Skirting Board

[Iamcazzy]

I've noticed that most timber skirting board fitted in properties has been cut at a 45 degree angle vertically before being butted together. I'm thinking of where a two or more pieces of skirting board are fitted to cover the entire length of a room. Why not cut the boards at a 90 degree angle? Is the fit better if they are cut at 45 degrees or is it that the joining line is less evident or neater? I understand that skirting boards are usually cut vertically in an electric mitre saw so is that of any relevance? Sorry if it sounds a daft question!

Thank you.

[Zacs-Master]

The mouldings wouldn't meet up if you cut them at 45deg.

[Zacs-Master]

Sorry, if you cut them at 90deg, i meant.

[weecalf]

Is cutting a 90 Des not just straight across and would not work would it

[Iamcazzy]

I've seen mostly bullnose skirting cut in the way I described rather than the sophisticated moulding types. Can these more sophisticated mouldings also be cut and fitted in the same way?
Just to clarify, the cutting method seems to be placing the bottom (underside) edge of the skirting on the bed of an electric mitre saw with the back of the board against the stop and then cutting vertically downwards after the chop saw has been set at a 45 degree angle.

[Iamcazzy]

I should have made clear that I didnt mean cutting the face of the board at a 45 degree angle from top to bottom!

[Iamcazzy]

Or put another way, looking down at the skirting board from the top, the back surface of the board is shorter in length than the front surface. Sorry, I'm having one of those days today!

[Khandro]

If you butt the two boards together (90 degrees) it is not easy to get a flush surface across the two, if you use a 45 degree joint one board lies on the other and can be adjusted and pinned (even glued as well) making a better job.

[Bathsheba]

Many apologies, I have asked for my selfish answer to be removed.

[Zacs-Master]

If these is any shape at all to the skirting, a 90deg angle will not work. Even if it is a square edge, it still looks better cut at 45deg (or 'mitred' as the woodworking term is). There's a good reason why you've seen them like that.

[Ryzen]

If I have to join a length I will compound mitre the joint i.e. 45 deg both ways.This makes the joint strong and difficult to spot.

[Khandro]

"Both ways", I shouldn't attempt that, it just makes it more complicated and for little purpose, and it would make the line of the joint on the face, in fact, longer.
45 degree cuts at 90 degrees top to bottom, is the way.
Btw. all internal joints (in the inner corners) should be 'scribed', not mitred.

[SlackAlice]

If your extremely lucky you 'might' find your walls exactly 90 degree angles and therefore mitering will work fine.
Watch this following clip to get a better idea of what to do otherwise. Fiddly, but it works

[Khandro]

Sorry but mitring is definitely wrong, whatever some cowboy says on his youtube.
The correct joinery method is to butt one skirting board tight into the corner, fixing it, and then scribe the other to it, this is done by first cutting a mitre on the second board and removing all the wood of the mitre face at 90 degrees.
This is required because when the two boards are fixed to the wall, the is a tendency for them to move away from each other opening the joint, this can't happen with a scribed joint.

[alavahalf]

Should you butt them up against each other you will have a job to hide the joint. When using MDF boards I always cut them at 45 degrees and when overlapping the two surfaces, I superglue the overlap. As others have said .. scribing the internal corners is the best way to ease the problem of not so perfect 90 degree corners.

[Old_Geezer]

90º is better as the join shows less if the material shrinks. But it would involve hand shaping the end to match.

[The Builder]

It's already been said, but I would just like to confirm that joining skirting board for a linear, long run, is best done with a 45 degree cut.
One leading edge, overlapping one back-cut.
Filling and painting is then a much easier job. Even with unpainted (stained) boards, the mitre cut gives you a much finer joint, which is less visible.
There is also the matter of shrinkage. With a butt joint, the boards will separate and show. With a mitre, one simply "slides" behind the other.

[Old_Geezer]

Ah, really didn't read the question properly. Was thinking of internal and external corners. Apologies.

[TonyV]

OG same as when fitting coving, which angle to cut internal or external lol