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What is the best time to install skirting boards during a renovation?

by marc•

Hey guys, let’s cut to the chase—if you’ve ever stared at a half-finished renovation and wondered where the heck skirting boards fit into the chaos, you’re not alone. I’m [Company Name, placeholder, no actual name], and we’ve supplied skirting boards to thousands of homeowners, builders, and contractors over the past 12 years. More times than I can count, someone’s hit us up panicking because they installed their skirting boards too early, only to mess up paint, flooring, or even the walls behind. Today, I’m breaking down exactly when you should lock in those skirting boards—no fancy jargon, just real talk based on what actually works (and what definitely doesn’t). Skirting Board

First, let’s get one thing straight: skirting boards aren’t just that boring strip of wood (or MDF, uPVC, whatever you’ve picked) that hides the gap between your wall and floor. Yeah, they do hide ugly wires, uneven drywall edges, and that tiny crack no amount of caulk can fix. But timing? That’s make-or-break for how your entire renovation turns out. Mess up the order here, and you could end up scratching your brand new floor, ruining a fresh coat of paint, or redoing skirting boards three times. Let’s walk through each step of a typical renovation, because timing depends entirely on where you’re at.

Let’s start with the early renovation days: demo, structural work, plumbing, and electrics. This is the messy, dust-heavy phase—you’re ripping out old cabinets, knocking down a wall here, rerouting pipes there. Do NOT install skirting boards now. Wait, I know, some people think “let’s get them out of the way early”—nope, that’s a rookie mistake. Demolition dust will get everywhere, even if you think you’ve taped everything up. We’ve had a guy call us last year saying his new oak skirting boards were covered in drywall dust so fine it etched into the finish; he had to sand and re-stain all 30 feet of them. Also, if you’re moving plumbing or electrical outlets, you’ll have to cut into walls a lot later. If skirting boards are already up, you’re either cutting into them (ugly, uneven edges) or removing them entirely (which risks breaking the paint or trim around them). Save yourself the headache—keep skirting boards off the table until all the rough work is done.

Next up: after the rough trades are done, before flooring or painting. Wait, hold on—some people install skirting boards before flooring, some after. Let’s clarify that debate once and for all. If you install skirting boards before flooring, you’ll need a gap between the bottom of the skirting and the floor to let the flooring expand and contract (wood, laminate, even luxury vinyl all moves a little with temperature and humidity). If you nail the skirting right to the subfloor, you’ll end up with buckled planks or warped skirting in a year. So if you go this route, you have to install the skirting first, leave a 5-10mm gap, then fit the flooring tight to that gap. But here’s the catch: flooring installers hate this. They’ve got their own spacing templates, and if the skirting is already up, they might accidentally scratch the top edge while sliding planks into place. We’ve had contractors tell us they charge an extra 10% just for installations where skirting is already up, because of the extra care needed.

The other option: install skirting boards after flooring. This is way more popular these days, and for good reason. Once your flooring is laid, you can set the skirting directly on top of it, no gap needed (unless you’re a stickler for design, but even then, it’s easier to adjust). No risk of scratching brand new flooring, and flooring installers don’t have to baby their work around your skirting. But wait—what about paint? If you install skirting after flooring, do you paint the walls and skirting first, or paint the floor and then the skirting? Ah, here’s where the mid-point sweet spot comes in. Let’s talk about the painting phase, because that’s another timing minefield.

Here’s the sequence that 90% of our top recommended contractors swear by, and it’s worked flawlessly for every project we’ve supplied skirting boards for:

  1. Rough work done: demo, structural, plumbing, electrics all checked off. Walls are plastered, primed, and ready for topcoat.
  2. Paint the walls FIRST. Don’t worry about the edges where the wall meets the floor—mask that off, roll the walls, cut in around window and door frames, and let it dry completely.
  3. Install skirting boards RIGHT after wall paint is dry. This is the golden window. Why? Because you can now fit the skirting up to the wall, and the only paint you’ll need to touch is the back of the skirting (where it meets the wall) and the tiny gap at the top (where it meets the ceiling, if you have architraves) or the tiny gap at the bottom (if you’re not fitting tight to the floor). Wait, no—if you just painted the walls, the edges where the wall and skirting touch are clean, no paint smudges on the skirting needed. Wait, let’s adjust: after wall paint, fit the skirting, then paint the skirting and the tiny gap at the bottom that’s touching the floor. That way, you don’t get paint on your floor, and you don’t have to cut in around the entire length of the skirting (which is a pain). Also, if you do it this way, you can caulk the gap between the skirting and the wall once the skirting is up, and that caulk will stick way better to a dry, painted wall than a rough, dusty primed wall from before.
  4. Then install your flooring. Wait, after skirting? Wait no—hold on, some of you are confused, let’s test this with a real example. Let’s say you’re doing a kitchen renovation: walls are plastered and primed. You paint all the walls soft white. Then you fit your skirting boards (mdf, in this case, since it’s a kitchen, it’s cheap and easy to replace if needed) up to the wall, no gap at the bottom because you’re going to have vinyl flooring that runs under the skirting? No, wait, no—vinyl usually runs right up to the skirting, so you need a small gap. Wait, here’s a pro tip we learned from our best builder customers: if you install skirting after wall paint but BEFORE flooring, make sure the bottom of the skirting has a slight bevel cut, not a straight cut. That way, when you lay the flooring planks, you can slide them right up under the beveled edge without catching, and it looks way cleaner than a straight edge that’s cramped against the floor.

