Behind skirting boards

[Mandolin Joe]

Hi,

Just pulled off some old skirting boards and the state of the wall behind is pretty bad.
We plan to put down laminate flooring and getting new skirting boards.

Will we need to cement or make good of the shoddy part of the wall or are we better off leaving wall as is and getting slightly higher skirting boards to cover it up after putting flooring?

 

[Jord86]

Traditionalist that I am, if it were mine I’d repair the wall, sand the existing floorboards back for a stain or varnish rather than paying more money for laminate (which is a far lesser product compared to original floorboards) then put new 6” skirting down.

 

[koolpc]

That's pretty normal to be honest. Seen worse. Always a good idea to spend some time making good before fixing new flooring / skirting.

 

[McSport]

DIYer. Have done a fair bit of skirting on my and neighbours 1930s
As above. Quite common for a bit of plaster to come off.

Is it just that small section below the socket?
Easy way is expanding foam to fill the gap.
Remove anything loose and brush/vac. Wet the surface and foam away.
Leave for 24H and trim with a craft knife with long snap-off blade.

If you laminate, this will lift the bottom of the skirting anyway. You might get away with same height or get something taller.
You may find the existing plaster kicks out where it meets the old skirting.

 

[DIYDave.]

Not essential to repair wall before replacing skirts and possibly you’re going for taller board than the skinny 3” skirt currently fitted ?

But me, I would repair wall first, and have done so on several occasions when ripping off and replacing skirts

Vert little cost involved in both materials and labour if doing work yourself- plus makes fitting new skirts easier and gives better fixing options

Brush away loose material
Pencil line to mark top of new skirts
Diluted pva or sbr to wall below pencil line
2 coats, allow to dry inbetween
This will seal porous surfaces and firm up the area
Then bonding plaster to repair

Cheap for a sack, easy to use, can lash it on 30-40mm thick in one hit, doesn’t need to be a perfect finish but float / or damp wooden batten and level off flush with wall

 

[WillyEckerslike]

Are you planning to upgrade or move the sockets? I'd be inclined to do that first just in case you need to lift boards for any reason when doing so - you can see the board under the socket has been replaced the other way round or is even from elsewhere in the room.

 

[koolpc]

Not essential to repair wall before replacing skirts and possibly you’re going for taller board than the skinny 3” skirt currently fitted ?

But me, I would repair wall first, and have done so on several occasions when ripping off and replacing skirts

Vert little cost involved in both materials and labour if doing work yourself- plus makes fitting new skirts easier and gives better fixing options

Brush away loose material
Pencil line to mark top of new skirts
Diluted pva or sbr to wall below pencil line
2 coats, allow to dry inbetween
This will seal porous surfaces and firm up the area
Then bonding plaster to repair

Cheap for a sack, easy to use, can lash it on 30-40mm thick in one hit, doesn’t need to be a perfect finish but float / or damp wooden batten and level off flush with wall

This

 

[Mandolin Joe]

DIYer. Have done a fair bit of skirting on my and neighbours 1930s
As above. Quite common for a bit of plaster to come off.

Is it just that small section below the socket?
Easy way is expanding foam to fill the gap.
Remove anything loose and brush/vac. Wet the surface and foam away.
Leave for 24H and trim with a craft knife with long snap-off blade.

If you laminate, this will lift the bottom of the skirting anyway. You might get away with same height or get something taller.
You may find the existing plaster kicks out where it meets the old skirting.

It goes all along the bedrooms x4 and downstairs. Converting all carpet house to all laminate. It's worse in some places than some.

 

[Mandolin Joe]

Not essential to repair wall before replacing skirts and possibly you’re going for taller board than the skinny 3” skirt currently fitted ?

But me, I would repair wall first, and have done so on several occasions when ripping off and replacing skirts

Vert little cost involved in both materials and labour if doing work yourself- plus makes fitting new skirts easier and gives better fixing options

Brush away loose material
Pencil line to mark top of new skirts
Diluted pva or sbr to wall below pencil line
2 coats, allow to dry inbetween
This will seal porous surfaces and firm up the area
Then bonding plaster to repair

Cheap for a sack, easy to use, can lash it on 30-40mm thick in one hit, doesn’t need to be a perfect finish but float / or damp wooden batten and level off flush with wall

Is the PVA or SBR necessary if I'm using the bonding plaster after I've cleaned up area?
Whole house will need doing as this was an all carpet house and now will be laminate. Old skirting boards need to go.
Any specific bonding plaster?
Will I nail new skirting board to wall above or should I nail to wall above and no nail glue to bonding plaster?

Many thanks.

 

[Mark DM]

I mark a line at skirting height, 50:50 pva / water mix and prime below the line. Once fully dry , gripfill every 300mm or so. Never had a failure

 

[Mandolin Joe]

I mark a line at skirting height, 50:50 pva / water mix and prime below the line. Once fully dry , gripfill every 300mm or so. Never had a failure

So after hoovering and tidying up, apply 50/50 PVA/water to all exposed surfaces. Then fix new skirting board to wall with gripfill? Haven't used gripfill before.

 

[Mark DM]

I use the solvent based version put strips of adhesive on and usually a thin strip on the wall opposite. Don't need to be too accurate, about 10mm thick or so. Gives a great bond when 2 smeared glue lines come together. Push it in tight, next day ready to caulk the top edge if needed. Your wall behind the skirting obviously has to be dry, stable and solid. Keep pva primer away from surfaces that will be emulsioned as it can cause issues.