Skirting Boards and Architraves

[Jacka]

Hi all

After just dealing with issues, I’ll move on to the next!

As mentioned in my previous post I’ve just bought a repossessed house and it’s been a can of worms. Just layed the cables, plasterers are in this weekend, so I’ve taken the jubilee week off to do the skirting boards and architraves.

I done all the skirts in my last house and whilst this one shouldn’t be half as bad I thought I would ask a couple of questions.

Just want a standard skirting board so will go with a torus. Do I go MDF or wood? I was thinking MDF would be easier to fit but just wanted some of your views.

Secondly the dreaded outside 45s (which are probably 40s and 43s). I’ve got an electric chop saw which the angle are craps, so I don’t particularly want to use it, so I’ve bought a Stanley block. Should I also buy a hand mitre saw to help with the outside 45s or should I just trial and error with some scrap pieces of skirt with the block? I would to go and buy a decent electric chop saw but I simply can’t afford it at the moment!

Kind regards

David

 

[gregers]

are you painting the joinery?
if so as long as you havnt got any damp issues then go for the mdf.
the reasoning is then you can cut the external mitres as usual and then with a sharp chisel/glass paper and fill any gaps with chaulk.

 

[Jacka]

No damp and they'll be glossed, that's why I thought mdf. Plus they'll be pre primed!

Will I still need to undercoat?

Regarding the chisel and glass paper I assume you mean just shape the mitre to what I need?

Cheers for the help

Jacka

 

[gregers]

yes you still need to use undercoat.
as your painting them,

if your mitres do not fit,
fill em up with glue and s**t,


no what i meant was,use the chisel to pare off the excess if the mitre runs past.then smoothe down with the glass paper.

 

[northernstair]

I would go primed MDF, surely you only need two top coats of Acrylic or gloss? With the mitres I always use a plane, like a block plane or smoothing plane to par off either the front or back, whichever is touching in the wrong places, since you are painting it wont matter which way you do it as any little errors can be filled with glue and saw dust or caulk, paint hides a multitude of sins