would installing skirting by butting boards at corners be more prone to moisture problems that if they were mitred? Also should skirting boards always be glued into place - both along their length and also the corners?

Thanks for professional advice - I seem to be lacking the home grown sort:)

Creedp, rest easy, i was talking to a few chippiies this week. The mitre is the easy way out, the scribing is the way to go. all good..

creedp

tred wrote: »

Creedp, rest easy, i was talking to a few chippiies this week. The mitre is the easy way out, the scribing is the way to go. all good..

Thanks for the reassurance. Its always good to know at least somethings work out OK. I'm afraid I'll need a whole lot more of that before I can finally get out from underneath the rock of a self-build with a contractor ........ 15 months down, the last 6 being a nightmare. 1st Sept arriving and kids starting in new school 45 miles from current address and house not finished - no water/electricity on blink although certified/stairs not finished/no site work done/etc/etc ........ So although the skirting is one issue unfortuntely I've a few bigger fish to fry - if only I had a functioning hob:)

Thanks again