How to Install Skirting Boards to Brickwork

Skirting boards are a great addition to every house. They hide the gaps between the floor and the wall, prevent wall marks from furniture and add a special design detail to enhance any room.

If you have plasterboard walls, installing skirting boards is a simple DIY process however, with brickwork, it takes a little bit more work.

The items you will need are your beautiful new skirting boards, some wall plugs for screws and 5mm solid timber dowel plugs for nails, and high tack construction adhesive. We recommend using pine material skirting boards given the importance of the nailing or screw fixing to the brick wall, as MDF does not have the same fixing properties which can cause nails or screws to become loose or pull through over time.

You will also need some tools, including a power saw, hammer, coping saw, drill, 65mm nails or 65mm screws, high tack construction adhesive, 5mm masonry drill bit, nail punch, sandpaper, wood putty and acrylic gap filler.

Firstly, you need to cut your skirting boards ready for installation. We have summarized the steps below, but you can see our video and extended installation instructions here:

STEP 1

Cut the skirting board to suit the length of the wall – just make sure you allow extra for the mitred joints. To do this you need to cut on a 45° angle to create the mitres where needed.

STEP 2

Where the skirting will meet at the corners, you need to create a scribed joint and butt one side of the skirting into the corner.

In order to scribe the second piece, cut a 45° angle into the skirting and use the coping saw to cut along the line where the face of the skirting meets the angled cut, then butt the second piece into the first skirting board to fit into place.

STEP 3

You can mark the wall for the plugs, which will allow you to nail or screw fix the skirting boards into the brick. To do this, place the skirting board into position and drive a nail or screw through the face of the skirting board until it hits and marks the brick wall.

STEP 4

Remove the skirting board, then where the nail or screw left marks on the brickwork, use a drill with a 5mm masonry drill bit to make a hole in the wall.

STEP 5

Once the hole in the brick has been made, use the hammer to tap the white wall plug or solid timber dowel (5mm diameter) into place, making it flush with the brick wall.

STEP 6

Apply the high tack construction adhesive along the rear face of the skirting board, stick it to the wall firmly, holding it in place and hammer the nails or drive the screws through the skirting board and into the wall plugs until fixed securely.

STEP 7

If you used nails to fix, use the nail punch to counter sink the nail head so they sit below the surface of the skirting.

If you used screws, ensure you have screwed the head in to just below the skirting board surface to allow for filling.

STEP 8

Fill the holes with wood putty, let it dry and sand over them until they are smooth. Also, fill the gaps between the skirting and the wall as well as the corners with gap filler.

Once all is filled you can use your selected paint to paint your skirting and you’re done!

Adding skirting to a brickwork wall will add dimension and style to your interior helping you create the spectacular interior of your dreams.