Skirting board pinned through a water pipe - should carpenter replace the carpet?

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by Tom O, Jan 13, 2021.

  1. cleggie

    cleggie Active Member

    I would not have expected any pipes to be in an area where skirting boards are fitted and especially sunk into the plaster.So it would not be expected for the carpenter to have to do anything except fix the boards.
     
  2. FlyByNight

    FlyByNight Screwfix Select

    Why not? How else would a CH feed get from upstairs to down?
     
  3. cleggie

    cleggie Active Member

    They are usually under floorboards and in boxing,etc not sunk into walls unless in a cavity and that is usually using pvc pipe that does not require maintenance.Otherwise if copper pipe is sunk into pladster walls if there is leaks you have to knck all the plaster off.
     
  4. FlyByNight

    FlyByNight Screwfix Select

    Are they - have seen it many times.

    It is still the tradesmans responsibility to ask if there are any services in wall or under floors and satisfy himself that he knows where they are.
     
  5. AnotherTopJob

    AnotherTopJob Screwfix Select

    A frustrating situation for both parties.
    However any tradesman should be well aware that there will often be services behind walls, even if they're not supposed to be there.
    If he was in doubt he could have used adhesive or at least nails that wouldn't have broken right through the board.
     
  6. chillimonster

    chillimonster Screwfix Select

    ...even if they're not supposed to be there. The important sentence. I once fitted a
    shower curtain. Got called back, kitchen light downstairs don't work . Turns out I
    drilled through a light cable that had been buried in a diagonal , not even vertical or
    horizontal, in the bathroom wall. Repaired it all, inc heat shrinking new cable without
    going into her new tiles.
    All my fault, never heard from her again. She did admit the house had been worked
    on by bodgers.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2021
  7. Tom O

    Tom O Member

    Thanks for your comments on insurance, I'm a bit more optimistic about that - though I have a feeling I cheaped-out on legal assistance for the sake of about £6 so I might live to regret that.

    In this case there are no floorboards and no boxing, it's a solid floor which was visible when the skirting was fitted. The paper towel was down to try and zero in on the leak - the pipes run as indicated:
    upload_2021-1-13_21-6-37.png

    It's a bungalow so no upstairs, but the pipes surely have to run sideways here.

    This is what I found:
    upload_2021-1-13_21-10-17.png

    The nail had gone through a circle of dot and dab, which was stuck onto the pipe. This is presumably why it hadn't leaked immediately. The dab was soft and easy to scrape away, so I presume it had leaked straight away but took some time to soften it enough to leak properly.

    The offending nail (50mm):
    upload_2021-1-13_21-11-54.png

    If he had used 38mm this wouldn't have happened!
     
    terrymac likes this.
  8. Wayners

    Wayners Screwfix Select

    Job I was on the curtain fitter hit mains cold water in poly pipe that run up side and along above lounge window then up to loft. Was a bungalow. How can they ever be held responsible for that! This all comes down to T&Cs on estimates I guess but for me the pipes should not be hidden where its possible fixings may go unless they are visible and pointed out. I decorated a empty room and got blamed for TV not working when customer put stuff back. I touched the aerial and power socket when I papered around it and they were convinced that caused tv to fail. Its all a gray area but carpet fitters T&Cs are not responsible for anything where the knife may go so I've read. The £240 phone cable and alarm cable repairs got them too many times I guess. Trades. Listen.. T&Cs. Cover yourself...
     
  9. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    Well he can't really deny liability when he sees those pics !!
     
  10. chillimonster

    chillimonster Screwfix Select

    decorating only in future , using those new safety paintbrushes
     
  11. Wayners

    Wayners Screwfix Select

    What was he nailing to then looking at photo... Plasterboard? With 50mm nail... Hum.. And he could of looked at pipe direction before he fitted skirting... OK. I cave.. Think he's in trouble for that... Chase him up
     
  12. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select

    Accidents do happen but the carpenter can't really excuse that, especially as it's a bungalow with a solid floor. He better have liability insurance.
     
  13. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    Going slightly off topic ,nailing skirting to plasterboard, thats dot and dabbed ??? How on earth is that going to hold unless the nails go through to the wall or into the adhesive ??
     
  14. AnotherTopJob

    AnotherTopJob Screwfix Select

    I'd be a bit cautious about calling your insurance company. Although not your fault, as soon you even discuss the possibility of making a claim, you can guarantee your premium will increase.
    Hopefully your carpenter will cover the damages without question.
     
  15. Tom O

    Tom O Member

    Surely 99% of homeowners don't know for certain where their pipes are? I had a vague idea but only because I was there while it was being built.

    Well, I can attest that it was extremely hard to remove. There was a squiggle of silicone as well but you can't argue with the holding power of 50mm nails. Maybe the secret is to aim for the pipes!


    Hopefully we can get it sorted OK, my girlfriend is absolutely devastated because it's our daughter's room and it was looking so nice.
     
  16. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select


    Normally pinned in conjunction with gripfill or similar, try to find a dab and it's fairly solid.
     
  17. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    Maybe thats what the carpenter was doing ,nailing to the dabbed adhesive ,just unlucky there was a pipe there.
     
  18. Mark Griffiths

    Mark Griffiths Active Member

    Unless the pipe is directly beneath where the pipe comes out of the wall, I think he can be forgiven. Most pipes come up from the floor. Not along the bottom of the wall.

    In my opinion, you should have made him aware. The fact that you knew, but didn’t tell him shows as much, if not more negligence on your part than the carpenter did by not checking.
     
  19. Dan Parkinson

    Dan Parkinson Active Member

    I agree with this tbf.


    Running pipes behind skirting shouldn't even be an option in my opinion.

    Tough call either way, it's not your fault your carpet is ruined and it's not his fault someone put pipes behind the only place guaranteed to have fixings in the whole wall.

    Biased Joiner
     
    RobJamesHeating likes this.
  20. sparko69

    sparko69 Screwfix Select

    I think its your fault and the fault of the idiot who decided to put pipes behind skirting boards. Everyone knows skirting will probably be nailed or screwed so it was a stupid idea to run pipes there.
    Also you knew the pipes were hidden and didn't bother warning the joiner about them but you have now got the nerve to ask him to replace your carpet?
    You should be asking the joker who put the pipe there
     
    HandyDoug and The Happy Builder like this.

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