Filling/painting now skirting boards are on.

[Schooltripmess]

Hi mumsnet. I’ve had new skirting boards fitted to my solid stone walls but it’s a mess and the decorator is gone.

i can put paint on the boards.
but what do I need to fill the gaps? Some kind of paste that would cling to (I) the wall/the polystyrene type filler stuff.

I’ve got a trowel (somewhere)

Just to add, it only needs to be as good as the wall above - not perfect.

You can use caulk. It’s an acquired skill though so best to get the decorator back.

You need to get some filler on there, wait for it to dry and sand it back. Once painted you can caulk it. You don't need a decorator for caulk but to about wastage use a small amount and run your finger down over it after. Lots of YouTube vids on caulking

*avoid not about

Sounds hard!

What filler is best?

what’s the difference between caulk and filler?

I would pack the hole first (scrunched paper) then apply several coats of filler, letting each one dry overnight before applying the next, then sand back. Use decorators caulk the length of the skirting. (Caulk is flexible you'll have it round all your door frames, window frames and skurting.)

This would be the best filler for that area:
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Polycell-Polyfilla-Deep-Gap-Filler---1L/p/143533

thank you!

Yay, just slap on polyfilla. I always use my pointy finger to apply. Let dry, gently sand, paint. For any gap between wall and skirting caulk with a caulking gun. It's like piping for cake decorating.

There’s a mesh tape you can apply before applying filler which helps with deep holes

That decorator has left a right mess. I'd get him back to sort it out. It looks a bit like loft lagging behind the skirting. That should have been trimmed back so skirting sits more flush then caulked before painting.

Mesh tape?

That's a big gap between your wall and skirting board!

I'd get the decorator back. Tbh, if he's left it like this, the plaster he's applied to the wall may not hold up well over the years.

Always try to get the trades back first.

If I was replacing skirting again I would get holes filled and sanded first, then paint/paper the wall, then fit skirting.. makes the whole job easier and gives a better finish

I would probably use watered down PVA glue over the exposed wall to make it less porous then plaster over (if there is a fair volume to fill, filler if it's only small areas), if it shrinks too much, skim over again, then rub down with fine sandpaper to level, then paint over.

That is BAD op, please try and get your decorator back in.

This looks more like the job for a professional plasterer to be honest, some of those holes look deep! Is that insulation (the foamy stuff?). Is it plasterboard over the stone walls?

I've been doing a bunch of patch up work on my DIY project but I'd honestly draw the line at this and bring in a professional, as it will be so easy to make a mess of your new skirtings. I reckon they will need to patch up your plaster/plasterboard.

Did the decorator take off old skirtings and tear off part of the plaster ,with it?

Fill hole with expanding foam.
Trim excess once dry. Apply filler to smooth then paint

Did you get it fixed?
google drywall mesh tape, gorilla do one,it helps filler stick to deeper holes

One of the reasons for using skirting boards is that they're designed to cover the joint where the wall meets the floor. So thye're supposed to solve problems with gaps, not to create them.

If your decorator removed the old skirting and damaged the plaster in the process, he was supposed to patch the wall, taking the repair BELOW the skirting line, and then fit the new skirting flush with the wall. Or use a taller skirting board so that it would cover the damage (but this may look out of proporiton if the room doesn't have high ceilings).

It looks like he hasn't bothered with repairs at all and just used expanding foam to stick the skirting on. Perhaps his intentions was to have it flush with the wall, but he hasn't used anything to stop the foam pushing the boards out as it expanded and set.

You can patch the gaps with filler and caulk, as PPs suggest, but to be honest, the skirting that sits that far away from the wall for no particular reason looks just wrong. 😞