Summary

Skirting fitting is one of the most consistent-feeling second-fix jobs on a renovation, and it is also one of the easiest to price badly. The pitfalls: tradespeople quote per linear metre installed assuming nice square rooms with painted, plumb walls, then meet 1930s lath-and-plaster walls that bow 15mm in 2m and run multiple external angles around a fireplace. The job that looked like £200 ends up taking a day and a half, and the trade has worked for £15 an hour.

The honest way to price skirting is per metre at a tradesperson's standard rate, plus a setup fee per room or per visit, plus a clear schedule of what's included (removal of existing, disposal, painting, decorator's caulk). Customers shop on £-per-metre because that's how the supply houses publish prices; tradespeople have to add the labour reality (setup, returns, scribing, making good, paint coats) without losing the quote on simple-looking jobs.

The market splits between budget MDF (a stock-profile job done in a day, suitable for buy-to-let and standard refurbs) and premium profile/material (sapele or oak, deep ogee or tall Victorian skirting at 220mm height, painted on site by a separate decorator). The price difference between the two is 3–5× per metre; both are valid markets and the tradesperson's job is to quote each honestly without trying to compete with the other.

Key Facts

Quick Reference Table

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Material/Profile Cost per Metre (Trade) Typical Install Rate (Customer)
MDF bullnose 70mm £2–£4 £8–£14/m
MDF torus 95–145mm £3–£6 £10–£18/m
MDF ogee 195–245mm £5–£10 £14–£24/m
Solid pine torus 145mm £6–£10 £15–£25/m
Solid oak torus 145mm £18–£30 £25–£45/m
Custom-milled (any) quote materials separately £25–£60/m
Room Type Typical Perimeter Indicative Supply-Fit Price (Stock MDF)
Small bedroom (3 × 3m, 1 door) 11m £140–£250
Master bedroom (4 × 4m, 2 doors, alcoves) 18m £200–£380
Lounge (5 × 4m, fireplace, bay) 22m £280–£500
Hall, stairs, landing (HSL) 18–28m £300–£600
Whole 3-bed semi (typical) 100–130m £1,200–£2,400
Whole 4-bed detached 150–200m £1,800–£4,000
Variable Effect on Price
Removal of existing skirting +£3–£6/m removal labour + skip share
Painted/glued/twin-screwed existing +£5–£10/m removal (slow, dusty)
Hidden cables in skirting zone Survey time + diversion (electrician)
Out-of-plumb walls (>5mm in 2m) +20–40% scribe time
External returns around fireplaces/chimney breasts +£15–£30 per extra external angle
Curved walls (bay window) Quote per linear metre × 1.5–2.5
Multiple external angles (kitchen islands, peninsulas) +£20–£40 each
Painting included +£4–£8/m (or by decorator)
Two-coat decorator's caulk and snag +£60–£150 per room

Detailed Guidance

The Pricing Method

Price the job in two parts: per-metre rate × measured perimeter, plus a fixed visit/setup fee that covers vehicle, tool transport, dust sheets, vacuuming and customer hand-over. A typical setup fee is £40–£80 for a single-room visit, £80–£150 for a whole-house second-fix.

Per-metre rate is the labour and overhead for the install. Calculate it from your hourly rate divided by your linear-metres-per-hour productivity:

At a £55/hr rate, modern stock MDF works out to roughly £5–£7/hr of pure labour per metre, plus material (£3–£6/m primed), plus markup. £15/m supply-fit is reasonable for a competent fitter; £20+/m where the conditions are tighter.

The trap is using the same £/m for all jobs. A 195mm Ogee in a 1920s bay-window lounge with three external angles, an alcove either side of the chimney breast, and walls that bow 12mm in 2m is not £15/m work — it's £25–£35/m work and the customer needs to be told that during the quote.

Removal of Existing

Existing skirting is one of three things:

  1. Tacked on (modern installs, glued + brad-nailed) — comes off in long sections with a bolster and small crowbar; 8–12 m/hr removal rate; minimal wall damage. £3–£5/m for removal.
  2. Screwed (some 1980s–1990s installs) — slower; needs each screw located, recessed cap chiselled off, screw extracted. 5–8 m/hr; more wall damage. £5–£8/m removal.
  3. Plaster-bonded (Victorian/Edwardian originals, plaster skim over the top of the skirting) — slow, dirty, damaging; often the plaster comes off in sheets. 3–5 m/hr; needs plaster reinstatement after. £8–£15/m removal, plus plaster patching.

Disposal is a real cost. A skip share works out to £2–£4/m disposed; bagging and tipping to a registered waste site (with waste transfer note) is £40–£80 per visit on top.

Material Selection

Stock primed MDF in standard profiles (Torus, Ogee, Bullnose) at heights of 95–145mm covers 80% of UK domestic work. It comes from any builders' merchant in 2.4–4.2m lengths, cuts easily, takes a paint finish well, and is dimensionally stable in heated UK interiors.

Solid timber (pine, oak, sapele) is specified for:

Pine is cheap and serviceable but bows and twists under heating; pick the straightest lengths in the merchant's rack. Oak is dimensionally stable and takes either an oil or stain finish well. Sapele is a budget alternative to oak with similar working properties.

Avoid: bare MDF (no primer — needs 2 extra coats on site), particleboard skirting (sold in some discount stores; not stable, screws strip out), and "MDF-veneered-with-real-oak" cladding (poor reputation, edges peel in damp conditions).

