second fix
Skirting boards and architrave
Skirting and architrave are the trims that finish a room where the walls meet the floor and the doors. Fitted, they typically cost £12 to £25 per metre, and the work goes quickly on straight walls and slowly on old ones.
What it costs. Skirting and architrave cost £12 to £25 per metre fitted. Full cost breakdown for skirting and architrave.
What the job covers
- Replacing skirting through a whole house
- Matching period skirting profiles
- Architrave around new doors
- Picture and dado rails
- Boxing in pipework
What is involved
The skill is in the joints and the walls. Internal corners are scribed rather than mitred, because a scribed joint stays closed when the timber shrinks and a mitre opens up. External corners are mitred and usually glued and pinned. On an old house with bowed walls, the back of the board gets scribed to the wall so there is no gap to fill along its length, which is slow and is what separates a good job from a caulked one.
Matching an existing profile is a common request and often possible. Many Victorian and Edwardian profiles are still stocked, and where they are not, a joinery workshop can run a matching cutter from a short sample. That is worth doing in a period house, because a modern square-edge board next to an original ogee is immediately visible.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask whether internal corners will be scribed or mitred, and expect scribed. Ask how much caulk they expect to use, since a lot of caulk means the boards are not following the wall. Take a sample of any existing profile you want matched.
Common questions
MDF or softwood skirting?
MDF for painted work: it is stable, has no knots and gives a flatter painted finish. Softwood where the trim will be stained, or where it may take knocks.
Can new skirting match my Victorian profile?
Often from stock, and otherwise a joinery workshop can grind a cutter to a sample. Take a 200mm offcut when you ask.
Should skirting go on before or after flooring?
Flooring first, then skirting over it, which hides the expansion gap and avoids a visible line if the floor is ever changed.
How long to do a whole house?
A typical three-bedroom house is two to four days for skirting and architrave, plus decorating.