Cracks up the skirting boards on the stairs

[EcoCleaner]

Hi folks,

We have cracks between the staircase and skirting up the stairs in our house. They’re years old from when the house was settling after it was built into 2006.
We’re looking to get our hall, stairs and landing redecorated but need to get these sorted first.
My question is do we need a builder to sort these out or does it just need a plasterer to come and sort it?
Sorry if that’s a daft question but I know diddly squat about DIY stuff.
Thanks!

when you say skirting, do you mean the thick wooden boards that run up either side of the treads, at the same slope as the stairs?

this is a "stringer" and is a structural part of the staircase. Often they shrink away from the plaster during drying-out.

I'd suggest a flexible filler, because wood expands and contracts as humidity changes. Silicone is much the most flexible but won't pain. That's OK if it blends in with your white paint. If the gap is very large you could use expanding foam. It's very messy and sticky and more advice is available if you go that route. You can trim it with a breadknife and use silicone or filler on the exposed edge.

you could also use a quarter-round or fancy wooden moulding, fixed to the wall but pressed against the stringer. Don't use much paint because if it tries to glue the quadrant to the stringer it will crack when it moves (it will). The more paint or filler you add, the worse it will look. If you paint the quadrant and the stringer separately before fixing, it will look best. Fix the quadrant very lightly so it won't crack the plaster if it tries to move.

p.s.

the decorator may suggest Caulk. It can be painted and is somewhat flexible when new, but shrinks, sinks and cracks over time (the decorator will be long gone). It's particularly bad with big skirting gaps. It might be OK with small gaps in corners.

Thanks PigletJohn, that’s good to know. Although I have absolutely no intentions of attempting this myself. But equally I don’t know who to contact - do I need a builder or will the decorator be able to handle it?

most decorators would be able to do such a simple handywoman job. But you might have one who will only do her own main trade.

I doesn't need a builder. A DIYer or odd job woman could do it.