Hello Everyone (hopefully) I need some advice on skirting. I have just had my living room replastered and so now have to replace all the skirting (had to take it off before the plastering). My house is 1950's, ex-council, built like a brick ****-house and the room does not have any obsure angles, just a rectangle with a fireplace on one wall. Anyway, 1) MDF or Real?? I am going to be glossing in the end. 2) Gap between skirting and concrete floor? Do I need to leave one for the carpet? 3) Screw or Gripfill? I am sure that there will be different views on all three of these, I just want to judge opinion. Thanks Mackie
i have found myself screwing back customers skirting boards that had been stuck down on a number of occasions, that is my personal reason for prefering to screw it in place, screwed on, on for life. (thats just my reason for screws). mdf is held together with a toxic glue (thats just my reason for real wood).
real wood expands and contracts with the weather - MDF is highly stable yes it uses some VOCs but so does lots of other commonly used building materials MDF does offgas, this reduces significantly with age, it is an approved construction material and gives off no gases when finished (painted) it's also been in use for a rather long time
I like glueing. No faffing with filling screw/nail heads etc This is when you'll find out how straight the plaster is. Nice and straight-glue. In and out all over the place-screw(and fill the topline). Mr. HandyAndy - Really
The Plasterers WONT have used a darby. MDF Mask screwed PVA on joints. Gap 5mm (carpet always sits better and you will get 'draught marks' on edges of light carpet no matter which system you use) IMHO RS
the gap size is dependant on the thickness of the finished flooring - with the skirting being fixed after the floor finishings are laid
says the pedant quoting regs about cables within insulated voids to a post asking about an external patio wall it's very common practise to have floor coverings running under skirtings - it's a matter of preference personally I much prefer the neat effect of covering the edge of a carpet with skirting, and there's no other (neat) method with other finishes, each to their own
PMSL...once more. Were the regs (both brown book and red book) to give some historical context...wrong in relation to domestic premises ? No ! Particularly as other contributers had mentioned it was only the LBC who insisted it was prohibited. Red Herring anyone ? I personally have never SEEN or HEARD of skirtings being fixed to CARPETS after fitting. The OP stated 'CARPETS'.................NOT other floor finishes. And of course other floor finishes require a different edge finishing as appropriate RS
Quite right RS,, If carpets are fitted before the skirtings , it's a damn hard job for the next carpet fitter to remove the old carpet (when they undoubtedly will replace it) as the grip strips will then be underneath the skirting. Carpet manufacturers recommend replacing carpets a maximum , every ten yrs.
Plus also it is a pain in the backside trying to paint skirting after the carpet is in...... anyway it looks like it is going to be MDF, glued with a gap before the carpet is fitted. thanks for all the advice.
maybe I come from a different space, where neatness and visual quality is a requirement, rather than speed and cost effectiveness - each to their own RS, you could have quoted some pink red yellow and green books in their entirety - no one (in their right mind) insulates an external patio wall - so what's the ''historical'' relevance of your previous comment in relation to the question that was asked ?