The choice of floor plinths, their types, selection according to the material of manufacture, size and color. A skirting board for a floor is, at first glance, an ordinary functional detail that is designed to protect the wall finish when washing the floor covering and hide the cracks in the abutments of the enveloping structures of the rooms. However, in fact, a well-chosen product can serve as an important part of the interior design, giving it a special touch and emphasizing the dignity of the room's design. How to choose a plinth for the floor, today's our article.
The main types of skirting boards for the floor
The time has passed when skirting boards for the floor existed only in a wooden version, had standard sizes and shapes. Today's construction market offers for sale a huge assortment of skirting boards for every artistic taste and even makes it possible to make them on an individual order. So that you can be convinced of the variety of options to choose from, below we have given a list of these interior details made of various materials.
Solid wood skirting boards
The material for their manufacture is solid wood. Such skirting boards are absolutely natural, environmentally friendly, they are easy to cut to the desired size, fasten and dismantle. The only drawback of these products is their sensitivity to high humidity, which creates certain restrictions in terms of the use of wooden skirting boards in some rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens.
The cheapest, and therefore the most common material for the manufacture of such parts is pine wood. A skirting board made of it can be purchased at a price from 0.75 to 3.25 USD per 1 running meter, depending on the class of the product.
Linden and oak wood are more expensive materials. Skirting boards made of linden will cost 2.5 cu / r.m, and from oak - 8 cu and more. Slightly less often, birch, walnut and pear, beech, maple and teak, cherry and ash wood are used for this purpose. For exotic lovers, the market offers skirting boards made of ebony and mahogany, merbau, acacia, dusia and many other species.
When choosing wooden skirting boards for the floor, you should pay attention to their technical characteristics and the class of wood. If these products are sold at a completely ridiculous price of 0, 1-0, 2 cu / r.m, you should be careful when buying them: often such skirting boards have longitudinal glues that violate the integrity of the material, defects or a significant number of knots.
The most pleasant, but expensive pleasure is the manufacture of wooden skirting boards according to a special project, which provides for the design of curved contours of the bottom of the walls and protruding interior details, for example, columns. The cost of such skirting boards can reach 50 USD / r.m.
Almost all wooden skirting boards are sold without an outer covering. To imagine how such a product will look after painting it with varnish, you can slightly moisten its surface with a damp cloth or sponge when buying. The best option is to purchase wooden skirting boards that were originally included in the floor kit.
Veneered skirting boards
The basis of these products is spruce or pine wood, which is covered with veneer on top of more valuable species - bamboo, acacia, walnut, pear or oak. The shades of the finished products are quite diverse, so you can choose any of them to your taste.
The cost of such skirting boards for the floor is in the range from 4 to 5.5 cu / r.m and depends on the value of the outer coating material.
Currently, in veneered skirting boards, special channels are often made for laying power and low-current cables, which is an excellent way to mask the electrical wiring of an apartment or house.
Plastic skirting boards
They are made of polyvinyl chloride and are used in combination with the same artificial flooring: laminate, linoleum, carpet, less often with ceramic tiles.
Plastic skirting boards are quite popular due to their low cost, practicality, as well as a rich selection of shapes, colors and different shades, which makes it possible to choose products for every taste. Polyvinyl chloride products are moisture resistant, do not corrode and decay, but are less durable and strong than their wooden counterparts.
When corner joints and the design of the ends of plastic skirting boards for the floor, special curly elements and plugs are used, sometimes the shades of such parts and the main product do not match, which is a drawback of these floor design elements.
Plastic skirting boards are attached to the walls with screws, and the heads of the fasteners are located on the inner parts of the products, which, after installation, are closed from the outside with a front panel, masking the location of the screws.
Plastic skirting boards are available in different widths. In accordance with it, the products have channels of various sizes for laying cables. This can be one channel for installing a television cable or several cavities in which an impressive bundle of wires can be laid.
Plastic skirting boards are inexpensive, on average, their price is up to $ 1 per running meter of the product. End caps and corner pieces cost $ 0.37 each.
Ceramic skirting boards
Most often they come with a tile floor and match the color and size of the tiles. However, ceramic skirting boards can be purchased separately in a completely different shade or size.
Ceramic skirting boards are especially indispensable in the bathroom. They gracefully separate the planes of the tiled walls and the floor thanks to their curly hemispherical shape. Installation of ceramic floor skirting boards is carried out with tile adhesive. The cost of products ranges from 4-5 USD per running meter.
MDF skirting boards
Most often, these products are used for framing linoleum flooring, laminated boards or carpet. In this case, the walls are decorated with MDF panels. MDF skirting boards are parts made by pressing wood fibers and treating them with binders.
