An informative article about floor skirting boards: how to choose them, what additional elements are needed. How to install skirting boards correctly: trimming and fixing wood and plastic interior parts. Such a small and seemingly insignificant detail of the interior, like a plinth, can actually significantly affect the appearance of a room. They add integrity and completeness to the interior. The technology of their installation is clear and simple, however, in the process of work, problems can often arise with the joining of individual parts, and the reason for this is usually incorrect installation actions. In order to avoid problems when installing skirting boards, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with a number of tips and recommendations for the selection and installation of these structures.
How to choose a skirting board: purchase
First, a few words about how to choose a skirting board correctly. Its color must be selected in accordance with the color of the floor, and not the color of the walls, as many mistakenly do. The stores offer a fairly wide assortment of a wide variety of colors and shades, so you can always find the option that best suits your flooring. Moreover, it is not necessary to buy wooden skirting boards, since today their plastic counterparts are produced that imitate wood. In addition, wooden ones are more expensive than plastic ones, they need to be primed during installation, and in general, their installation is more difficult.
As for which form of plinth to choose, most craftsmen recommend models with rounded edges, which ensure a more snug fit of the product to the wall and floor. Modern models are equipped with a special cable duct, which allows you to easily hide the wiring. And this is also an important detail.
How many skirting boards to buy
It is very important to correctly calculate the required amount of material. For this, a margin of a couple of meters is added to the length of the perimeter of the room, the resulting number is divided by two and a half meters, as a result, we get the necessary number of baseboards for installation. Why do you need to divide exactly by two and a half? Because this is the standard length for most skirting boards sold in hardware stores. When calculating the values, round them up, in addition, do not forget to subtract the length of the doorway from the total.
Additional elements for the skirting board
When buying skirting boards, do not forget to purchase various connecting elements, such as external and internal corner connectors, as well as special end caps. Skirting end caps are available in right and left versions. If there is only one door in the room, you only need to buy one right and one left end cap.
It is important that both the skirting boards and the additional elements for them are from a batch with the same number, otherwise their shade may differ and with the subsequent connection of the elements, this will immediately catch the eye. Connectors and plugs must be purchased at the same time as the skirting boards, this is the only way you can compare their shades and check on the spot how well they fit together.
Installation of skirting boards: trimming
Trimming skirting boards is a very difficult task that requires a responsible attitude and maximum calculation accuracy. Parts of the required size are cut in accordance with the length of each section of the wall. First, large parts are cut off, and only after that the turn of small ones comes. Each workpiece must be cut with a margin of five centimeters.
When trimming skirting boards, you should take into account at what specific angle the walls converge. As a rule, this is a right angle of ninety degrees, that is, the walls converge perpendicularly. In this case, the cut angle of the part should be forty-five degrees. If the angle between the walls is obtuse, and this happens very rarely, then with a conditional line you need to divide the distance between the intersecting walls in half and cut the skirting boards along the same line.
It is strongly not recommended to cut the skirting boards, as they say, "by eye". It is best to use a miter box for these purposes, a special tool that allows you to make an incision at exactly the right angle. It is very simple to use the miter box, for this it is enough to put the plinth face up and use a hacksaw to make an incision along the slot with the angle that we need. If, for some reason, it is not possible to saw off the desired angle using a miter box, the incision must be made with a small margin, which in which case can be easily adjusted to the desired size using a grinder or knife.
Installation of skirting boards: fixing
How the skirting board will be attached to the floor depends largely on its type. The wooden skirting board is installed on self-tapping screws or on liquid nails. Installation on liquid nails is easier, but at the same time less reliable. In addition, they can only be used if the walls in the room are perfectly flat.
When attaching the plinth with self-tapping screws, it is advisable to drill the first hole for the dowel at a distance of five centimeters from the corner, three times and subsequent ones - at a distance of about forty centimeters from the previous ones. You should start fixing the part with self-tapping screws from an angle close to the longest wall. After the holes are drilled, insert plastic dowels into them, after removing the dust with a vacuum cleaner.
To see the hole with the dowel, attach the plinth to the floor at the installation site so that there is a small gap between the wall and it. Using a sharp awl, make a corresponding hole in the baseboard, then insert a long self-tapping screw into it and screw it firmly into the dowel. To prevent the formation of a dent, you can loosen the self-tapping screw a little, literally half a turn. Proceed in the same way with the rest of the skirting board.
Plastic (PVC skirting boards) are attached a little differently. First, special clips or supporting strips are attached to the wall, serving as a support, then a fixing strip is installed on them. It should be noted that the distance between two adjacent clips should be half a meter, but if the wall is uneven, the clips should be placed a little closer to each other.
