Glueing skirting board
- Difficultyeasy
- Cost£5/lfm
- Duration< 1 h
Introduction
Most hard flooring materials such as tile, parquet or laminate have a narrow expansion joint where the material is supposed to meet the wall. This provides room for the material to expand and contract when temperatures change. It is typically concealed by a skirting board or, when it comes to tile, a tile baseboard.
For all other floor coverings you can install skirting boards made of wood, composite wood, or PVC. These can be solid or flexible, with or without a cable channel, with a click system, to be screwed on or for glueing skirting board to plaster and other types of walls. Even carpet flooring should be finished with a skirting or baseboard for aesthetic reasons.
The importance of quality skirting boards is often overlooked when renovating a home or building a new one. However, unsightly skirting boards can ruin the appearance of an otherwise polished renovation or cause problems later when improperly installed skirting comes loose with the slightest knock.
That's why this article provides all the best tips and tricks on how to glue skirting board to a wall efficiently and effectively.
Let's get started – How to glue skirting boards step by step
In this step-by-step guide, we will show you the best way of glueing skirting boards to straight and uneven walls with minimal effort, while keeping costs low. Before you get started, you can discover additional information and useful tips on "glueing skirting boards" in the section titled "Planning & background knowledge" below.
Are you familiar with our 18-volt-system? It includes countless devices for a wide variety of applications. The best thing about using our 18-volt system for a project like this is that all the necessary power tools can be used with a single battery pack. Simply disconnect the battery, plug it into another device from the system, and continue with the next step.
Safety first! It is important to pay attention to occupational safety during each step to prevent accidents and protect yourself. If you are unsure, please refer to our overview of safety precautions for DIY for more information.
Measure the walls
Measure the walls from corner to corner to determine the total length of the skirting board you need. A laser measure helps you to measure accurately. Remember to add ten per cent to your measurements to account for the connecting joints.
For this example, we are focusing on glueing skirting boards to an uneven wall. If you are working with even walls, you can skip this step. Otherwise, the first step is to measure the vertical deviation between the (curved) wall and the (straight) skirting board with a metal ruler and account for this when cutting your boards.
Cut skirting boards
Buy the required length of skirting boards. We are using MDF strips here because they are easier to adapt to a crooked wall (see next step). However, in principle, this guide should also work for glueing wooden skirting boards.
Transfer the measured dimensions to the skirting strips. Mark necessary joint points and cut to length with a jigsaw tool. Try to keep each length as long as possible as fewer joints make for a cleaner look. See our video tutorials on using different types of saws for more detailed guidance.
For right-angled corners, cut both conjoining strips at a 45-degree angle by either adjusting the jigsaw angle or, if cutting by hand, with the use of a multi-angle measuring ruler.
Adjust the skirting board to the uneven wall
The trick for glueing skirting board to an uneven wall is to cut grooves into the back of the board! These grooves will add greater flexibility and allow you to manipulate the curvature of the skirting with greater ease.
How many grooves you need and at what intervals you should saw them depends on the extremity of the curvature. The more grooves, the more flexible the strip becomes. We recommend you try this with a single piece of skirting board first.
Be careful not to cut too deep when making the grooves as this could impact the structural integrity of the board. Securely fix the strip and notch it with the jigsaw, leaving at least a 2mm gap on either side. Take care to leave an even distance between each groove.
With this method, MDF boards can be adjusted to the curvature of the wall with ease. The only downside is that the grooves might be visible from above. If this bothers you, you can touch it up with paint or gloss.
Glueing the skirting board
Finally, we get to how to fit skirting boards with glue. Attach the skirting board to the wall with mounting adhesive. As the curved skirting boards are under tension, you should place a few weights against them (such as bricks or heavy books) to press the skirting board tightly against the wall until the glue is fully dry.
And that’s it! For many DIY projects, the glueing of skirting boards is typically one of the last actions you will complete.
For more DIY advice, see our 15 top tips for painting walls and 5 fun ideas for wall decoration, as well as other ideas such as easy patterns for painting a wall. Our guide on how different colours can affect your home can also help you choose the perfect colour palette.
If you are out of practice when it comes to decorating, we also have tips for hanging pictures, once you are finished painting. How about creative fabric wall art? Or crafting with crown corks?
Are you planning to renovate your flooring before glueing new skirting boards? See how to lay laminate yourself or how to sand floorboards.
Planning & background knowledge
As we mentioned earlier, skirting boards can be attached, screwed, nailed or glued with a clip system. The best method for you depends on a few factors.
Do you need to replace the skirting board at a later date? If so, we recommend a click or clip system.
What your wall is made of and the condition it is in are also crucial factors. Screwing, for example, is not recommended for brittle materials. Nails are also unsuitable for concrete walls as they can become warped during installation and cause splinter damage to the skirting board. In most cases, glueing the skirting board is the best option.
If your walls are uneven or otherwise crooked, you essentially have two options. The first is to "frill" a rigid skirting board (made of MDF or wood) with grooves to the rear, adding additional flexibility so that it can be adapted to the curvature as we demonstrated in this guide.
The second option is to use specially designed skirting boards made of rubber or rigid foam. Although these adapt relatively well to curves, they are rarely aesthetically pleasing. There are fewer options to choose from and they tend to come with a higher price point.
Are you planning on glueing skirting boards to a single wall or an entire room? Perhaps you just need to patch a section that was previously concealed by furniture? In that case, it is best to match the new skirting to the existing boards as closely as possible.
You need to improvise when it comes to crooked walls or rounded structures. First of all, determine the size of the deviation from the straight line for a wall. To do this, use a ruler and measure the distance between the edge of the batten and the wall.
If the deviation is only 2-3 mm, you could seal the gap between the wall and the skirting board with acrylic. Acrylic is better suited for this purpose than silicone as it can also be painted over if necessary.
However, if the curvature creates a gap greater than 1cm, our step-by-step guide above might be the best option.
Finally, if you want to connect skirting boards at a straight corner, cutting both pieces to a 45-degree angle can create a cleaner finish than using plastic caps.
As far as glueing the skirting boards themselves is concerned, there are several different methods:
- Double-sided adhesive tape can be used relatively quickly and cleanly. However, one drawback is that once the skirting board is attached, it can be difficult to correct.
- Hot glue is often not necessary when a strong adhesive is more than enough. An exception is damp rooms (bathroom, kitchen, etc), where higher adhesive strength is needed due to high humidity. That’s when a hot glue gun comes in handy.
- Silicone or acrylic might be advantageous if an expansion joint is required between the wall and the skirting. The adhesive strength is somewhat lower than other alternatives, however, that also means that the skirting board can be removed relatively easily.
- Contact glue is the least suitable. One major disadvantage is that it must be applied to both surfaces, i.e. wall and skirting board.
- Assembly adhesive, one of the best adhesive options for a wide range of DIY or construction projects, it is recommended in most cases when glueing skirting board to plaster or walls. However, a minor disadvantage is the need for a caulking gun. Fortunately, we have a little hack for that in our step-by-step guide.
With all adhesives, you should ensure that the surface of the wall is clean and free of loose particles, otherwise, the skirting boards might not adhere properly.
Cost
The exact cost of glueing skirting boards is entirely dependent on the size and scope of the project. However, the following prices act as a rough guide:
- Material costs for skirting boards:
- MDF: £4–£5/m
- Solid wood: £4–£10/m
- Plastic: £3–£5/m
- Metal: £10–£15/m
- Assembly adhesive costs: 370g = £5-£10. This should be enough for approx. 10m
- Professional installation: £5-£10/m (excluding materials)