Painting Skirting Boards and Architrave in London Homes
A complete guide to painting skirting boards and architrave in London homes. Preparation, product choice, brush technique, and how to achieve a factory-smooth finish on period woodwork.
Painting Skirting Boards and Architrave: A Guide for London Homes
Skirting boards and architrave are the details that separate a competent redecoration from a truly professional one. They are also the areas where most DIY paint jobs fall short -- brush marks, runs, ragged edges against the wall, and paint bridging the gap between the skirting and the floor. In London's period housing stock, where these mouldings are often deep, profiled, and intricately detailed, painting them well requires a methodical approach and the right materials.
This guide explains how we prepare and paint skirting boards and architrave to a professional standard, and what to look for when choosing a contractor to do it for you.
Why Skirting and Architrave Are Harder Than They Look
Flat walls take emulsion by roller, which is relatively straightforward. Skirting boards and architrave require brushwork, and brushwork reveals skill or the lack of it. The challenges are several.
First, the profiles. Victorian and Edwardian skirting boards -- which are the norm across most of inner London's housing stock -- have multiple stepped profiles, often with an ovolo or ogee moulding along the top edge. These profiles trap paint and cause runs if the product is applied too thickly. They also make it difficult to maintain a clean, consistent edge against the wall above and the floor below.
Second, the substrate condition. In London period houses, the skirting boards have often had ten or fifteen previous paint jobs. The build-up of old coatings -- particularly the transitions between oil-based gloss (common until the 1990s) and water-based products -- creates adhesion risks. Old gloss that is not properly keyed will cause the new topcoat to peel, sometimes within months.
Third, the gap management. Victorian skirting boards sit against walls that have moved, settled, and been re-plastered multiple times. The join between skirting and wall is rarely clean. Managing that interface -- whether with a fine bead of flexible decorator's caulk or by careful cutting-in -- is a skill that takes practice.
Preparation: The Stage That Determines the Outcome
On a typical London period property, preparation of skirting boards and architrave takes significantly longer than the painting itself. Our process runs as follows.
We begin with a thorough sand of all surfaces using 120-grit paper, working with the grain of the timber on flat sections and using a sanding sponge to reach into profiled sections without flattening the detail. This keys the existing surface and helps identify any areas where the old coating is lifting or flaking.
Flaking or poorly adhered sections are stripped back to a stable surface. On heavy build-up areas, we may use a heat gun on low heat, keeping the gun moving to avoid scorching. We never use chemical strippers in occupied properties as the fumes are unpleasant and the drying time extends the project.
All cracks and gaps in the woodwork itself are filled with a fine surface filler. Gaps between the skirting and the wall, and between the architrave and the plaster surround, are filled with flexible decorator's caulk -- not rigid filler, which will crack again with seasonal movement. We apply the caulk with a gun, smooth it with a wetted finger, and allow it to dry before painting.
A thorough clean of all surfaces with sugar soap removes grease, dust, and any contamination before priming.
Priming: Getting the Foundation Right
On woodwork that has previously been finished in oil-based gloss, we assess whether the surface needs an oil-based primer or whether a high-adhesion water-based primer such as Zinsser BullsEye 1-2-3 will suffice. If the existing gloss is in good condition, properly keyed, and showing no signs of lifting, a water-based adhesion primer is adequate. If the condition is mixed or there is any doubt about compatibility, we use an oil-based primer throughout.
New bare timber -- common when skirting boards have been replaced during building work -- requires two coats of primer, with a light sand between coats, before any topcoat is applied.
Choosing the Right Topcoat
The debate between oil-based and water-based topcoats for skirting and architrave is ongoing in the trade. Our position is practical rather than ideological.
Water-based eggshell and satinwood have improved significantly. Products such as Dulux Trade Satinwood, Farrow and Ball's Estate Eggshell, and Little Greene's Intelligent Eggshell now offer good hardness and washability once fully cured. They dry faster, have lower odour, and are easier to clean up. For most residential projects, we use water-based products and achieve excellent results.
Oil-based products -- traditional alkyd satinwood or eggshell -- still have advantages on heavily used woodwork or on period properties where the existing layers are oil-based throughout. They self-level more readily, producing a slightly smoother finish from a brush, and they cure to a harder film.
Sheen level matters. Full gloss is rarely appropriate on period skirting in London homes -- it shows every imperfection and looks harsh in modern interiors. Eggshell or satinwood sheen levels suit almost all residential contexts.
Application Technique
We apply topcoats with a quality bristle brush -- typically a 2.5-inch Purdy or Hamilton for flat sections and a smaller detail brush for profiled areas. The product is laid on in manageable sections, then laid off with light strokes in one direction to minimise brush marks. Thin, consistent coats are always better than thick ones.
Cutting in against the wall above the skirting and against the floor or floor covering below requires a steady hand and a well-loaded brush. We use masking tape on delicate surfaces -- such as polished floorboards or newly tiled floors -- to protect them during painting.
Two full topcoats, with a light sand between using 240-grit paper, deliver a finish that is smooth, consistent, and durable.
How Long Does It Take?
For a typical three-bedroom Victorian terrace in London, full preparation, priming, and two topcoats on all skirting boards and architrave takes two to three days. Add a day if the property has picture rails, dado rails, or coving to paint as well. The key is not to rush drying times between coats, which is a common cause of poor finish quality.
Skirting and Architrave as Part of a Full Redecoration
We most commonly paint skirting and architrave as part of a complete room or whole-house redecoration. Contact us for a free quotation -- we cover all of central, north, south, east, and west London.