DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi, wonder if someone can offer any advice on an 'issue' I have.

We have just bought a new fireplace, a little wider than our existing one, and need to cut the excess skirting board to fit the new fireplace flush against the wall.

I'm looking for tips on how to do this without damaging either the length of skirting or the wall, we've just redecorated the fireplace wall at a cost of £20 a roll !!!!!!!!!!!!!

My initial thoughts were to try and outline the cut I wanted to make with a rotozip, then try chiselling it out as gently as possible.

I'm a DIY novice though so any professional tips would be appreciated.

Hi, There is a tool known as a Fein Multimaster (google it) which is like the Swiss army knife for fitters. That’d make short work of it – very neat as well. The problem is that it is bloomin’ expensive. It also needs a bit of practice, but not too much.

(It’s a tool I avoided buying for years on the grounds that it was a solution looking for a problem; after all who needs something that can remove plaster casts, vibrate concrete and cut square holes in wood. However I eventually succumbed. When all my kit was stolen a couple of years back it was the first thing I replaced – it’s that good!)

I believe Bosch either have just launched, or are about to launch a cheaper rival.

You might figure it’s worth the cost.

Failing that I’d probably see if that entire length of skirting could be removed without damage (well, there is always a chance!). Failing that I’d use a hammer and chisel provided I was CERTAIN that the wall was sound and I wasn’t going to end up with half a ton of plaster falling around my ears. Failing that it’d probably be my veneer saw – in the full knowledge that I’d be needing a new blade at the end of it.

The problem is that all three in-situ manual methods require a bit of skill to avoid damaging things. Pretty easy for a carpenter, a bit trickier for a DIY-novice. In particular chisels need sharpening before you first use them, and that ain’t the easiest of things to do.

I don’t think a rotozip is really going to help that much – you’ve still got to use one of the manual methods as well.