So, Saturday’s here, get the bike out, set it up – then put it away to do some **** DIY 🙁

Tell me this – When laying flooring, it looks nice if you can slide it right under the skirting boards. No need for edging, nice and clean. How do I do this if I live in a 100 year old flat with really old skirting boards? I reckon it would be a nightmare taking the boards off the wall – the walls wouldn’t be up to it. Is it possible to saw a small gap all along the boards? How would you do this?

buy some big furniture, no one will notice :p

You would need to have something called an undercut saw. Like this:

They’re expensive to buy for just one job though. There is also something known as a “door-boss” which would do the same thing which some hire-shops hire out. It’s like a sideways circular saw if you get my drift.

Be very careful using either, as you never know what’s just behind the skirting. Also, you can only go so close to a radiator pipe then it’s some very careful chiselling. If it’s an old house with uneven floorboards, then you’ll need to run the saw along a piece of hardboard or something. Even then, you can end up with an uneven line which looks sheeite on top of your floor. And god help you if you hit a knot in the skirting.

I do this stuff for a living and pretty much get the client to sign a disclaimer if they want me to undercut skirting boards. I’ll do architrave, door liner and door jam no probs because you’re not going to get electrics or plumbing in there. The best job is to replace the skirting, but I know that sounds like a bit too much of a job for what you want.

e-mail me at darcyciaran [at] mac[dot] com

I’ll give you a number you can call on if you want to chat about it.

EDIT: Of course, I can also give you a quote. Hee!! 😈

Thanks for the detailed reply Darcy – I guess edging it with some moulding might be the simplest solution then.

Sorry mate, unfortunately, you got me – I probably know too much about the pitfalls and it’s probably not a job for the DIYer, that’s all.

A nicer solution if moulding is your only choice it to buy some softwood scotia beading (18/19mm is the best)

which you pre-paint the same colour as the skirting (easier than painting it in situ). Hire a nailer to put it on (don’t try and glue it) or nail it with panel pins, a punch and lots of patience.

It looks a lot better on the skirting than the mouldings to match the floor as it becomes “part” of the skirting. Scotia is also visually less obtrusive as it has an inward curve. It’ll take a bit of patience to find it in softwood but just ring around. Don’t fit the mdf “white” stuff (with the white laminate covering) – it’ll look a bit nasty after a while.

EDIT: I’m off out for a few hours now but I’ll check back later. Just ask anything, or e-mail. No probs. Good luck and take your time.

YOu might find it easier to remove and refit the skirting than you think. I have successfully removed and replaced old skirtings.

I removed and replaced skirting where I had to, but in a 40’s post war house the skirting took quite a lot of plaster with it which was then a pain to repair.

For sections that were less visible (wall behind sofa / under radiator) I used a bead the same colour as the floor – bamboo for reference – and tbh I wish I’d done that all round in hindsight as it looks perfectly OK (ie you don’t notice it!)

Do as Deadly says – run a scotia (not naff looking quadrant, so loved by DIYers) along the bottom of the skirting. Once painted it will just blend in and won’t be noticeable. I take it that your ‘flooring’ is laminated flooring ? If so, a hardwood scotia to colour match the flooring would probably be even better. And personally I would probably go for something a bit smaller than 19mm.

Do not attempt to remove and re-use 100 year old skirting unless you enjoy trying find skirting with the identical moulding to match the short bit of mitred return which you split trying to prise it off because it was being held a big ****-off 4 inch cut nail, and you enjoy making good disturbed plaster and all those nasty dents which you made on the walls as you drove nailbars and bolsters behind the skirting to prise the feckers off. In which case go ahead.

I’ve got an old house (170yrs) and I hate scotia and beading. Mostly I’ve replaced the old shirting with 7″ torus but there have been a couple of places where I couldn’t.

Fortunately, my Dad has in his garage an old circular saw attachment for a power drill. This acts like an undercut saw and has been very successful. You will probably need to take off all the safety guards to make it fit, and as it jumps if you find a nail, this is a stupid idea and you will end up in digital reduction mode.

Do not try an angle grinder – you’ll set the place on fire.

