How to Paint Skirting Boards in London Properties

The Skirting Board as a Benchmark

Experienced decorators know that skirting boards function as a benchmark in any room: visitors may not notice them consciously, but a poorly painted skirting — runs, brush marks, gaps at the wall, a streaky finish — registers immediately as evidence of a rushed job. In London period properties, where skirtings are often tall, deeply moulded, and made from pine or softwood that has been painted many times over, achieving a clean result requires methodical preparation before a single brush stroke of topcoat is applied.

Assessing the Existing Condition

Run your hand along the full length of each skirting board. You are feeling for raised grain, drips and runs from previous coats, patches of filler that have cracked or shrunk, and areas where the paint has started to part company with the surface. In London's Victorian and Edwardian housing stock, skirtings frequently show all four problems simultaneously.

Check whether the board is solid timber, MDF, or a hybrid — increasingly common in refurbished properties where sections have been replaced over the years. MDF requires a different preparation approach: it absorbs primer heavily on the end grain and face, needs sealing before any topcoat, and should never be wet-sanded.

Inspect the gap between the bottom of the skirting and the floor, and between the top of the skirting and the wall. Both gaps accumulate dust, and any movement in the building will have opened them since the last decoration.

Preparation in Detail

Begin by washing the skirting with sugar soap, then allow it to dry completely. Sand the entire face with 120-grit paper to knock back any runs and proud marks from earlier work. On solid timber, work with the grain. Pay particular attention to the top arris — the upper edge — which accumulates thick paint and often shows the worst build-up.

For hairline cracks and small chips, Toupret Finafinish or similar fine surface filler is ideal. Apply with a small flexible knife, allow to cure, and sand flush with 180-grit. For the gap at the top of the skirting where it meets the plaster, use a good quality flexible decorators' caulk — Gyproc Sealant or Everbuild C3 Caulk are reliable products. Apply a thin, continuous bead, tool it smooth with a wet finger, and wipe off the excess. Do not apply a thick rope of caulk; a thin joint looks far cleaner and is less likely to crack.

Once the filler and caulk are fully dry, apply a water-based primer-undercoat to any areas where bare timber has been exposed by sanding. On unpainted or newly replaced MDF sections, apply two coats of water-based primer, sanding between coats with 180-grit, before proceeding to the topcoat.

Choosing the Right Topcoat

For skirting boards in well-used rooms — hallways, kitchens, family rooms — durability is the first criterion. A full gloss oil-based product remains the most wear-resistant option and gives the traditional look appropriate to a period London interior. However, the slower drying time and the need for mineral spirit clean-up make it less practical in occupied homes.

Water-based alternatives have improved substantially. Little Greene's Intelligent Gloss and Farrow & Ball's Full Gloss are formulated to give a hard, scrubbable finish in a water-based product. For a more contemporary look, eggshell or satinwood finishes — Johnstone's Aqua Satinwood, for example — reduce sheen while still providing reasonable durability.

In London period properties, matching the existing joinery sheen level throughout the room is more important than any individual product preference. Mixing full gloss skirtings with satinwood architraves reads as an error.

Applying the Topcoat

Work in sections no longer than a metre at a time to maintain a wet edge. Load the brush — a 63mm Purdy Sprig or Hamilton Perfection — and work the deepest moulded sections first before covering the flat face and the top arris. Lay off lightly in the direction of the grain with minimal pressure. In occupied London flats where ventilation is limited, paint dries unevenly if one section is left to flash off while another is still wet; work quickly enough to maintain a live edge.

Between coats, allow the undercoat to harden fully — 16 to 24 hours in a normal London interior — then cut back with 240-grit paper and a tack cloth before the topcoat.

Protecting the Floor

Lay masking tape along the floor or use a paint shield. On wood or parquet floors, remove any tape while the paint is still slightly tacky to avoid pulling a skin of paint away with the tape. On hard floors, a residue of gloss paint is far easier to remove while wet than once it has cured.

For a quotation on skirting board painting or full joinery decoration in your London property, contact us here or request a free quote.