what is the purpose of skirting boards? Can they be replaced easily without any hazard to the walls?

Answer 1

You should take heed of the Fonz's words. Removing skirting boards can be a hazardous and regretful experience.

Answer 2

Purpose Of Skirting Board

Answer 3

Skirting boards serve more than one purpose, although they don't add any structural strength to a room they do cover up the plaster gap ( which is neccessary especially on solid floors) beyween the floor and the bottom of the plaster. No plasterer worth his salt would plaster down to any floor, i e, on a timber floor when wet it would expand and cause movement and effect the plaster and a solid (concrete or tiled etc.) floor there should always be at least a 2" or 50mm gap to avoid rising damp if the floor is wet. This gap can be vary useful to run services like cables for wiring ( tel. security even electric and pipes with care) also if you have any plans of laying down laminate flooring it would make sense to fit skirting afterwards it's a much more professional finish. To remove, it would be advisable to start with, to use a flat chisle with a piece of timber (a 12" piece of old skirting would do) at 90 degrees to protect the wall and when you can use a crowbar. And finally skirting boards do protect the walls against hoovers, furniture and even kiddies toys. Good Luck

Answer 4

Hi
I think The purpose of skirting boards is to protect the bottom of the wall/wallpaper from damage from vacuum cleaners and scuff marks from shoes etc..
I have replaced all the skirting i my home. it has no structural benefit to your home although it does add an aesthetic quality to your home.
A word of caution replacing skirting boards can be a dusty and messy task.
So ventilate your home when you do it. Also putting new boards up can be quite tricky I used the No Nails product to secure them in place.
As the wood behind the skirting boards that you would nail them too had perished.
Hope this helps

Answer 5

The hardest part about replacing skirting board is the 45 degree mitres, but use a mitre box to get the angles.

Skirting is not strictly necessary, it's cosmetic, not a structural part of the building, but it covers any gap between the floor and the wall, and helps protect the wall against furniture rubbing and bumps and knocks etc from Hoovers and shoes. It also follows the design of door architraves in most cases.

You can replace it with tiles or a cove up stand like 'altrofloor' etc in some rooms. http://www.ribaproductselector.com/WebFoundSummary.aspx?ac=&smd=81039-quarry-tile-cladding

You can also use a range of quick fix plastic skirtings and mouldings which dont require painting or maintenance. http://www.master-plastics.co.uk/?mid=gda17&target=dept_11.html&lang=en-gb

Answer 6

The skirting board is there to prevent damage to the bottom of the wall which is usually plaster.
They are easily replaced especially the ones which have been nailed into place.

Answer 7

If the skirting boards are woods then easy to replace, if you are in a new build thy may be MDF and could take a lot of your wall away when you remove them.

If there was no skirting you could put big holes in the fragile plaster.

Answer 8

Beware,removing skirting boards can be a real pain,they can leave the bottom of the wall in a right mess,they very often take the plaster away with them and leave nothing to fix new ones onto.

Answer 9

They act as a practical link between the floor surface and wall plaster.
Protect the base of the wall.
Seal the gap.
And are an architectural feature.
So you may just need to paint rather than remove.
However, if they are badly marked or damaged or are just plain and you wish a different style you can replace them.
Be aware, it can be a messy job!

Answer 10

Back in the day, they were referred to as "mop boards." They simply allowed the homeowner to mop the floors without soaking the plaster on the side walls. Today, they're mostly decorative.
And yes, if carefully removed, they can be replaced.