Skirting Boards: Types, Sizes & Cost (MDF vs Timber)

Skirting boards serve two practical purposes: they protect the base of your wall from knocks and vacuum cleaners, and they cover the gap between plasterwork and floor. In most UK homes they also carry a lot of visual weight, the wrong height or profile can make a room feel cheap, while the right combination lifts a straightforward renovation considerably.

Expect to pay about £3.50–£9 per linear metre for the board itself, with labour bringing the total to roughly £11.50–£23 per linear metre installed. An average UK living room (roughly 20 linear metres of perimeter) therefore costs about £230–£460 all-in.

MDF vs Solid Timber: Which Should You Choose?

Much of the new skirting sold in the UK today is medium-density fibreboard (MDF). It paints cleanly and moves far less than solid timber as humidity changes; it costs much less than hardwood, although plain softwood boards can be cheaper still. Solid and engineered timber boards still have a place, particularly in period properties where hardwood grain is part of the aesthetic, or in areas prone to knocks where timber’s denser core holds up better.

For most renovation budgets, moisture-resistant MDF in wet rooms and standard MDF elsewhere is the sensible choice. Reserve hardwood for hallways and living rooms where you want the look and the durability to justify the premium.

Common Profiles

Profile (the shape of the board’s face) is largely a style choice, but it should match the era of the property and the door architrave you plan to use alongside it.

Torus, a rounded top bead. The standard profile in most post-war and new-build homes. Inexpensive and very widely available.

Ogee, an S-curve profile, originally from classical architecture. Common in Victorian and Edwardian properties and popular in heritage-style renovations. Slightly pricier than torus.

Bullnose, a simple half-round top edge. Clean and minimal, suits contemporary interiors well.

Chamfered, a flat face with a bevelled top edge.¹ Widely used in 1930s properties, and its straight lines also suit contemporary rooms.

Ovolo, a quarter-circle bead with a flat face below. Popular in period restorations.

Flat/pencil-round, a near-flat face with softened edges. Preferred for modern, minimalist rooms.

If you’re matching existing skirting that’s already in the house, take a short length to a good timber merchant, they can usually identify the profile and either match it from stock or run a custom length on a moulder.

Sizes: What Height and Thickness?

UK skirting boards are typically sold from about 70 mm up to about 220 mm in height, the top end being period profiles such as a 225 mm nominal bolection board that finishes at about 219 mm.² The right height depends on ceiling height and the overall proportions of the room.

Thickness is usually 14.5–18 mm for MDF; Selco’s primed MDF torus skirting, for example, is 18 mm thick in 119, 144 and 169 mm heights.³ Softwood is sold by its nominal (sawn) size and finishes smaller, typically 15–20 mm thick: Selco’s 100 mm nominal ogee skirting, for example, is about 94 x 20 mm finished.⁴ Thicker boards look more substantial and are easier to cut tight mitres on, but they protrude further from the wall, worth checking against radiator pipes and door stops before ordering.

What Drives the Installed Cost?

Labour rate. A joiner or general carpenter will typically charge £180–£280 per day in London and the South East, £140–£220 elsewhere. A room usually takes half a day to a full day depending on the number of corners, the floor type and how much prep is required.

Condition of existing plasterwork. Crumbling or uneven plaster at the base of walls means the carpenter has to pack the board out or call in a plasterer first. Budget an extra £50–£100 if walls are in poor shape.

Floor type. Fitting skirting to a solid concrete floor (new self-levelling screed, for example) requires masonry fixings or adhesive rather than nails into a timber floor. Adds minimal cost but does add time.

Removal of old skirting. Pulling off old boards is included in most carpenters’ quoted day rates, but if the boards are stuck fast with adhesive and the plaster is fragile, allow extra time and expect some making-good work.

Preparation and undercoat. Most carpenters supply and fit only. If you want the boards primed and painted, either budget for a decorator to follow on (£140–£200 per day) or buy pre-primed boards and allow yourself a long weekend for the finish coats.

Typical Installed Cost Summary

Fitting: DIY or Tradesperson?

Skirting is one of the more accessible joinery tasks for a confident DIYer. The tools required are modest: a mitre saw (or mitre box and handsaw), a nail gun or hammer and lost-head nails, a coping saw for internal corners, decorator’s caulk and wood filler.

The awkward bit is internal corners. Mitring two boards at 45° looks fine immediately after painting, but seasonal movement opens the joint within a year. Carpenters cope internal corners instead, one board butts square to the wall while the other is scribed to the profile of the first. It takes practice but produces a joint that stays tight.

External corners are mitred at 45°. Cut slightly long, offer up and adjust, rushing here produces a visible gap.

If you have more than one room to do or the walls are badly out of square, hiring a carpenter for a day is usually better value than the time and frustration of DIY. For a single straight-walled room with no awkward angles, a capable DIYer can do the job in a Saturday.

Building Regulations

Replacing skirting boards is ordinary repair and replacement work, which does not need approval under the Building Regulations.⁵ The one thing to watch is a fire-separating (compartment) wall in a converted flat or HMO: if removing the old skirting exposes gaps or holes at the base of the wall, they need proper fire-stopping, so check with your building control body.