How much does it cost to fit skirting and architrave in Gloucester?
Replacing skirting boards or architrave? Post the job for free and it goes to local carpenters who cover your area. Only the carpenter who takes it on gets your contact details.
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Skirting and architrave
New skirting and architrave give a room a finished look, and they’re often done alongside new flooring, new doors or a full redecoration. The work usually means taking off the old boards, fitting and cutting the new ones to length, joining the corners, fixing them to the wall, then filling and caulking so they’re ready to paint.
The scope depends on how many rooms and doors there are and what the walls are like. Taking off old skirting can pull away plaster, especially in older houses, and that may need patching before the new boards go on. Walls that aren’t flat or corners that aren’t square take more time to get a tight fit.
Most modern skirting is MDF or softwood, bought primed or ready to paint. Older houses often have taller boards or a profile that isn’t made any more. Those can usually be matched, but it may mean having boards made up by a joinery shop, which adds time.
Heating pipes and cables often run along the bottom of walls. The carpenter needs to take care when fixing, and it helps if you know where the pipes run.
Say how many rooms, how many door frames and what style of board you like.
What to include when you post
These details let a carpenter give you a clear idea of the job.
- How many rooms and roughly how long the walls are
- How many door frames need new architrave
- Photos of the current skirting and architrave, up close and across the room
- The profile you want, or a photo of one you like
- Whether you need an old profile matched
- Whether new flooring is going down first
- Whether you want painting included
- Where heating pipes run, if you know
- Whether the walls are plasterboard, plaster on brick or something else, if you know
- When you’d like it done
Choosing a carpenter and what to ask
Ask to see photos of skirting and door work they’ve done. Good work shows in tight corners and joins you can’t see once painted.
A written quote should say what material they’ll use, whether it comes primed, how they’ll fix it and whether filling and caulking are included. Check whether it covers taking away the old boards and repairing any plaster that comes away with them. Painting is often separate, so ask.
If you need an old profile matched, ask how they’ll do it and how long it will take to get the boards made. Plan the order of work with them if new flooring or decorating is also happening, as skirting usually goes on after the floor. Ask what they’ll do if a join opens up after the heating goes on.
Not quite the right job?
See every job on our Carpenter page, or post it anyway and describe it in your own words.
Before a tradesperson starts work
Registrations
Some work must be done by a registered professional. Work on a gas boiler, cooker or fire must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which you can check on the Gas Safe Register.
Our business check
Limited companies are checked with Companies House and sole traders upload their insurance certificate. Trade registrations are confirmed by the tradesperson when they sign up.
Get the price in writing
Ask for a written quote that sets out the work and the price before anything starts. Your contract for the work is with the tradesperson.
Questions
What people tend to ask before booking this job. For anything specific to your home, ask the tradesperson who takes it on when they get in touch.
Common profiles are easy to match. Older ones may need making specially. Send a photo, or keep an offcut to show the carpenter.
Ask. Many carpenters fill and caulk, leaving it ready for you or a decorator to paint.
Both are common. MDF is stable and usually comes primed and ready to paint. Timber can be painted or given a natural finish. Ask which the carpenter recommends for your rooms.
Usually after, so the skirting sits on the new floor and covers the expansion gap. If you're having both done, tell the carpenter so the work can be planned in the right order.
It can, particularly in older houses where the plaster is weak. Small patches are usually filled before the new boards go on. Ask if that's in the quote.