Scribe skirting board at internal corners

How to scribe skirting board

Cutting internal skirting corners

In order to get a tight joint you have to scribe skirting board at internal corners instead of mitering it. This means fitting one board tight into the corner, then cutting the next one to match the exact profile so it fits perfectly up against the first.
Whilst this sounds difficult for very intricate mouldings it is actually really straight forward. This page has everything you need to know first for internal 90° corners, and after that to scribe skirting board into corners other than 90 like 122.5°, often found in bay windows.

Cut the first board in that you will scribe to

Cut the first skirting board in tight. When I measure, I hold the tape off the floor at the same height as the top edge of the skirting. Normally I add 2-3mm and mark this on the top edge of the board. You can always cut more off if it’s too long but usually that extra couple of mm digs into the plaster a little and creates a good tight fit. I cut the ends slightly out of square, so that the bottom edge (that touches the floor) is 5-6mm shorter than the top edge. No one will ever see this as the next skirting boards you will scribe into these corners will cover the small gap. I always do it this way because plasterers often leave more plaster at the bottom of the wall because they can't be bothered to bend down. If I cut the board square so it fits between the plaster there is likely to be gaps between the top edge and the wall. Also, because I add a couple of millimetres and the board may need to dig in to the wall a little, it's much easier to do that if only the top corner of the board is trying to dig in and not the whole board edge.

This isn’t always necessary but cutting it out of square every time saves you going back to the saw on the occasions when the plasterers have been lazy!

Nail or screw this tight to the wall. I fix two nails in every stud when they are 400mm apart so aim for a similar amount of fixings in masonry. If there are still gaps put more nails/screws in. When fixing close to the ends of the boards drill and countersink screws and/or blunt the tip of nails with a hammer to help avoid splitting the board. (More info on fixing skirting here)

How to scribe skirting board - step by step guide

Step 1: Cut a back mitre

I Take a measurement for the next piece and add about 100mm. Transfer this measurement to a new piece of skirting board and cut to length. Place this onto the chop saw standing up exactly as it will be on the wall and turn the saw to 45°, as though you were mitering the internal corner.

Cut down through the top part of the moulding only, and stop when the saw blade reaches the flat surface, like in the picture of chamfered skirting below.

Step 2: Use a compass to scribe

Offer this up to the board that is already nailed in place. Put the pencil in your compass and use it to scribe the shape of the first board onto the second as shown in the picture (start the pencil line from the saw cut downwards). You can now see the exact amount (everything to the right of the pencil line) that needs to be cut out!

Step 3: Cut the waste out

If it's perfectly straight then I cut it with a miter saw. If not, I use my jigsaw with a downward cutting blade. Keeping the saw blade to the right hand side of the pencil line I carefully cut the skirting up to the part first scribed with the compass. Let the blade stop and remove the jigsaw. Finish the rest off with a fine coping saw. When coping intricate baseboard trim, it's sometimes difficult to remove the waste so to make this easier cut at an angle, taking more timber out of back of the board where it won't be seen. Finally sand off any pencil lines and,

It should fit like this!

Cutting unusual internal skirting angles (122.5°, 135° etc)

When the corner is not 90°, the method is the same but there's a little more worth knowing in order to scribe skirting boards in tight. Again, as above cut one board tight into the corner, using a bevel to determine the angle and fix it firmly in place. I fix it at this stage otherwise you could scribe into a board that's going to move when you fix it.

Step 1: Bisect the angle

To scribe the next one into it, the first thing to do is bisect the angle of the walls that the skirting will be fitted to. I do this every time, in case it isn't exactly 122.5°. The quickest and most accurate way to do this is by using an angle finder, like in the picture. When you set this tool against the angle, it automatically bisects it perfectly.

Once found, set the mitre saw to the bisected angle.

Click here for more help bisecting angles

bisect skirting boards

Step 2: Cut the moulding

Next, grab another piece long enough and cut the angle but like with a normal corner only go through the moulding.

Use a square to mark a line on the face of the board from the end of the cut on the moulding to the bottom of the board. This will help cut the next part right (you can use a compass to scribe skirting board like the normal corner above if the first one is cupped).

Turn the skirting board upside down and set the saw to the original angle, that the first board was cut to.

Step 3: cut the face:

This is the cut I used the jigsaw for to scribe skirting board into a normal corner. This time I cut down through the flat face of the board taking the back of the board out at an angle. Cuttting the back out of the skirting like this ensures it doesn't get in the way of the first board already fixed to the wall. If you want to be sure you can adjust the angle to remove a little more out of the back, you can use a handsaw if your miter saw won't do the angle/depth of cut.

Step 4: remove the waste:

Finally, use a coping saw to continue cutting all the way through the moulding too. It's important to maintain the same cutting angle when removing the waste from the back otherwise it will prevent you getting a tight fit. If in doubt remove a little more - it won't be seen once the board is fixed (don't remove too much the board may split when you fix it though).