Slight hi-jack, but short of taking the bastard thing off it’s hinges, and using a plane, how can I take a couple of mm off the bottom of a door? The dozy bastards who done the tiling of the bathroom floor din’t take into account the need for clearance…

And does a kitchen in a rented place need a door on it, for fire regs? I think so, but can’t find any info.

And Ernie; have you done my coffee table yet? S’been a couple of weeks now mate; you’ve had ample time to get it done.

The dozy bastards who done the tiling of the bathroom floor din’t take into account the need for clearance…

What did you expect the tiler to do – use thinner tiles ?

As far as whether it requires ‘taking the bastard thing off it’s hinges, and using a plane’, it depends on the situation. Is there at least a 3mm gap at the top of the door ? If so, jack the door up 2mm. Is the bottom of the door catching only on the lock side ? If so, pack out the bottom hinge, if there is sufficient gap on the lock edge to allow for it. If not, cut the top hinge in deeper, if there is sufficient gap on the hinge side.

So in answer to your question yes, there are other things which you can do – it just depends. For a full internet diagnosis, post a photo of the offending door.

btw, since you appear to be completely clueless, if you do decide to remove the door and take 2mm off the bottom, ffs don’t attack it with a blunt plane or hand/circular saw – you’ll just muller it. Instead, buy yourself a flat wood rasp and slowly remove 2mm, finishing it off with glasspaper.

Why would your need kitchen need a door ? Plenty of kitchens on new builds don’t have doors. It depends what your separating the kitchen from.

As far as your coffee table is concerned, which bit of “I don’t make **** coffee tables” don’t you understand ?

And anyway, wtf do you want a coffee table for ? You ain’t that posh. The cans of beer, coffee mugs, and crisp packets are just fine by the side of your armchair. Get yourself a pouffe if you want something to put your feet up on to.

Oh well that’s charming, is not it? Ask a couple of polite questions, and get this.. 😯

What did you expect the tiler to do – use thinner tiles ?

I wooduv expected the dozy bastard decorators to finish the job propply; that would include ensuring the bathroom door opened and closed propply.

I’ve told the layndlord numerous times. He paid peanuts, and got cowboys. Loads of examples of corner cutting, many of which I’ve had to rectify. I don’t see why, seeing as how I’m paying rent, that I should spend any of my time fixing problems that aren’t of my making. S’why I **** pay rent…

They also neglected to use silicone sealant between bath and wall. Miniature flood, every time I shower. I’m not bothered; takes but a moment to mop up, but I’ve warned him that it’s onlya matter of time before downstairs are affected, and he’s landed with a bill to sort out the damage. Hey ho.

How much should I charge, for sorting out the door and bath edge? I’m definitely taking it out of the rent, that’s for sure, if I do anything. I don’t mind doing little jobs, like screwing a loose cupboard door back up, but I don’t see why I should have to do free maintenance.

He’s a pretty decent layndlord, but he’s neglected the bathroom door and leakage. Because those are the fiddly jobs. I think he thinks I’m going to sort them out myself. Yeah, right.

£200 reasonable? Bit of work, in’t it, sorting a door and doing the sealant thing, no? Including time and tools/supplies?

Wood rasp, sandpaper, sealant, sealant gun.

Ok, £100, then.

And anyway, wtf do you want a coffee table for ?

Ok, a ‘cans of beer and packets of crisps table’, then… 🙄

Please don’t put modern skirting on. It never looks as nice

Rudeboy – there is some legal way of doing that I think – but get advice on it

If you want a prawper job, then remove the skirting and replace. Post a pic of the moulding at the top, we’ll let you know what it is.

But what ernie says about skirting is right, not a job for an amateur, especially if it’s anything over 5″. Do-able yes, but needs care and time and can make a good job look sheet!

Rude, just pack out the bottom hinge you woman. Otherwise, tag the door and call it art why don’t ya.

And have a beer.

Are you doing the chilterns tomorrrow?

I’ve just had a look at it. alarmingly, the door is held on by only 2 screws; on top, one bottom. Proper shoddy. I tell you, some of the standards of work in this place are appalling. I suspect the layndlord did some himself, to save money, and is blaming the workmen, but even so, it’s terrible!

