Skirting & Architrave

rampantbunny

I regularly see architrave and skirting that is in the region of 4-5inches.
I'm looking for something slimmer like 75mm. I think it would fit well into our build as it is contemporary(ish). Would be looking for poplar, square profile with a 45 deg bevel on top.

Anyone know if this can be bought off the shelf, or am I looking at bespoke work from a joinery?

Any reasons narrow skirting would cause a problem? Covering door frames/concealing bad plaster at foot of walls?

kadman

rampantbunny wrote: »

I regularly see architrave and skirting that is in the region of 4-5inches.
I'm looking for something slimmer like 75mm. I think it would fit well into our build as it is contemporary(ish). Would be looking for poplar, square profile with a 45 deg bevel on top.

Anyone know if this can be bought off the shelf, or am I looking at bespoke work from a joinery?

Any reasons narrow skirting would cause a problem? Covering door frames/concealing bad plaster at foot of walls?

Unless your walls are extremely well finished, and your plasterer has been notified that you intend to fit narrow skirting. Then the fit is going to be a hit and miss affair.

In my experience, the wall only starts to get straight from about 2-3 inches above the floor.
I often noticed slight curvature at the wall base, due to the plastering arc of starting skimming from the base upwards.

And more often than not, the plastering never always ran down to the floor.

2 cents

Bonzo Delaney

To be honest in my experience plastering as a craft/trade has gone down the swaney in the last 15 years since all the now 70 year old plasters have retired.
Lads just won't spend the time now straightening walls, plumbing and ranging and skiming straight down to the floor. Usually in a house I go in to 2nd fix I've to spend the first hour hacking the lumps of plaster off the base of the walls and the last hour explaining to the client why there's gaps behind the skirting and if its tight to the wall the skirting looks like it's on it's way home after a crate of porter.
As for a feathered edge most lads think you'll find it in a bird sanctuary.

Sorry for the rant but it's just getting harder and harder to complete a neat finish where joinery meets plaster work any more , I'd nearly start to suggest a return back to the real old days where the carpenter fitted frames and skirting first and the plasterer rendered down to a rebate on top of the skirting.

To the op the nearest to what you require of the shelf would be 12.5 mm x 65 mm bullnosed architrave in white deal
To get exactly what you want a joinery would be your best option

rampantbunny

Thanks for the responses folks...food for thought as always.

Plaster is finished to past the actual floor line in an effort to ensure airtightness so at least that's not a problem. I'm prepared to spend some time making good the walls but I think I'll run a straight edge along the bottom to see how good/bad they are first. If they are bad at 3" I doubt they'd be much improved at 4" but could be wrong.

The 65mm bull nose you mentioned BD...did you mean to use this for architrave and skirting?

What are your opinions on using MDF products or is that a complete no-no?

Bonzo Delaney

The 65mm architrave can be used as skirt also if desired it's also available in 95 mm and 115 mm of the shelf iirc
Pre primed mdf arch & skirt is ok , it just doesn't have that painted timber look about it some notice others wouldn't some prefer it and others think it's fake looking pick up a few samples yourself and coat them up to a finish and see which you prefer yourself.

tabby aspreme

You would see the type of skirting the OP wants, used on mainland Europe a lot, if you got a bevel machined on the inside next the floor it may help with fitting, I've often spent longer hacking at the plaster than the actual cutting and fitting of the timber.

rampantbunny

Bonzo Delaney wrote: »

The 65mm architrave can be used as skirt also if desired it's also available in 95 mm and 115 mm of the shelf iirc
Pre primed mdf arch & skirt is ok , it just doesn't have that painted timber look about it some notice others wouldn't some prefer it and others think it's fake looking pick up a few samples yourself and coat them up to a finish and see which you prefer yourself.

I'd be happy enough with the look of MDF because it will be surrounded by other simple (what others would call plain) materials.

More concerned really if it would perform as well as real wood e.g. would it take on moisture from screed (new build), or would paint fade more on it's surface etc. If it's only down to aesthetic differences I'd certainly consider it.

tabby aspreme

Moisture from the screed shouldn't effect it if it's poured a while, if it's painted properly it looks fine

Miname

You can buy timber planed all round and get your chippy to route a bevel very easily. Your as well keep the skirting bigger than what you keep the architrave, it's hard to explain but when skirting and architrave are kept at the same dimensions it just looks wrong. Proportions and all that stuff.

rampantbunny

Miname wrote: »

You can buy timber planed all round and get your chippy to route a bevel very easily. Your as well keep the skirting bigger than what you keep the architrave, it's hard to explain but when skirting and architrave are kept at the same dimensions it just looks wrong. Proportions and all that stuff.

The thought had crossed my mind as I've access to quite a few wood working tools but time is what I don't have much of though. Going to ring the joinery that made my window boards and see what they can do.

I originally wanted to do something like this, but again time dictated otherwise. I've no affiliation to the company in the link.

Hear what you are saying re perspective, but I've seen it done and personally I don't think it looked odd.