How to paint skirting boards

Video by Dulux. This walk-through is based on the video "How To Paint Skirting Boards - Sanding & Painting Skirting Boards with Dulux" from the Dulux YouTube channel, which covers sanding technique and paint application in a clear, practical way. Worth watching before you open the tin - their advice on sanding between coats is particularly useful.

1. Clear the room and protect the floor

Pull furniture away from the walls so you have a clear run of skirting to work along. Lay dust sheets or old towels on the floor as close to the boards as possible. If you have carpet, tuck a strip of wide masking tape between the carpet pile and the bottom of the skirting - press it down firmly so paint cannot bleed underneath.

On hard floors such as laminate or tiles, run a strip of low-tack painter's tape right up against the base of the board. It will come off cleanly once the paint is nearly dry. It sounds fiddly, but it takes about ten minutes around a standard-sized room and saves half an hour of scraping dried gloss off your floor.

2. Clean the skirting thoroughly with sugar soap

Skirting boards collect grease, dust, and sticky residue - especially in hallways and kitchens. Mix sugar soap with warm water according to the packet and wipe down every inch of the boards with a sponge. Get into the grooves and mouldings as well. Paint will not stick properly to a dirty surface, and any grease left behind will cause the finish to peel within months.

Rinse off with clean water and let the skirting dry completely before you do anything else. This is one of those steps people skip when they are in a hurry, and they always regret it. Give it at least an hour, longer in cooler or humid weather.

3. Sand, fill, and key the surface

Once dry, sand the boards with 120-grit sandpaper to key the existing paint and knock back any rough edges or drips from previous coats. You are not trying to strip the paint - just rough up the surface enough for the new coat to grip. Work with the grain where the wood profile allows.

Fill any dents, cracks, or nail holes with interior wood filler. Smooth it off flush, let it harden, then sand it back with fine 180- or 220-grit paper. Run a tack cloth or slightly damp rag along the boards to remove every trace of dust before you open the paint. Dust trapped under gloss becomes very obvious once it dries.

4. Apply masking tape to the wall above

Run low-tack masking tape along the wall just above the top edge of the skirting. Press the tape down firmly along the lower edge so there is no gap for paint to sneak through. This is especially important if you have a textured or freshly painted wall - a wobbly line of gloss on an emulsion wall is hard to fix neatly.

If the skirting sits tight against the wall with no gap, you can skip the tape and cut in freehand using a good angled brush - but it takes practice. To be fair, most people find the tape method far easier, and the result is just as good.

5. Apply undercoat or primer where needed

Bare or stripped wood needs a primer coat before the topcoat. If you are painting over existing gloss in reasonable condition, a light sand and a single undercoat is usually enough. Use a dedicated wood primer on raw timber, MDF, or any areas where the surface has been filled. Let it dry fully - water-based primers are ready to sand and recoat in a couple of hours; oil-based versions need longer, sometimes overnight.

Once the primer is dry, give it a very light sand with 220-grit paper, wipe off the dust, and you are ready to paint. Do not rush this stage. A well-prepared surface is what makes cheap paint look expensive.

6. Apply the topcoat in thin, even passes

Stir the paint well before starting. Dip a 50 mm angled cutting-in brush about a third of the way into the tin, then tap off the excess on the rim - not wipe, tap. Work along the skirting in smooth strokes, laying the paint on and then finishing with a single light pass along the length to blend any brush marks. Thick coats are the enemy; thin coats dry harder and look far cleaner.

Two coats is the minimum for most colours over an undercoat, with a very light sand between coats using 220-grit paper. Peel the masking tape off while the final coat is still slightly tacky - not wet, but not fully hard either. Peeling tape from fully dried gloss can pull the edge of the paint with it and leave a ragged line. Give the boards 24 hours before pushing furniture back.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the skirting is in poor condition throughout the house and needs filling, sanding, and multiple coats across several rooms, or if you want the job done while you are at work without the upheaval. Painting skirting in a busy household with children and pets underfoot is not much fun - having someone come in, prep properly, and leave everything tidy in a day is often well worth it for people in Sandwich and the surrounding villages.