Today I’m in another Victorian property where a new damp proof course has been installed. In such situations the skirting / baseboard needs re-fitted afterwards, often to walls that are now a different shape.
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The old skirting was salvaged to match the existing mouldings. Old glue was removed from the back using a blow torch and scraper. Sometimes heat was applied directly to the glue, sometimes it was applied to the scraper knife to heat it up and melt the glue. This was done in a well ventilated space with fire extinguishers on hand in case anything went wrong. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
Note that this wrecks your filler knife so be prepared to buy a new one afterwards. Once the skirting was all cleaned up and sanded it was re-fitted using EvoStik Sticks Life Sh*t grab adhesive. This is particularly suitable for problematic surfaces since it’s VERY sticky.
In some areas there was literally no wall left behind the baseboard so battens were attached to the wall first, level with the existing wall surface. These were screwed in place using appropriate plastic wall plugs and 10ga long screws. Frogtape was used on the floor to mark where the support battens were placed so I knew where to screw through afterwards. I also used a scrap of wood as a storyboard to mark the height of the wood supports. Finally the skirting was glued and screwed in place.
Holes were filled using a fast setting 2-part filler. Any remaining smaller gaps were filled with a flexible caulk pror to a quick coat of primer to leave it ready to paint for the customer.
Last updated: 20 Jun 2016
Originally published: 20 Jun 2016
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