Scribing vs Mitring

Internal corners (the concave 90° at a wall junction) should be scribed: one length butts hard against the wall on one side, the other is cut with the negative of the profile so the joint stays tight if either piece moves over time. A mitred internal corner opens up as soon as the room dries down a few percent humidity, and the gap is visible.

External corners (the convex 90° at, e.g., a chimney breast) are mitred: 45° cut on each face, glued and pinned with a corner block behind if the profile is heavy. For Victorian-height (195mm+) profiles, a corner block helps keep the joint closed; for stock 95mm Bullnose, glue and pins are enough.

A scribe takes 2–4× longer than a mitre to cut accurately, especially on detailed profiles like Ogee or Lambs Tongue. Pricing per metre should reflect this — a room with eight internal corners and four externals is more work than a square room with four internals.

Fixing

Stud walls: Grab adhesive (e.g. Pink Grip, CT1, Stixall) on the back of the skirting, position against the wall, fix with 50mm second-fix brad nails into the studs (typically at 400mm centres). For tall skirting, add brads at the top edge as well.

Masonry walls (plastered): Drill, plug, and screw (50–60mm screws into the masonry through the plaster) at 600mm centres, with grab adhesive in the gaps. Recess screw heads and fill with two-pack filler before paint.

Masonry walls (unplastered, e.g. brick to be skirted directly): Adjustable brackets fixed to the masonry, with screws into the back of the skirting through the brackets — keeps the front of the skirting clean.

Lightweight stud / metal frame: Cavity fixings (toggles or self-drilling anchors) where there is no stud; identify metal studs with a stud finder before nailing — a brad into a metal stud breaks the brad and may glance into a cable.

Never fix into the floor through the bottom edge of the skirting — this prevents the floor from expanding or being lifted later, and looks unprofessional.

The Final 10%: Caulk and Paint

A bare skirting fit looks unfinished. Decorator's caulk (acrylic-based, flexible) in the joint between skirting and wall is essential — even a 0.5mm gap is visible from across the room once the paint catches it. Cut the nozzle small, run a continuous bead, wet finger or shaped tool to smooth, wipe off excess.

Painted skirting is a separate trade in most cases; if you're including paint in your price, quote two undercoats + two topcoats for new MDF, or one + two for primed MDF. £4–£8 per metre painted is a typical decorator rate. Snag-and-final-coat after caulking is the standard sequence.

Worked Example: 3-Bed Semi Second-Fix

Job: Full skirting renewal in a 3-bed semi after carpet lift. Existing 70mm pine bullnose removed; new 145mm primed MDF Torus throughout. Customer arranging painting separately.

Measured perimeter: 118m (3 bedrooms 48m, lounge 22m, dining 18m, kitchen 16m, hall/stairs/landing 14m).

Item Cost
28× 4.2m lengths primed MDF 145mm Torus @ £18 £504
Grab adhesive, brads, screws, plugs, caulk, filler £80
Disposal — skip share (1/3 of a 6yd skip) £85
Materials subtotal £669
Removal labour (118m × £4) £472
Install labour (118m × £8 at 10 m/hr productive) £944
Setup, vacuum, hand-over £100
Labour subtotal £1,516
Subtotal £2,185
Markup 20% £437
Net price £2,622
VAT 20% (if registered) £524
Customer price (VAT-reg) £3,146
Customer price (non-VAT-reg) £2,622

Per linear metre worked out: £22–£27/m all-in. In real markets this would compete with quotes from £18/m (cheaper materials, less remediation) to £30/m (full painted finish, premium MDF). Walk the customer through what's included; let them decide on the trade-off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I quote per metre or per room?

Per metre with a setup fee. Per-room quotes work for square modern rooms with stock skirting; they lose money on Victorian rooms with bays, alcoves, and multiple external angles. Per-metre + setup fee is honest to both sides — the customer can see the maths and the trade is paid for actual work done.

Do I need to remove the carpet first?

Yes for any new fit where the skirting needs to sit at a defined gap above the finished floor (typically 2–6mm). With carpet in place you cannot get accurate floor reference. For a like-for-like swap on top of existing flooring you may get away without lifting carpet, but check the gap at the carpet line is acceptable.

Can I fit skirting directly onto plasterboard with screws?

For lightweight stock profiles (70–95mm) yes, with self-drilling plasterboard fixings (cavity anchors) or by hitting the stud frame behind. Heavier profiles (145mm+) need more positive fixing — adhesive plus brads into studs is the minimum. Never rely on plasterboard-only fixings for a 195mm Victorian skirting; the dead weight over years will pull it off the wall.

What's the cost difference between primed and pre-painted skirting?

Pre-painted (factory-finished) MDF skirting costs roughly 30–60% more than primed. It saves the customer the cost of two topcoats on site but requires more care during fitting (touch-up paint, careful caulking) and can't be lightly sanded if scuffed. For most jobs, primed + on-site painting gives a better finish at lower total cost.

Should I charge VAT on skirting installs?

If your business is VAT-registered (turnover over £90,000 in 2026, or voluntary), yes — 20% on labour and materials. If you're under the threshold and not registered, no — your customer pays your net price. This is a meaningful competitive factor in the £2,000–£5,000 range where customers compare like-for-like quotes.

Regulations & Standards