At the final stage of the renovation of the premises, the owners have to perform a few finishing works that give the finish a finished look. One of the final touches is the installation of skirting boards. This process cannot be called complicated, but if mistakes are made during installation, the work can be significantly delayed. We suggest you familiarize yourself with how to attach skirting boards to the floor so that your repair is completed as soon as possible.
Varieties of floor plinth
Today we have several types of decorative panels available. PVC options are the most popular. They are characterized by lightness, resistance to changes in air temperature and humidity levels. Plastic panels can be cleaned with chemicals, which makes them hygienic. Use them in tandem with laminate flooring, linoleum and carpet.
But natural parquet is more harmoniouslooks like a wooden plinth. It emphasizes the nobility and sophistication of expensive finishes. Such elements are made from pine and spruce wood. The products are characterized by a variety of shades, which allows them to be successfully combined with different types of natural cladding.
For those who cannot afford wood materials, MDF products are an excellent alternative. They are made from wood shavings, and their front part is covered with paper imitating natural wood. Such products have an extensive range of colors, are easy to clean and are characterized by an affordable price tag.
Due to the above variety, it is impossible to describe one method of how to attach skirting boards to the floor. Therefore, we will consider all the methods available for each option.
Where to attach: to the floor or to the wall?
When choosing a base for fixing decorative strips, you should be guided by the reduction of labor costs. To do this, pay attention to the base of the floor. If the flooring is laid on top of a concrete screed, and the wall is made of wooden materials, then it is better to fix the plinth to it. And vice versa: if the floor is made of a board, then it is more expedient to fix the plinth on it.
If you have drywall constructions in your space, learn how to attach a prefabricated baseboard to the wall. In such situations, special self-tapping screws and zinc-coated nails should be used.
When both the floor and the wallmade of solid material, to install the skirting boards, you will need to drill holes for the dowels, and only then screw in the screws. The same method is used when the wall and floor are loose enough.
When working with all of the listed varieties, use the following rules that indicate how to properly attach the baseboard to the floor:
- Minimum distance between fasteners is 25 cm.
- The maximum distance between fasteners is 50 cm.
- The plinth is fixed to the base, which guarantees sufficient fastening strength.
In the course of work, ordinary self-tapping screws, anchor plates, special clips, adhesives can be used. The choice depends on the type of floor plinth used.
Fixing PVC products with screws
First, let's look at how to attach plastic baseboards to the floor. During the installation process, several methods can be used. The simplest of them is for screws. The work order is as follows:
- Mark the wall or floor for dowels. Determine the optimal distance between the fasteners and put the appropriate points. Start marking from the longest wall, while stepping back 6 cm from the corner.
- Use a drill or puncher to drill holes in the marked places. Drive plastic dowels into them.
- Measure the length of the walls and cut the baseboards to size. In the course of work, you can use a grinder, an electric jigsaw and a hacksaw.
- Attach the skirting board to the wall, mark the places on itfor holes for self-tapping screws.
- Assemble the planks using end pieces, connectors and corner pieces.
- Drill the required number of holes in the baseboards. Try to hit the dowel installation site as accurately as possible.
- Fix the self-tapping screws in the plastic dowels through the resulting holes in the planks.
To attach the plastic baseboard to the floor as neatly as possible, do not tighten the screws too tight, this may cause the thin elements to warp. At the end of the work, close the caps of the screws with a decorative strip or caps in color.
Fixing the plastic plinth with glue
Another simplest method of attaching a floor plinth is glue. It is suitable for inexperienced craftsmen and those who are looking for a way to attach the baseboard to the floor without a drill.
For this purpose, the composition "Liquid nails" or any other adhesive recommended by the manufacturer of plastic strips is used. In the course of the work, you need to cut the skirting boards to the desired length, expand the resulting segments under the corresponding walls. Then, in a zigzag motion, apply glue to the back of the plank and press it against the wall. Thus, install the baseboard around the entire perimeter of the room.
This technology is very simple. It resembles instructions on how to attach a ceiling plinth. If you have such work coming up, use this method.
When choosing glue mounting, pay attention to the fact that you need to replace the skirting boardit will be quite difficult. Give preference to such installation only in cases where you are sure that in the near future you will not have to work on replacing the flooring.
How to attach a skirting board with clamps
It is possible to carry out the highest quality installation by using special fasteners - clips (kleimers). Their use allows you to quickly install decorative strips and easily dismantle them.
Let's consider how to properly attach a plastic baseboard to the floor with clips. Works are performed in the following sequence:
- Step back from the corner of the wall 5-6 cm. Place the clip at the obtained point, press it against the wall and make a mark for the hole for the dowel.
- Mark all fasteners in 50cm increments.
- Drill holes for the dowels. Choose the diameter of the drill in accordance with the dimensions of the plastic fasteners included in the kit.
- Fix all clips with self-tapping screws.
- If necessary, stretch the cable, then install the baseboard on the clips.
