Place a scrap piece of wood between the back of the chisel and the wall to avoid damaging it as you pry off the baseboards. Work your way along the total length of the boards with this process until you can easily pull them away from the wall.
You could draw a rough diagram of the room on a piece of paper and write down the measurements next to each wall on the drawing to visualize better.
You can get your skirting boards from a home improvement center. They are also known as baseboards. Use a calculator to multiply the length of skirting board you need by 1. 2 to add 20%.
These are the easiest cuts to make, so get them out of the way first. This will give you a good starting point from which to fit the other skirting boards. Use a miter saw for all cuts to make them perfectly straight.
This process, called scribing, takes a bit of practice to get the boards to fit. Practice on a piece of scrap first to get the hang of using the coping saw to cut along the profile of the board.
It’s easiest to work your way around the room in a clockwise direction as you fit boards together.
The back edge of your cut should be lined up with the corner of the wall.
Fit the two boards together at the external corner and make any small adjustments to the cuts until they fit snug against the wall and each other. Use a leveler to ensure that the two boards are level and perpendicular to one another.
If you are installing new carpet or flooring, make sure to attach the boards after it is installed so they go in at the right level and tight against the new flooring. Instant-grab adhesive is the easiest and quickest way to attach skirting boards to a plasterboard wall.
It’s important to countersink the holes so that the heads of the screws are below the surface of the baseboard and you can cover them with wood filler.
Make sure to wipe away any excess caulking or wood filler before it dries to get a smooth finish. Let all caulking and wood filler dry completely before you paint the boards or walls.
