Incredibly dull skirting board painting question :)

[redrabbit]

I'll shortly be embarking on full-on house redecoration, and I'm very keen that the skirting boards look great

I will spend hours, perhaps days, sanding and filling the top edges, but my question is - what about the lower edge? We have maple flooring throughout the ground floor, and I want to fill the 2mm gap to make the joint look sharp - but is it a good idea? And if so, what filler is up to the job?

Thanks already for any advice, there's loads on the Web but a lot of conflicting views...

RR

[richhead]

I always thought there needed to be a gap for expansion.

[TT86]

Bona gap master is super. Mega flexible and paintable. I used it for large gaps between my skirting and flooring and it didn't fail.

[OzzyR1]

richhead said:

I always thought there needed to be a gap for expansion.

Expansion gap is horizontal i.e. between the floor finish and the wall so usually hidden by the skirting.

I assume the OP is referring to a 2mm gap between the bottom edge of the skirting board and the floor surface?

Might be wrong.

Edited by OzzyR1 on Saturday 21st June 21:41

[OzzyR1]

Either caulk it or use some kind of beading tacked to the skirting (but not to the floor obvs) to hide the gap & decorate to match e.g.

[redrabbit]

OzzyR1 said:

Expansion gap is horizontal i.e. between the floor finish and the wall so usually hidden by the skirting.

I assume the OP is referring to a 2mm gap between the bottom edge of the skirting board and the floor surface?

Might be wrong.

Edited by OzzyR1 on Saturday 21st June 21:41

That's exactly right.

[redrabbit]

OzzyR1 said:

Either caulk it or use some kind of beading tacked to the skirting (but not to the floor obvs) to hide the gap & decorate to match e.g.

I was thinking of caulking it. Are all caulk brands essentially the same? It seems a lot cheaper as a product than other flexible filler products (polyfilla, etc)

[OutInTheShed]

If the gap is a pretty uniform 2mm, you're probably best just leaving it, unless you are getting serious draughts from under the skirting.

The flooring is quite likely supposed to 'float' so if you caulk it, it will not stay put, and will look terrible at some point in the year.

Most 'solutions' risk looking worse than the 'problem'.

[Sheepshanks]

Just call it a shadow gap. They’re posh.

[allegro]

The correct way, if you must cover that 2mm, is to buy thin timber that is a few mm short of the flat section of your existing skirting. store in the house for a few weeks, paint then glue/nail to the existing skirts. Applying painted beading looks better than the crap laminate stuff but not much as skirting boards would never have that profile and so it looks inherently wrong.

[Marcellus]

Just be aware if buying skirting boards that not all MDF is the same…. For the best finish make sure that you use a supplier who makes them from FINSA Hydrofugo.

[redrabbit]

OutInTheShed said:

If the gap is a pretty uniform 2mm, you're probably best just leaving it, unless you are getting serious draughts from under the skirting.

The flooring is quite likely supposed to 'float' so if you caulk it, it will not stay put, and will look terrible at some point in the year.

Most 'solutions' risk looking worse than the 'problem'.

Thanks for this. I think on balance this is probably what I'm leaning towards - your last sentence rings true from some of my other unrelated undertakings of late

[WelshRich]

redrabbit said:

I will spend hours, perhaps days, sanding and filling the top edges, but my question is - what about the lower edge? We have maple flooring throughout the ground floor, and I want to fill the 2mm gap to make the joint look sharp

RR

If you’re prepared to spend days sanding, have you thought about just replacing the skirting instead? (With a bit of care, you should be able to virtually eliminate the gap underneath as well)

[OzzyR1]

redrabbit said:

OzzyR1 said:

Either caulk it or use some kind of beading tacked to the skirting (but not to the floor obvs) to hide the gap & decorate to match e.g.

I was thinking of caulking it. Are all caulk brands essentially the same? It seems a lot cheaper as a product than other flexible filler products (polyfilla, etc)

Polyfilla absolutely not, if you are intent on doing this then caulk is what you need.

Forget the brands for the moment, look at the actual product.

If you are applying caulk between the skirting and the floor, you will need to paint over it.
If you don't, all types of caulk are "sticky" to some extent and will attract dirt & be impossible to clean.