Packing out the hinge won’t work, as there’s not enough clearance in the frame. So, it’s door off, and wood rasp, it looks like.

The leak around the edge of the bath is more tricky. The layndlord had this plastic strip put on, which has a flange that sits under the tiles above. This is very stiiff, and is designed to allow water to run off the wall, and into the bath. But when you’re in the bath, the extra weight makes the bath (plastic) ‘sink’ by just a fraction, and water runs under the strip, and down onto the floor below, where it forms a puddle. I mop up the water that seeps under the bath, but a load of it just sits underneath, where it is not tiled…

The layndlord tried squirting some sealant under the strip, which was a tricky enough job, and one which has solved bugger all. The sealant hazzunt filled in the gap sufficiently, and water still runs down the wall.

What I’m going to do, is get some more, and run it along the edge of the strip and the bath. It won’t look fantastic, but I’m not staying here forever, so I’m not too bothered. Ittul stop the flooding, anyway.

I’m not going to the Chilterns tomorrow, as Hackney Rider does not in any way want me soiling his new motor. 🙁 It’s too far to come by train and a schlep from any station, anyway.

Deadly darcy / Ernie.

What many people forget is the amateur can do a job like that quickly orwell. the pro can do both.

I have removed and refitted old skirtings many times without splintering them to heck. You just need to take your time and be gentle and be prepared to repair the walls afterwards. Well worth doing IMO. Did this with the entire ground floor of a house that was damp proofed. Didn’t wreck any. It did take so much time that it would be uneconomic if you were paying someone to do it

My current flat uses mouldings that I have never seen anywhere else – but by being careful I have managed to preserve original skirtings and architraves and to reuse them from one part of the flat to another. Looks so much better than the work the developer did before I moved in where original skirting were replaceed with modern stuff

I wooduv expected the dozy bastard decorators to finish the job propply; that would include ensuring the bathroom door opened and closed propply.

Why would expect the decorators to ease doors ? Do you walk into greengrocers demanding to know why they don’t sell meat ?

.

TJ – of course amateurs can do a job like that. And I told Garry_Lager to go ahead and remove/re-use the skirting if he was happy to do the extra work involved – read my post. I wouldn’t though, I reckon small scotia looks fine. In fact I was working on a new build last week where small hardwood scotia was used to finish off the groundfloor laminated flooring. Pukka job imo.

aye – ernie – I did see that in your post. Beading around the edge of laminate floors always looks like a bodge to me. A matter of taste I guess.

Beading around the edge of laminate floors always looks like a bodge to me.

Ah……. what you’ve seen was probably the work of ‘amateurs’ then.

.

😉

Why would expect the decorators to ease doors ?

Because their job was to renovate the flat! They were paid to do a job, and left several bits unfinished. **** useless amateurs. There’s bits where the wallpaper is peeling, ‘cos they din’t hang it right. Straight onto plaster; no lining paper, nothing. Complete cowboys.

They weren’t professionals; just cheap bods hired to do the job. False economy. And the layndlord wanted the work done as cheap as poss; silly billy’snow having to shell out, to rectify the shit jobs.

Undred quid is about right, I reckon.

He’s used this stuff. Water gets under the edge, and runs down the wall. Any solutions other than just running some sealant along the edge where it meets the bath?

Recommend me a sealant!

Sorry, I wasn’t saying that “amateurs” couldn’t do it and didn’t want to give that impression.

I was just advising that were he to try, he would need to take his time and be very careful. Given knowledge and enough time, anybody could do it (well, excepting RudeBoy).

Beading around the edge of laminate floors always looks like a bodge to me.

It’s not my preferred method (refitting skirting is), but sometimes it’s the only solution and if done well, can look ok.

the pro

That’d be ernie, not me 🙄

Me a pro ? Nah, I’m just a chancer mate.

btw, I reckon that you would be very lucky to get old shirting to fit tightly over laminated flooring without showing any gaps, and it wouldn’t exactly look perfect if it didn’t. In fact you would very likely struggle to get even with new (larger size) skirting to fit gap-free – unless it was MDF. No such risks with a small scotia beading imo.