Skirting board gaps..is this acceptable

[Mark Huddleston]

I’m after some advice about fitting skirting boards. I made a start today in the kitchen but soon realised either the wall or flooring or both are not straight. I need to have a 5mm gap at one end near the external mitre so it looks true with the floor tiles. Will this look ok when filled/caulked? I haven’t fixed them yet.
Thanks in advance

 

[Deleted member 174758]

5mm gap at the top will caulk out (even better if you fill the gap first with something like caulk saver). It is to plane out the back of the skirting (sometimes needed at the bottom) if the plastering kicks out. The alternative might be to take a hammer an an old chisel to the bottom of the plasterwork to chop back any kick out (my personal choice is a club hammer and a sharp electricians bolster chisel, but a hammer and an old chisel do as well). If the gap is between the skirting and the floor it can be scribed out of the bottom of the skirting using a variety of tools, e.g. Surform, spokeshave, block plane, belt sander, jigsaw - we even had one guy who used to do it with a hand saw (mind you, he could play a hand saw...)

 

[Mark Huddleston]

5mm gap at the top will caulk out (even better if you fill the gap first with something like caulk saver). If the gap is down at floor level it can be scribed out using a variety of tools, e.g. Surform, spokeshave, block plane, belt sander, jigsaw - we even had one guy who used to do it with a hand saw (mind you, he could play a hand saw...)

Cheers for that. The gap is only a problem at the top. I was just finding it hard to visualise whether or not it would look ok before I cracked on and fixed it.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I revised the post after you'd read it and added a bit more detail which may be of use to you

 

[Mark Huddleston]

I revised the post after you'd read it and added a bit more detail which may be of use to you

Yeah I noticed thanks. I had already prepared the wall like that and made sure there was no excess plaster or plasterboard etc.
Is it best practice to use mitre setting spray prior to fixing? I planned on using a grab adhesive for fixing the skirting to wall.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Yes, glue your outside corner mitres with Mitre Mate (or similar), if possible before final positioning. Grip adhesives do need to be applied quickly and you will need to apply a bit of pressure and slide slightly sideways movement into the final position to ensure that any skin on the adhesive is broken and you get a decent bond. I know that sounds a bit like patting your head whilst rubbing your tummy, but that is sort of how you use the stuff

 

[Mark Huddleston]

Excellent mate thanks