is this considered cheating? it strikes me that I won't have loads of nail holes to fill and sand. But will I wonder if nailing (particularly on architraves) achieves a more secure fit?

Architraves – use architrave cement as you can sand it back (when you put the architrave up keep it in place with nails above and below till stuck in place. Sanding back gripfill will be hard.

Skirting – If you have a dead straight wall glue it. I have not straight walls and have found i get the skirting to follow the wall if i screw it in place. Its also a lot tidier to remove like this (if you need to).

If I'm going to use nails to hold something in place temporarily, I'll need to fill those holes anyway so I may as well just nail on the architrave in the first place? I was only going to use the gripfill for sticking it to the door liner / wall, I'd use a wood clue on the mitre join (or that really strong mitre glue stuff). So there wouldn't be and sanding down would there? I guess a small amount might seep out from behind the architrave, and yes gripfill is a night mare to trim down it goes rock hard!

Hopefully the walls will all be straight enough for easy skirting fitting, all have been re-skimmed.

Me – Numpty.

Achitraves – Nail em in. Sorry getting really confused this morning. Nail em.

Cheers. I assume any old nail with a small head will do.

Gripfill on skirting is a good idea with block/brick walls, as you don't need to worry about anything other than temp fixings to hold the skirting until the Gripfill goes off (even inch and a half ovals might do the trick) The nail holes are not an issue imo – how long do they take to fill ?

Gripfill on stud walls is fairly pointless – just double nail on each stud. And I don't see the point of Gripfill on architrave as you have a continuous line of timber to nail into (double nail if the lining is fixed to studs) Plus architraves don't take the sort of punishment which skirtings do. Although I have known house builders to very occasionally insist on it in their specs.

"double nail on each stud" – assumes you know where the studs are 😉 easier said then done now the walls are all plastered.

Looks like the consensus is that gripfill alone will need some temporary other fixing in order to hold it there while it goes off, so I may as well just nail it in the first place.

So can anyone recommend a stud detector?

So can anyone recommend a stud detector?

Just tap the wall gently with your hammer, it should be very obvious where the studs are. Once you've found one or two, the rest should be more or less equal distance.

No problem with gripfill – use mitre glue on the corners tho..

Just tap the wall gently with your hammer, it should be very obvious where the studs are. Once you've found one or two, the rest should be more or less equal distance.

Grrr….this never bloomin' works for me! I just hit and hope 😯 (I don't really)

Can't add much to ernie's advice, he's the resident chippy anyway. I'd say definitely nail the architraves. Skirting – different methods depending on the wall. Is this the room you chipboarded not so long ago? To be honest, I often use fixings and gripfill. If there's a few kinks in the wall, gripfill alone won't hold it.

Last piece of advice – do the architrave first! And start with the head (the bit that goes across the top).

Scribe your internal skirting-board corners won't you.

Scribe your internal skirting-board corners won't you.

I tried explaining this to someone one day without the aid of a chopsaw and piece of skirting – almost impossible!