You can't paint over silicone caulks without applying other treatments so forget those & go for acrylic/latex.
Best option (imho) is the DAP Alex advanced latex sealant range.


That said, I would urge you to have a re-think about the whole thing.

A 2mm gap is nothing, it stands out for you as you are focussing on it, but 99.9% of people who come into your house will never notice.

You are opening up a world of potential issues for minimal reward here:

If the skirting is 15mm proud of the wall at base, likely you'll have to cut a 2mm thick cork board to 12mm widths & push it into the gap between the floor & skirting before caulking. If not, caulk will keep going till you fill the entire gap between skirting front and wall.

You will have to cut down a tube at an acute angle and even then application to a 2mm gap will be hard.

You will have to tape off the skirting above and floor below to prevent mess.

For best practice, you will have to lightly sand the caulk before painting to ensure good adhesion.

If this is your first go, it will take bloody ages & probably look worse than it would if you'd just left a 2mm gap.

Edited by OzzyR1 on Saturday 21st June 23:22

[redrabbit]

OzzyR1 said:

Polyfilla absolutely not, if you are intent on doing this then caulk is what you need.

Forget the brands for the moment, look at the actual product.

If you are applying caulk between the skirting and the floor, you will need to paint over it.
If you don't, all types of caulk are "sticky" to some extent and will attract dirt & be impossible to clean.

You can't paint over silicone caulks without applying other treatments so forget those & go for acrylic/latex.
Best option (imho) is the DAP Alex advanced latex sealant range.


That said, I would urge you to have a re-think about the whole thing.

A 2mm gap is nothing, it stands out for you as you are focussing on it, but 99.9% of people who come into your house will never notice.

You are opening up a world of potential issues for minimal reward here:

If the skirting is 15mm proud of the wall at base, likely you'll have to cut a 2mm thick cork board to 12mm widths & push it into the gap between the floor & skirting before caulking. If not, caulk will keep going till you fill the entire gap between skirting front and wall.

You will have to cut down a tube at an acute angle and even then application to a 2mm gap will be hard.

You will have to tape off the skirting above and floor below to prevent mess.

For best practice, you will have to lightly sand the caulk before painting to ensure good adhesion.

If this is your first go, it will take bloody ages & probably look worse than it would if you'd just left a 2mm gap.

Edited by OzzyR1 on Saturday 21st June 23:22

This is what I needed to hear - thanks Ozzy

[redrabbit]

WelshRich said:

If you re prepared to spend days sanding, have you thought about just replacing the skirting instead? (With a bit of care, you should be able to virtually eliminate the gap underneath as well)

I have thought about that - but on balance the fit is pretty good and I'm happy with putting in the prep effort rather that pripping it out.

The replies about have been very useful - thanks all. I may post some before and after pics if I remember!

[OzzyR1]

redrabbit said:

This is what I needed to hear - thanks Ozzy

Good luck with whatever you decide!!

2mm gap aside, out of curiosity, why are you prepared to spend "hours or days" sanding back the existing skirtings in the first place?

Have they been poorly decorated beforehand & have obvious runs/drips?

[randytusk]

If you can be bothered, source a thin sliver of of EPDM foam strip in white and use it to fill the gap

this will cut cleanly and confirm to the gap


You'll find that caulk or silcone will eventually dry and crack or interfere with paint adhesion..

[redrabbit]

OzzyR1 said:

Good luck with whatever you decide!!

2mm gap aside, out of curiosity, why are you prepared to spend "hours or days" sanding back the existing skirtings in the first place?

Have they been poorly decorated beforehand & have obvious runs/drips?

Not really. I just have plenty of time on my hands and fancy doing the best job I can. Might just take a few hours in truth, they are in pretty good nick.

[PhilboSE]

If you really want to fill in the gap then rather than caulk I’d recommend C-Tec FC1 (filler and caulk). It sets harder than caulk, doesn’t shrink like caulk and you can gun it in and tool it off just like caulk, and it stays flexible enough not to crack. It’s quite a new product to market and seems relatively unique for the job, but I tried it in a similar job (gap between new architrave and old door frame after a wall had been re-plastered) and it worked a treat.