Replacing damage skirting on floor

[daniel_leong]

Hi all, my name is Daniel and a DIY novice here. I would like to replace about 2 metres of my pine skirting, which was water damaged. The pine mouldings sold at bunnings are 5.4m in length, do they come in 1 whole piece uncut? Because it wouldnt fit in my car otherwise. Or would I provide a length at bunnings, and it can be cut for me? Otherwise would I just get a Ozito Jigsaw?

It's a plasterwall behind, I would need to pry out the existing skirting carefully. When do I know when to stop or how much skirting to remove? The current skirting doesnt sit on top of any of the floating floorboards.

I would then drill a nail into the skirting onto the studs on the wall, and apply liquid nails on the scotia? Currently brad nails were used on scotia, and it has come off.

After that caulking with a white gap filler and paint?

Any help or tips would be much appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Daniel.

[JacobZ]

Hi @daniel_leong,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Unfortunately, if your skirting board is that damaged, then there is a good chance that the framing behind it is too. If the framing is damaged to the same extent, then it would not be capable of supporting the skirting board, as the screws or nails that you use would not bite into it and hold in place. Before you worry about the skirting boards, I would suggest you remove the skirting board to assess whether the damage is more extensive. If so, then you may need to speak with a carpenter or builder about a more extensive repair, as if the wall framing is also compromised, the skirting board is the least of your worries.

Once you can confirm that the framing behind the wall is fine, then the process to install a skirting board is relatively simple. How To Install Skirting Boards is a step-by-step guide that you can use to follow along.

Yes, the pine mouldings come in 5.4m lengths, but they can be cut down for transport. Unfortunately, we do not offer precision cutting, so the final cuts will need to be done at home. A jigsaw is not going to give you the cleanest cut, so I wouldn't recommend using one. A mitre saw is the best tool for this, but you can use a Craftright Mitre Box And Saw Set to get nice clean cuts at very little cost.

You'd need to keep prying the skirting board back until the timber is solid. If you take a tool like a screwdriver and poke the skirting board, it should not be able to stab into it at all. If you follow along the skirting board, poking it until you find solid timber, that is where you can stop. Otherwise, removing the whole skirting board and replacing the full length along the wall is a simple solution.

The process to install the timber skirting is as shown in How To Install Skirting Boards. You would then seal the top edge of the skirting board with No More Gaps before painting. The scotia would then be nailed to the skirting boards, like the skirting board is nailed to the framing in the wall.

I hope this helps. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob