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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Carpentry Questions >> removing skirting board https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1142605890 Message started by londonpete on Mar 17^th, 2006, 2:31pm

Title: removing skirting board
Post by londonpete on Mar 17^th, 2006, 2:31pm

whats the easiest way to do this without causing to much damage! was planning on gently tapping a chisel behind it and easing it away-i say "was"-life aint like that and i expect its been stuck on with 100 nails and hard as nails combined.

Title: Re: removing skirting board
Post by splinter on Mar 17^th, 2006, 3:33pm

You could try a nail bar with a decent piece of timber behind it,this will prevent to mch damage to the wall :)

Title: Re: removing skirting board
Post by big_all on Mar 17^th, 2006, 5:35pm

if you doing a single length and its internal mitred at both ends you will have to remove a piece from one side or the other to release it

if your lucky it will be scribed and come out easy so check both ends to see if one is scibed first
or ease it off the wall starting in the middle[assuming its at least 4ft long]working the whole length off the wall 12mm then another 12mm then another 12mm
its not untillyou fully released the whole length that you can put a bend to get it out
youll be pulling the last couple of nails out the wall at an angle to release the ends as it bends
2 or three off cuts of 1by2 will help to hold the skirting out from the wall and stop the nails re-entering the holes again

Title: Re: removing skirting board
Post by JerryD on Mar 17^th, 2006, 8:43pm

carpet gripper rod gets in the way too

Title: Re: removing skirting board
Post by londonpete on Mar 18^th, 2006, 10:41am

thanks guys-all info taken on board :)

Title: Re: removing skirting board
Post by Chaddy on Mar 18^th, 2006, 12:26pm

Be careful if its a stud wall or dot and dabbed as it's very easy to break the plasterboard when you lever against it.

As was said earlier use a piece of wood against the wall to spread the load of the lever bar.

Title: Re: removing skirting board
Post by mr_spanton on Mar 27^th, 2006, 2:52pm

Do you need to replace it again in the same place afterwards?
I use one of those (genuine) shark pry bars with a thin fish tail end-top quality tool designed exactly for removing architraves etc with minimal damage. I use a wide filling knife or wide bolster to stop the nails going back in again, also to spread the weight to prevent punching a hole through. Or, if you know the stud spacing and positions, use your pry bar against them. Sometimes I have to cut through the skirting with a fine saw to get it from behind a radiater, I do it at a angle so you get a decent scarf joint if you need to replce it (eg when you did laminate floor) Even with the best care you might still need to make good afterwards with filler and a bit of paint if theres a few bruises ;)

Title: Re: removing skirting board
Post by londonman on Jul 6^th, 2006, 6:46am

My question is why do you want to remove it? How old is the property and what is the material behind it the skirting? If the property is old and the material brick or stone then you have a real job on your hands as the nails used will have been long clout nails that will have rusted in good and proper.

Levering off the skirting will (a) wreck it and (b) wreck the material/surface behind it...with or without wood protection DAMHIKT.

If you are removing it becase you're going to fit a new floor (laminated/real wood whatever) then maybe think about what I did. I hired a door trimmer and set the blade height to just clear my new flooring, depth to just be shy of the full depth of skirting board. Then went round the room with it. Finally cut the remaining smidgeon of skirting board with my Fein Multimaster.

You still have to remove one board at one side of the room as it's a physical impossibility to slide the flooring under without doing this. So I used a metal detector to find the nails, cut through the board vertically on either side...again with the Fein...then hammered/chiselled off the remaining wood held by the nails and angle grinded the nails off.