If the wall is uneven, reduce the distance between the clips. This will ensure the most snug fit of the slats and reduce gaps.
Installation of floor wooden plinth
The question of how to attach a wooden baseboard to the floor also cannot be answered unambiguously. Fixing can be done in various ways.
The easiest way is with glue. This type of installationsuitable for both solid wood products and MDF options. You can use it if the walls and floor in the room are relatively even.
The skirting boards are glued as follows:
- The composition "Liquid nails" is applied to the inside of the board.
- The bar is pressed tightly against the wall, after which the second element is installed. The seam between adjacent boards is also carefully smeared. In this case, the glue should not fall on the front of the bar.
- For arranging internal and external corners, the edge of the board is sawn at an angle of 45 oС.
First, make the inner left corner, and then the right one. It is desirable that there are no knots and resinous patterns in the seam area.
To make the cut on the panel look as neat as possible, use a pre-prepared template or miter box to cut corners. Make sure that the thickness of the profiles at the docking point is the same.
When using this method, you should remember that you will be able to achieve a perfect fit only when the walls and floor are as smooth as possible. In other cases, there is a possibility of large gaps.
You can eliminate such a defect with putty. Take a narrow spatula and carefully fill in the gaps between the wall and the board. Sand the surfaces treated with putty with fine-grained sandpaper.
Installation of wooden plinth onanchor plates
You can attach skirting boards to the floor (both on wooden and laminate flooring) using special anchor plates. Their advantage is that such fixation can be used even in cases where the walls are not very even.
Step-by-step instructions (how to attach skirting boards to the floor with plates) are as follows:
- Determine the places where the plates will be located. The maximum distance between such fasteners is 0.5 meters. Mark out on the wall or floor.
- Use a puncher to make holes for fixing the plates.
- Carefully drive the dowels into the prepared spots.
- Use the screws to attach the anchor plates to the wall.
- Install the wood panels so that the fibers of the product are exactly perpendicular to the teeth of the plates.
- Fit the planks firmly so that there are no gaps between the wall and the baseboard.
This method of mounting wooden panels allows you to securely fasten the planks around the perimeter of the room, while the appearance of expensive finishes does not change at all. If necessary, the plinth can be easily removed and reinstalled.
Mounting on nails and screws
If you need to fix a wooden baseboard over a wooden floor or parquet, you can use self-tapping screws or small nails as fasteners. How to attach skirting boards to the floor in this way? Follow the instructions below:
- Measuretape measure the desired length of the plinth. Transfer the obtained dimensions to a wooden plank. Make a cut.
- Docking will be carried out at an angle of 45 degrees. Saw down boards for arranging corners in advance.
- If the baseboard is fixed on a wooden base, use small nails in the work. Just press the planks firmly against the wall and hammer nails into them. In order not to spoil the front side of the tree, use a chisel to finish driving the fasteners.
If you are installing skirting boards on concrete surfaces, hammer nails into the wood plank first. Attach the product to the wall and hit each nail once with a hammer. This way you will get marks where you will need to drill holes for fasteners.
Using a perforator, make the required number of recesses in the wall. Drive special plugs into them. Install planks and drive nails into the plug holes. If you will be using dowels, install in the same way, but use self-tapping screws instead of nails.
Advice from the masters
As already mentioned, the choice of plane depends on the condition and strength of the base. However, when determining the installation method, professional craftsmen recommend taking into account the type of flooring used.
So, if you are installing a skirting board over a laminate or parquet, you should fix the products only to the wall. Otherwise, the flooring itself may fail prematurely.
Before placing the baseboard over the laminate, make sure that there is a technical gap of a few millimeters between the paneling and the wall. If it is absent, there is a risk of deformation of the coating, swelling of the seams.
Products made of veneer or wood are most often installed on top of solid wood floors or on parquet. If the wall has a large number of defects or irregularities, in addition to standard plates, it is recommended to additionally use parquet studs.
Over porcelain stoneware floors or other types of tiles, it is better to install skirting boards from a similar material, but plastic varieties can also be used. In this case, you need to fix them to the wall.
To fix the plinth over self-leveling floors, a special glue is used, which is matched to the color of the coating itself. The joining points of the plinth are covered with connecting fittings or covered with putty.
As for comfort, it is better to install skirting boards made of wood or MDF in children's rooms, but PVC products are optimal for the kitchen, corridor, loggia and bathroom.
Summing up
Having considered all the options on how to attach the floor plinth to the floor, you can understand that the installation work is quite simple. A variety of fixing methods allows you to install it even for beginners who do not have a professional tool.
However, it should be remembered that it is not so much the observance of all the rules oninstallation of decorative panels, how much is the choice of the optimal way to securely fix them. If planks are laid on top of laminate or parquet, their reliability is of particular importance, since it is the skirting boards that press this coating to the floor.
The rest of the choice of the method of fastening products depends on your preferences, capabilities and skills.
