The options explained
- Refit existing skirting — removed carefully before flooring, refitted after
- New skirting — replaced entirely, often when upgrading the room's look
- Scotia beading — a small quarter-round trim fitted against existing skirting
- Caulking — used sparingly at the very top edge of scotia for a crisp line
Where a DIY finish lets a good floor down
Skirting prised off without care commonly splits or chips at the mitred corners, and reusing damaged skirting shows every crack once painted. Scotia pinned directly through the new flooring into the subfloor, rather than into the skirting itself, also traps the floor and defeats the point of the expansion gap underneath.
What we need from you
If we're removing and refitting your existing skirting, let us know about any pictures, curtain poles or shelving fixed to it beforehand so they can be taken down in good time. For new skirting, having your paint colour or finish decided before the day keeps things moving without a delay waiting on decisions.
Working around cornicing in older Fife flats
Many of the traditional flats around Dunfermline's Abbey area and Kirkcaldy's conservation streets have ornate cornicing and picture rails that sit close above the skirting line, so we take extra care removing and refitting skirting in these rooms to avoid any knocks to plasterwork that's original to the building.
Getting a clean paint-ready finish
- Nail holes filled before scotia is painted
- Mitred corners cut for a tight fit
- Caulk run along the top edge where scotia meets skirting
- Final check for gaps at door architraves