Finished products are moisture resistant and do not fade when exposed to sunlight. Their price is 2-3 USD / r.m.
Fastening of MDF skirting boards is done with liquid nails or on brackets to the wall. Corner joints and end cuts of parts are made out with special plastic plugs that can be matched to the baseboard. The way it is attached to the brackets allows the product to be dismantled and reused without damage.
Polyurethane skirting boards
They are more decorative elements of premises than practical details for framing the bottom of the walls. Decorative polyurethane floor skirting boards can resemble stucco or similar material.
The products are lightweight, they are moisture resistant, they are not afraid of household chemicals, fungus and mechanical stress. These skirting boards are durable and can be painted in any color. Installation of polyurethane skirting boards is carried out using special glue. Their price is quite high - $ 18-22 per running meter.
Aluminum skirting boards
These skirting boards are made of anodized aluminum. This material provides products with durability and unique strength.
Aluminum skirting boards are most often installed in factories, train stations, medical institutions and household premises. This is due to the presence in them of reliable cable channels that are able to protect any electrical wiring laid in them.
The products are exceptionally beautiful and durable, they are not afraid of chemically aggressive substances and the effects of water. Special plugs are attached to the corner joints and ends during their installation, the installation of such skirting boards is carried out to the wall using dowels.
Aluminum skirting boards are suitable for high-tech interiors. The cost of products is from $ 5 and more per running meter.
Flexible skirting boards
They appeared on sale relatively recently. Flexible skirting boards began to be used for framing curved floor joints and vertical structures. The material can take the required shape, smoothly bypassing the curves of the surfaces. Flexible skirting boards are made of plastic with a structure changed at the molecular level.
They are moisture resistant, durable, but expensive. In addition, some skill is required to install them. To install a flexible plinth for the floor, the supporting profile is preliminarily fixed to the wall with screws. Then the front flexible element is heated to a plastic state with hot air and fixed in the fastener segments. After installation, the flexible skirting board, while cooling, hardens, but at the same time retains the given shape.
Features of the choice of skirting boards for the floor
The material for the production of skirting boards should be chosen taking into account the type of floor covering. Massive wooden skirting boards are perfectly combined with plank floors, parquet and expensive laminate.
A floor covering made of inexpensive laminated panels is quite enough to be edged with veneered skirting boards or made of MDF.
Jute, laminate, carpeting or linoleum floors will look good with plastic skirting boards or similar MDF products. In addition, there are plastic skirting boards with special inserts in which you can fix a piece of linoleum or carpet in such a way that the color of the skirting board does not differ from the floor at all.
Floor tiles harmonize well with properly selected ceramic or plastic skirting boards.
Determination of the required size of skirting boards for the floor is carried out taking into account the volume, height of the room, the color scheme of its walls and flooring. For standard rooms, medium-sized skirting boards with a width of 45-70 mm are chosen.
In no case should you use narrow skirting boards in high and large rooms, as they can visually change the geometric dimensions of rooms not for the better. In this case, wide strips of white or contrasting color, attached to the walls, are more suitable.
For small spaces with overhanging low ceilings, it is recommended to use narrow skirting boards that match the tone of the walls. Creating the illusion of their continuation, such elements will visually increase the height of the rooms.
Selection of the color scheme of the plinth for the floor
According to generally accepted rules, floor skirting boards are chosen to match the floor covering. At the same time, it is difficult to make a mistake and violate the harmony of the interior. In some cases, skirting boards can be used that are slightly lighter or darker than the floor. The floor and baseboard of the same tone merge into one, and the abutment does not stand out visually. This is sometimes useful, for example in the case of curved walls.
Modern artistic solutions make it possible to select skirting boards to match the finishing material of the walls. If its color is uniform, such innovation will look quite organic and not bad at all. However, if the walls are variegated, this option will not work.
The plinth can be matched to the color of the door block if the opening structure is made of wood. The floor piece must match the tone of the opening platbands and have the same thickness with them.
Much less often, skirting boards are matched to the color of interior details or furniture. An interesting solution can be the use of white wide skirting boards for the floor. It may look chic, but here you will need to take into account many points, among them the color combination of furniture, floor and walls is by no means the last.
To facilitate the choice of skirting boards, you can draw the future interior of the room in a computer architectural program and play with its colors.
Important! It is recommended to choose a plinth for a wooden floor, too, wooden, in a color darker than the floor covering or to match it. The rest of the options will look ugly. How to choose a skirting board for the floor - watch the video:
Installation of skirting boards is often the final stage of the entire renovation. So that it does not spoil the appearance of the room, the choice of these interior details should be approached with great responsibility. Good luck!