Wait, but what if you’re doing a bedroom with solid oak flooring? Then you install the oak flooring first, right? Because solid wood has a big expansion gap. Once the floor is in, you fit the skirting boards on top of the floor, against the wall. That way, you don’t have to leave a gap between skirting and floor (wait no, you do need a tiny gap for expansion, but it’s smaller, because the floor is already doing its expanding. So you just nail the skirting to the wall studs, not the floor, so there’s a little flex). Then you paint the skirting? Wait no—if you install skirting on top of the floor, you have to paint the skirting after, but you don’t want to get paint on the floor. So you mask the floor edges, paint the skirting, then remove the masking. That works too, but it’s an extra step. The other way, painting the walls first, then skirting, then floor, means you only mask the tiny skirting bottom edge, not the entire room’s floor. Less masking, less mess, that’s a win.

Now, let’s talk about exceptions, because nothing in renovations is one-size-fits-all. For example: if you’re installing underfloor heating. Oh, that’s a big one. If you have wet underfloor heating, you have to install that, let it pressure test, let it run for a few days to check for leaks, THEN install your subfloor, THEN flooring. So when does skirting fit here? Well, after flooring is done, same as before. Because you can’t fit skirting before subfloor, you need the subfloor to be level. Another exception: old houses. If you’re renovating a 100-year-old home, the walls are uneven, the floors are wonky. You cannot fit skirting boards before flooring here. If the floor dips a little in one corner, your skirting will stick out there like a sore thumb. Install the floor first, then trim the skirting to follow the floor’s contours. That’s the only way to get a tight, professional fit in older homes.

Wait, also, let’s talk about common mistakes we see all the time. One of the biggest: installing skirting boards right after plastering, before painting. Plaster dust gets in every tiny crevice of your skirting, even if you wipe it down with a cloth. We’ve had customers send us photos of skirting that looks gray in places because the plaster dust didn’t come off after painting. It’s a huge hassle to fix, and usually means sanding down and repainting the skirting. Another mistake: rushing the fit. Skirting boards need to be glued and nailed, not just nailed. If you skip the adhesive, the skirting will pop off in a few years from temperature changes, and you’ll have to patch the wall, re-stain, re-install—total nightmare.

Now, let’s tie this back to why we’re skirting board suppliers, not just a random blog. We hear from contractors every single day that they wish they’d ordered their skirting boards sooner, or later, depending on their renovation timeline. Our best advice is: order your skirting boards right after you lock in your wall paint color. Wait, no—measure first. Measure all the walls, add 10% extra for mistakes, cuts, and waste. Then once you have the measurement, you can order them. Because if you wait until after flooring, you might have to adjust your measurements for the floor thickness, which is a hassle. So order when your wall paint is finalized, that way when the walls are ready to go, your skirting is ready to install. That’s the timing shortcut no one tells you.

Wait, let’s sum it up in a step-by-step, super clear way, so you don’t have to take notes:

  • If you’re doing a standard new build or mid-range renovation:

    1. Rough work (demo, plumbing, electrics, plaster) → done.
    2. Paint walls (topcoat) → fully cured.
    3. Install skirting boards (use adhesive + nails for a tight fit, 10% extra stock) → done.
    4. Paint skirting + tiny bottom gap → done.
    5. Install flooring → done.

  • If you’re working with solid wood flooring, older uneven walls, or underfloor heating:

    1. Rough work → done.
    2. Install flooring (test underfloor heating first if you have it) → done.
    3. Measure and install skirting boards to follow floor contours → done.
    4. Paint skirting (mask floor edges) → done.

That’s it. No confusion, no guesswork. We’ve supplied skirting boards for every variation of these timelines, and the ones that follow this sequence have 90% less call backs for fit issues, paint smudges, or damaged skirting.

Now, let’s get real for a second. Renovations are stressful. You’re juggling contractors, paint colors, flooring samples, and your budget. Skirting boards are the thing that ties the whole room together—they make a cheap, boring renovation look polished, and a custom renovation look intentional. Mess up the timing, and you’re spending extra time and money fixing something that should’ve been simple.

If you’re in the middle of your renovation and not sure when to lock in your skirting boards, or you need help measuring, choosing the right material (MDF for kitchens, oak for bedrooms, uPVC for bathrooms), or even just want a free quote, hit us up. We work with homeowners, small contractors, and big developers—whatever your project size, we’ve got skirting boards that fit your timeline and budget. No hidden fees, no minimum orders, just good advice and good products for your renovation.

Wait, one last thing: don’t forget to test your skirting board finish. If you’re painting them, pick a paint that’s made for wood or MDF, and test a sample on the back of a spare piece before you install. If you’re staining oak skirting, test the stain on a piece of oak with the same finish as your floor, so the color matches perfectly. We include a free sample with every order, so you can do that test before you commit.

At the end of the day, the best time to install skirting boards is when the rest of the room’s prep work is done, but before you risk scratching or smudging them. Follow the sequence that works for your project type, and you’ll end up with skirting boards that look great, last for years, and don’t become a headache. If you have questions, need guidance, or want to place an order, just reach out—we’re here to make your renovation easier.

Carved & Paint Door References:

  1. National Association of Home Builders. (2022). “Timing of Trim Installation in Residential Renovations.” Residential Construction Trends Report.
  2. Wood Flooring Association. (2021). “Expansion and Contraction Guidelines for Solid Wood Floors and Trim.” Installation Best Practices.
  3. Painting and Decorating Association. (2023). “Surface Preparation for Trim and Molding Projects.” Professional Painters’ Resource Manual.
  4. uPVC Trade Association. (2022). “Installation Guidelines for uPVC Skirting Boards in Wet Areas.” Trade Installation Standards.

One May Dee Show Furniture Co., Ltd.
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