Hi All, I have a job coming up that requires the fitting of skirting board and architrave in a house built around 1900. The interior walls are bricks covered in plaster and in some cases plasterboard and skimmed. The SB and A will be of MDF. I'd like to use a 16g brad air nailer with 50mm brads as the fixings - or is there a better way? Many thanks.
What he said but… thinly applied gripfill to the skirting (shoot a bead top and bottom allowing an inch margin to avoid any possibility of squeeze out), and brad those too. Skew the brads for more grip. Finish the tops with caulk smoothed with a moist synthetic sponge. Obviously don't forget to glue and brad your arch miters too.
The problem i have with Gripfilling on things like skirting boards is that they are difficult to hold in place waiting for the glue to set - as they often bow outwards in the middle. In a small room I can use expanding props think these: http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-extension-support-rod-pack-of-2/78272 But often this is impossible. So is the answer gripfill over the length and a couple of brads where necessary?
As long as the room is cleared, lengths of 4x2 clamped in the middle and wedges up against the skirting.
Same way. sometimes though I've use 4x2 lengths with another 4x2 laid across those & then used expanding props off that, instead of wedges.
Knock a few panel pins in to hold them whilst the adhesive goes off. Either remove the pins afterwards or punch them in and fill the heads with fine filler or caulk. That's what I did which worked a treat in my 1900 victorian semi.
The amount of times I have seen loose skirting because it was stuck on is unbelievable. I do not know if it is just laziness or in a rush to get out the door just using gripfill etc. In your Victorian or Edwardian house, the skirting would be fixed to grounds properly using cut nails and the architrave to the lining with smaller cut nails. Why therefore not do the job properly and nail or screw the skirting depending on substrate and nail the architrave.It may be more work filling etc (if hardwood use wooden plugs) but it is a 100 percent far superior job. How many Victorian skirtings have you seen lying on the floor where the glue has failed.
I agree with Deleted member 11267... I always glue and screw with with skirting and architrave - then fill, sand, prime, rub down, undercoat, rub down, then top coat(s). My version of gluing and screwing is to first drill and counter-sink my skirting with a 5mm bit. I then stick a decent bead or two of slow curing adhesive- something that can take a bit of tweaking - on the back Then lift into position, sitting it on a load of lego blocks to get the gap for the carpet and press it to the wall. I then use a 5mm masonry bit, through the pre-drilled holes, to drill into the wall (or just drive a screw if it's aligned to the stud) then gently hammer the screw with a rawl plug into the gap. Then tighten the screw, pulling tight to the wall and spreading the glue. It is not the quickest, but looks neat and doesn't move a mm... Whitling2k
Why raise the skirtings? Carpet is meant to fit up to the skirtings not under it. Skirting should be tight to the floor. Not the same as in your case but I hate to see huge gaps under skirting where a carpenter couldn't be bothered to scribe to the floorline.
dunno - it was what my carpet fitter said when he was measuring up. He nips the carpet under the skirting - there are no gaps, it's about 10mm (1x4 lego on it's side)
Same way for 30 years plus,I leave a about 8mm-10mm gap under skirting,use plastic spacers to give correct gap, then when you lay new carpet with a cut edge,or hemed edge, it's never seen. You get a very neat finish,very difficult to notice carpet has been put under skirting.
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