What is a skirting board?
A skirting board is the moulding that runs along the bottom lengths of your interior walls, creating a protective and decorative barrier between the wall and the floor. Skirting boards are also commonly known as baseboards, skirting, mopboards, floor moulding and base moulding.
What are skirting boards for?
Skirting boards have several purposes, including:
- covering the join between the wall and the floor
- hiding the expansion gap required by some floor coverings
- protecting your walls from bumps from mops, brooms, vacuum cleaners, shoes and furniture
- protecting your walls from floor cleaning products
- complementing your interior design and colour scheme
- creating a unifying theme throughout separate rooms
- helping to evoke a particular period in your home.
What are skirting boards made from?
Skirting boards may be made from:
What types of skirting boards are there?
There is a great deal of variety in the size, style and material of skirting boards. Modern and contemporary homes tend to have smaller and less noticeable skirting boards, whereas period homes might use large and highly decorative skirting boards as the main feature of a room. Other types of skirting boards include removable skirting boards and heated skirting boards. Removable skirting boards can be used to hide internet cables or to allow you to keep watch for white ant infestations. Heated skirting boards are an energy efficient and low allergenic way to heat your home.
Do all homes have skirting boards?
While skirting boards are useful, their function is to protect the finish on your interior walls and help decorate your home. The structural integrity of your house will not be affected by the lack of skirting but it may feel a little unfinished and be more subject to daily wear and tear without skirting boards.
