Best approach for plastering and preparing for skirting.

[juniorhamish]

I have just ripped the skirting boards off my old walls and all the plaster around it is crumbling. The old wooden batten is still there but not very secure to the wall at all places. I am getting the walls plastered and I am just wondering what the best approach is in terms of the skirting.

Should I fix up the old battens and plaster above and below so that I can nail the new skirting boards back onto it? The battens are currently flush to the wall, but if the walls are being skimmed it will add a few mms, so would the battens need to be moved out a bit? (The brickwork behind the battens is very old and I'm not sure how easy it will be to get the battens fixed onto it).

Should I leave the battens as they are and just cover everything with plaster and glue or screw the skirting to the plaster?

Or should I completely remove the wood and replace it all with plaster and glue or screw to the plaster?

I am wondering what has caused the plaster under the skirting to become so bad, is it normal for plaster to eventually crumble after a long time (my guess is that it was done at least 30 years ago if not longer) or is it just maybe that a bad job was done?

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

If your having the walls re-plastered, refix the skirtings afterwards.
Get the plasterer to finish shy of the floor.
You can fix them back with a gripfill adhesive, Sika-Flex is good.
You might want the odd screw here and there.