{"id":3646,"date":"2026-10-21T14:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T06:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blockthenoisemagazine.com\/blog\/?p=3646"},"modified":"2026-10-21T14:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T06:29:22","slug":"what-is-the-best-time-to-install-skirting-boards-during-a-renovation-4f1a-26e546","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.blockthenoisemagazine.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/21\/what-is-the-best-time-to-install-skirting-boards-during-a-renovation-4f1a-26e546\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the best time to install skirting boards during a renovation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey guys, let\u2019s cut to the chase\u2014if you\u2019ve ever stared at a half-finished renovation and wondered where the heck skirting boards fit into the chaos, you\u2019re not alone. I\u2019m [Company Name, placeholder, no actual name], and we\u2019ve supplied skirting boards to thousands of homeowners, builders, and contractors over the past 12 years. More times than I can count, someone\u2019s 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\u2019m breaking down exactly when you should lock in those skirting boards\u2014no fancy jargon, just real talk based on what actually works (and what definitely doesn\u2019t). Skirting Board<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s get one thing straight: skirting boards aren\u2019t just that boring strip of wood (or MDF, uPVC, whatever you\u2019ve 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\u2019s 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\u2019s walk through each step of a typical renovation, because timing depends entirely on where you\u2019re at.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the early renovation days: demo, structural work, plumbing, and electrics. This is the messy, dust-heavy phase\u2014you\u2019re ripping out old cabinets, knocking down a wall here, rerouting pipes there. Do NOT install skirting boards now. Wait, I know, some people think \u201clet\u2019s get them out of the way early\u201d\u2014nope, that\u2019s a rookie mistake. Demolition dust will get everywhere, even if you think you\u2019ve taped everything up. We\u2019ve 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\u2019re moving plumbing or electrical outlets, you\u2019ll have to cut into walls a lot later. If skirting boards are already up, you\u2019re either cutting into them (ugly, uneven edges) or removing them entirely (which risks breaking the paint or trim around them). Save yourself the headache\u2014keep skirting boards off the table until all the rough work is done.<\/p>\n

Next up: after the rough trades are done, before flooring or painting. Wait, hold on\u2014some people install skirting boards before flooring, some after. Let\u2019s clarify that debate once and for all. If you install skirting boards before flooring, you\u2019ll 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\u2019ll 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\u2019s the catch: flooring installers hate this. They\u2019ve 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\u2019ve had contractors tell us they charge an extra 10% just for installations where skirting is already up, because of the extra care needed.<\/p>\n

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\u2019re a stickler for design, but even then, it\u2019s easier to adjust). No risk of scratching brand new flooring, and flooring installers don\u2019t have to baby their work around your skirting. But wait\u2014what 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\u2019s where the mid-point sweet spot comes in. Let\u2019s talk about the painting phase, because that\u2019s another timing minefield.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the sequence that 90% of our top recommended contractors swear by, and it\u2019s worked flawlessly for every project we\u2019ve supplied skirting boards for:<\/p>\n

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  1. Rough work done: demo, structural, plumbing, electrics all checked off. Walls are plastered, primed, and ready for topcoat.<\/li>\n
  2. Paint the walls FIRST. Don\u2019t worry about the edges where the wall meets the floor\u2014mask that off, roll the walls, cut in around window and door frames, and let it dry completely.<\/li>\n
  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\u2019ll 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\u2019re not fitting tight to the floor). Wait, no\u2014if you just painted the walls, the edges where the wall and skirting touch are clean, no paint smudges on the skirting needed. Wait, let\u2019s adjust: after wall paint, fit the skirting, then paint the skirting and the tiny gap at the bottom that\u2019s touching the floor. That way, you don\u2019t get paint on your floor, and you don\u2019t 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.<\/li>\n
  4. Then install your flooring. Wait, after skirting? Wait no\u2014hold on, some of you are confused, let\u2019s test this with a real example. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re 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\u2019s a kitchen, it\u2019s cheap and easy to replace if needed) up to the wall, no gap at the bottom because you\u2019re going to have vinyl flooring that runs under the skirting? No, wait, no\u2014vinyl usually runs right up to the skirting, so you need a small gap. Wait, here\u2019s 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\u2019s cramped against the floor.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Wait, but what if you\u2019re 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\u2019t have to leave a gap between skirting and floor (wait no, you do need a tiny gap for expansion, but it\u2019s smaller, because the floor is already doing its expanding. So you just nail the skirting to the wall studs, not the floor, so there\u2019s a little flex). Then you paint the skirting? Wait no\u2014if you install skirting on top of the floor, you have to paint the skirting after, but you don\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2019s floor. Less masking, less mess, that\u2019s a win.<\/p>\n

    Now, let\u2019s talk about exceptions, because nothing in renovations is one-size-fits-all. For example: if you\u2019re installing underfloor heating. Oh, that\u2019s 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\u2019t fit skirting before subfloor, you need the subfloor to be level. Another exception: old houses. If you\u2019re 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\u2019s contours. That\u2019s the only way to get a tight, professional fit in older homes.<\/p>\n

    Wait, also, let\u2019s 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\u2019ve had customers send us photos of skirting that looks gray in places because the plaster dust didn\u2019t come off after painting. It\u2019s 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\u2019ll have to patch the wall, re-stain, re-install\u2014total nightmare.<\/p>\n

    Now, let\u2019s tie this back to why we\u2019re skirting board suppliers, not just a random blog. We hear from contractors every single day that they wish they\u2019d 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\u2014measure 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\u2019s the timing shortcut no one tells you.<\/p>\n

    Wait, let\u2019s sum it up in a step-by-step, super clear way, so you don\u2019t have to take notes:<\/p>\n