DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi there. I have neeed to replace skirting boards in my dining room. When I removed the old damaged ones, there weas a void behind them amd the boards were attched to wooden stakes hammered into spaces between the bricks.
When it comes to replacing them do i need to reattach them via the same method or can i fill in the void with mortar and attach with no more nails or the like once it has dried out?. It is a wooden floor construction
Thanks

Hi. You've got skirting boards fitted the good old fashioned way, nailed through the board into wooden wedges driven into the gaps between the bricks. I guess the house was built in the 60's or earlier?

These days they'd be glued to the wall with an adhesive – nothing much wrong with that I might add.

I'd be inclined to fit the new boards by nailing into the existing wedges. It's probably going to be just as easy. Just work out where all the wedges are before you nail the first one!

One tip, if you are not trying to nail through the existing hole in the skirting, pre-drill a pilot hole for the nail. The skirting will have dried out considerably since it was fitted and might split if you just drive a nail in.