# Multi tool to trim skirting board?



## Hemsby (22 Mar 2017)

I will be fitting laminate flooring in our small utility room and need to leave an expansion gap around the edge. The skirting is fixed with grip fill adhesive and a few masonry nails so removing it is not a preferred option #-o , beading of some sort to cover the gap may be a quick solution but is not desirable  .

I have no experience using a multi tool and it may be ideal to remove the bottom of the skirting but have no idea if this will be very time consuming although there is only about 30 feet of skirting total. 

Any thoughts please.


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## Rorschach (22 Mar 2017)

A coarse flush cutting blade should do the job quite well. It will not be fast but for 30 feet it won't be too bad.


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## pip1954 (22 Mar 2017)

Hi I did our hallway with a multi tool was not to bad ours was old skirting board about an inch thick , and about 17 metres in length 
All I did was use a spacer on floor to get the hight right, I think it was easier than to taking skirting off and redo.
Pip


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## Jasper42 (22 Mar 2017)

By my way of thinking and having fitted a lot of this type of flooring you are going to need to remove at least one wall of skirting to get the last edge down!!!


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## Phil Pascoe (22 Mar 2017)

30' of skirting? Rip it off and start again. If you are in a newish built property it's bullnose? horrible. If you go around the top with a Stanley knife first cutting through the skim you won't take much off and you can replace with a deeper skirting, knotted, primed and undercoated before fitting. Do the job properly ... you know it makes sense.


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## TFrench (22 Mar 2017)

I'm ripping all mine off and starting again, its an ugly bullnose style anyway. If you do go down that route, use MDF pre primed stuff, all it needs a quick flat off and paint.


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## Hemsby (22 Mar 2017)

phil.p":1s0cq2rl said:


> 30' of skirting? Rip it off and start again. If you are in a newish built property it's bullnose? horrible. If you go around the top with a Stanley knife first cutting through the skim you won't take much off and you can replace with a deeper skirting, knotted, primed and undercoated before fitting. Do the job properly ... you know it makes sense.



Under normal circumstances I would replace the skirting it is only 6 inch Torus. My concern is I fitted it so I know how much grip fill is on it and don’t think I fancy re plastering again, bit long in the tooth now  . If I did loose any plaster above I could finish up with skirting half way up the wall


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## MrDavidRoberts (22 Mar 2017)

you will still need to rip one side off so you can lay the last board of laminate?
No way around it...


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## Phil Pascoe (22 Mar 2017)

So instead of taking hours to cut the bottom of the skirting, take a while to cut the wall above it and replace with a 7" ones? I did a room with 9" ones and replaced them with (made up) 10" ones. Lath and plaster walls and 4" voids behind them.


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## Hemsby (22 Mar 2017)

Looks like I’m outnumbered #-o I did so want a reason to buy a new tool  So its off with the skirting (hammer)

Thanks to all


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## Phil Pascoe (22 Mar 2017)

Buy a new tool - you need it to cut the plaster. Seriously, jobs like that pisss you off in the future when you look at them and think oh, ffs, why didn't I ...? it ain't worth it - do the job properly and put it to bed.


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## [email protected] (23 Mar 2017)

I bought one of these to do same job as OP. Tried it out on some softwood and it kind of burned its way through the wood! I couldnt see how it ewas going to work well on lengths of skirting especially going with the grain. Ripped the skirting off in the end and will just use the multitool to chop the architraves. Skirting was nailed on to dry lined walls (house is 30 yrs old) and came away ok leaving minimal damage


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## Jasper42 (23 Mar 2017)

Hemsby":3tbyieod said:


> Looks like I’m outnumbered #-o I did so want a reason to buy a new tool  So its off with the skirting (hammer)
> 
> Thanks to all


Still need the new tool to cut around the door frame bottoms, you can do it with a saw and chisel but that is so last year.....


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## oddsocks (23 Mar 2017)

When I lay floors in our house I now always take the skirting board off and replace it with new after the floor has been laid. Lesson learned after doing the first room with a cheap multitool.
However...I have found that blade quality is important, and I now always use saxtonblades the fast cut (japanese?) tooled blades - they quickly cut through MDF and softwood skirting.

I've also owned quite a few multiools, and currently own three 0- all 18v, no mains -2 x CEL ProIon and one Dewalt. The CEL have small batteries and do work but struggle after 5-10 minutes, whereas the Dewalt with the 4AH battery and the same blade cuts much faster - so you get what you pay for (but the CEL kit is excellent for the pricepoint). The reason I have 2 CEL is because the gearbox on the first started to wear and vibrate more, but a bare unit was under £30 so that is used normally but the older one has a metal blade in it for the very quick cuts.

Dave


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## rafezetter (23 Mar 2017)

+1 for saxton blades - I have a saxton MT and the coarse blades are great for 25mm MDF and the like. However I think I'd still remove the skirting TBH. The multitool will do it, but you'll be there for quite a while and they do seem to get quite hot after only a short while, I'm not sure they are built do do this sort of cutting.

For removing, once you've managed to pry a section away from the wall a bit, it might be worth using a hot air gun to soften the gripfill a bit, it certainly works in removing gripfill and the like from the backs of salvaged boards I've cleaned up.


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## GPB (23 Mar 2017)

Friend of mine cut the bottom off his skirting with a cheap biscuit jointer, took no time at all.

Graham


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## rafezetter (24 Mar 2017)

GPB":2fa5h08p said:


> Friend of mine cut the bottom off his skirting with a cheap biscuit jointer, took no time at all.
> 
> Graham



This would be a good idea if the height difference between the base of the biscuit jointer and the top of the blade wasn't too much more than the space needed to fit the flooring. You could always add a little scotia moulding to hide any irregularities in the cut line.

duly noted.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Mar 2017)

:idea: Iirc there used to be a purpose made power saw for trimming the bottoms of doors without their removal - they were used by carpet fitters. I know nothing further about them, though. This might kick start someone's memory. 

If they no longer exist, there's a gap in the market ...


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## Doug71 (24 Mar 2017)

Some floor fitters use a track saw/plunge saw, they just run it on its side on the floor using mdf to pack it up to the height they need, still need the multi master for the corners though.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Mar 2017)

I'd have thought the problem was getting down far enough rather than packing it up. :?


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## Doug71 (24 Mar 2017)

Festool ts55 will cut a 12mm shadow gap, think one of Mafells will do 10mm so if flooring is any thicker then that the saw needs a packing underneath.


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## MrDavidRoberts (24 Mar 2017)

multi tool has to be my less-used tool ever, I got a nice Multitool with a nice blades, But I have use for it really only once in a blue moon..
However when there is a task and the only way you can do it is by multitool I'm thankful for it.


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## AJB Temple (24 Mar 2017)

I have a Mafell track saw and it will do this on its side 10mm up from the floor. Expensive solution for one job though. I also have a Fein multi tool and with a circular blade it would do this easily and neatly. I find the multi tool very useful. I just wish it would go a bit deeper.


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