Hints & Tips
Following are some helpful tips...
- Safety - When sawing, always use an Australian Standards facemask and protective eyewear. This is particularly important when using a power saw.
- Safety - Keep the area well ventilated at all times, if possible, the skirting should be cut and painted (if required) outside.
- If you intend to paint the skirting, spray paint will give an even coat, free of brush marks. Painting should be done prior to installing the skirting and needs to be oil based to ‘key’ into the 2pac lacquer of the skirtings.
- Water-based glue such as Selleys’s All-fix will make clean up much easier.
- Cutting all skirting to size for one room and dry-fitting (without glueing), will enable you to make any adjustments/ alterations prior to fixing the skirting.
- Gaps between walls and skirtings can be filled with some 'No-more Gaps' type product blended with the colour of your wall. Wipe skirtings clean when finished using a damp cloth.
- When joining lengths, use the machine cut ends of your skirtings if you are not using a drop saw.
Tools you will need...
- Hand saw – similar to mitre saw or drop saw if available
- Tape measure
- Liquid nail type glue – choose one that is water soluble and doesn’t take too long to set.(if walls are uneven, skirtings will pull away from the walls whilst setting, leaving a ‘glueweb’ that is quite awkward to remove)
- Soft lead or wax pencil to mark lengths.
- A right-angle guide (square) will assist in ensuring straight saw cuts where lengths are joined on a long wall. This is not a concern where end fittings are used as they have a 6mm tolerance.
- Paint scraper for removing wall imperfections.
- Weights to hold the skirting in-place whilst the glue sets. Covered house bricks, telephone directories etc.
