Need to choose some skirting and architrave for the bathroom now, and later for the other rooms. Any pointers to a website that have a good selection so we can browse? And should I be going for solid wood, mdf, other? Somewhat ignorant in this department...on a learning curve. Any guidance on what a good contemporary profile would be? And how thick typically?
Timber every time ie solid wood. Do not like contemporary so cannot help there,much prefer traditional like OG,Torus etc.
This site gives a good sample of profiles available. https://skirtingboardsdirect.com/products/category/mdf-skirting-boards/ MDF is easy choice. If not MDF, which wood?
Check out Midland Mouldings Dave, or that one you linked to are pretty well stocked. A decent contemporary profile is usually something square edged with a couple of grooves run through it, or a chamfered profile. They seem to make square profiles these days and call them modern, but what they really mean is cheaper to manufacture and lazy, with minimal reduction in price. I prefer traditional Victorian mouldings myself, themselves borrowing from Greco/Roman era, flutes, pilasters, dentils, arcs, etc being a carpenter who needs to get a life, but everyone has different tastes. I always prefer architrave at very least 20mm+ thick, preferably an inch as thin always looks s.hite, but there's nothing worse than skirting that sticks out past the arcs if the wall or door lining kicks out, thicker architrave helps with the transition between the two. Skirting minimum 3/4". If you choose softwood timber, make sure it's decent seasoned stuff, redwood, with NO cupping present. Had to fit a bungalows worth of 5" timber lambs tongue skirting before xmas, all to be stained, screwed and pelleted, they bought it ages before, every basxard length was cupped, took a LOT of extra work to get it looking good. Just beware.
Hence why mdf is a superior skirt that and pine knots always bleed through. But for a real skirting ie anything pre 1930 quality redwood is best. But the overall finish with mdf is superior because it's much more consistent.
I've used https://www.skirting4u.co.uk/?gclid...C666SuRUXqVNcQ-ZnmBWogOukZFzznR0aAtpUEALw_wcB for a couple of profiles on my house project and will be using them for the skirtings and architraves. I need 220mm skirts to match the originals and this cuts down the options as this is a tall skirting. Personally once painted what's the difference! and MDF is certainly straighter and knot free.
I have a router but not cutters...this type of woodwork is above my pay grade to be honest. Fitting them I can just about cope with.
Having followed your projects as they're going along I can assure you without a doubt you certainly are more than capable. A cheats way would be to buy splayed or square arch or skirt, and run a vee bit through the middle, adding an extra profile, or using a circular saw with a fence, set the depth of the blade to cut roughly 3mm and run groove(s) through the square part of the timber, keeping the mouldings in proportion with one another.
Had a look today, favourite was this Manchester profile. On reflection it would be easy to make from MDF or decent pine. What's a good place for router bits for this kind of thing?
As you won't be using them regular, I'd suggest a decent cheap 1/4" set from either Axminster tools or maybe even Screwfix if they do them reasonable. To make that you need a chamfer and a vee bit.
I looked at machining my own MDF skirting, but by the time I'd bought a sheet of MDF, cut it into strips, machined it (which on a long length means holding it firmly for routing, or using a table) I decided the hassle wasn't worth it for the difference in cost between b******ing about or buying it ready-machined. Some things are worth doing but saving a couple of quid a metre on skirting is not worth it IMHO. The bought stuff is perfectly machined, no wiggles.
As the bathroom is first I might try making my own for that, gives me a chance to experiment with a few different profiles using a chamfer and v bit until we're both happy. But will likely buy it for rest of the house as they're much longer pieces...challenge then is getting it to match. Minimum postage on one web site was £20 makes small orders uneconomical.
You can always machine them out of PSE softwood 4x1, 6x1 etc, available in long lengths from any timber yard. Or out of running lengths of door lining stock.
So I'm thinking of getting this router bit set as it's got a small radius roundover bit (6mm ish) and V bit, but wonder if there are individual bits available separately at a decent price? Cant find any 6mm radius bits https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p56267 PSE 5th redwood timber from Jewson and a Ferm PRA1011 router table. Thoughts?