Guides4Homeowners Useful Information & Guides
Skirting boards are one of the decorative elements that need to be top-notch when making a home look incredible on your house walls. The primary use of skirting boards is to protect the lower part of the wall from knocks and scuffs mainly.
However, skirting boards are used for multiple reasons, from decorative to protecting your walls as well as to cover any drafts amongst several other reasons. In this article, we are sharing our best five handpicked paint products that are best suited to painting skirting boards, we’ve looked at the descriptions, along with reviews, price, and features to pull out the top options for you, so you don’t have to do the research. If this sounds like something your interested in finding out about, then keep on reading!
The article is comprehensive, so feel free to navigate to the most suitable section by clicking one of the links below:
- About painting skirting boards
- What to look for in skirting board paint?
- Why buy paint specifically for skirting boards?
- Top 5 picks of paint for skirting boards
- How to paint skirting boards
- FAQs
About Painting Skirting Boards
Picking white paint for the skirting boards is still in trend even though shadow gaps are becoming pretty popular. They are great for covering untidy and uneven joins and protects the wall from scuffs and dents which occur due to people and pets moving around or during cleaning.
When choosing a paint for skirting boards most people choose one that looks a bit glossier, shinier, finished, and well mainly, that looks complimentary to the walls and surrounding features. Freshly painted skirting boards really add that extra vibrance to of any part of a room and make a huge difference to the overall space if you keep on top of cleaning them, which is much easier to do with a gloss based paint.
To get a sleek finished look make sure to practice the painting at skirting boards with the right brush. The ideal brush size two inches (5cm) is apt for most skirting boards. Choosing a brush also depends on the paint that you are using, while using water-based paint, choosing one with synthetic bristles would be optimal.
What to Look For In Skirting Board Paint?
There are a lot of things you should consider when looking for paint for your skirting boards, the main one obviously being colour, but here are a few things to consider:
Colour: while choosing paint for skirting boards the essential thing that you must consider is the colour; you need to pick a neutral colour that is going to match your walls and furniture, most go for white. People can be picky regarding the colour though, where the darker shade of skirting boards looks crisp and classic that makes the room look modern and contemporary. On the other hand, choosing for the white looks decent and picking for it, make your space look larger. If you don’t want to experiment and want to opt for a safer option, then you should always go for pure white, crisp colour.
Being creative with skirting boards: when you are picking paint for skirting boards, then you can be creative. If you have painted your house walls in neutral colours, then crisp and bold colours would be a decent choice to do your skirting boards in, such as a black or grey.
Look for ideas elsewhere: when you want to do great with paints, then ask for different ideas from professionals or do some online research, maybe check peoples Instagram for a nosey! There are several types of paints you can choose from that will all produce a different look, including matte or gloss. The colour must look complementary to the colour of your wall, and not picking the right colour can make the room look a little strange. A slight difference in colour tone can look odd, try to find some pictures online with a similar coloured wall and skirting board that you are planning to see how it matches up.
Personally, I would stick to a white skirting board paint, but that’s because my walls aren’t white and it’s a safe colour to choose that nobody will be against. If you’re more of a vibrant person that wants someone to go into their house and notice, then you might want to go for a darker or perhaps more non-conventional skirting board colour, essentially.
Why buy paint specifically for skirting boards?
When preparing your dream house, then you don’t want to miss a chance to make it look less than perfect. Painting of doors and skirting boards should be done with precision, allowing for a smooth look of the walls. It’s what adds that homely feel so you want to make sure you do it right, that being said, you don’t specifically need to buy skirting board paint as after all, it’s just wood.
Buying paint for skirting boards is necessary as skirting boards are made with wooden boards that cover the interior part of the wall, and keeping it raw isn’t a great choice to stick to as well it won’t maintain it’s colour & will eventually deteriorate much quicker than if you paint it.
To paint skirting boards you will need to:
- Choose a paint, preferably a glossy one
- Buy some brushes
- Sand down the current skirting boards so nothing gets trapped in the paint or there are no inconsistencies
- Paint the skirting boards with undercoat
- Paint 2x with the final covering coat
Having brushes that go well with the skating boards paint is a must. Preparing the surface is the second step that you need to take into account, I would always suggest that you do this.
In addition, for painting skirting boards, you have to apply the double coatings, so apply first, then let it dry first then proceed for the next one for a glossy look.
Top 5 picks of paint for skirting boards
We’ve looked into a lot of paints, reading their description, looking at their reviews and of course taking into account their pricing points, and that has lead us to this. Now let us introduce to you the top 5 picks of best paint for skirting board paints that will give you an excellent finish.
Dulux Quick Dry Gloss Paint For Wood And Metal – Pure Brilliant White 2.5L
Product description
It’s self-undercoating, non-yellowing, wipeable, and appropriate for interior along with exterior wood. Due to its quick-dry and low odour formulation makes it convenient and graceful to use. it is beautiful dry gloss paint.
Dulux is a well-known paint brand, the most well known probably, it’s a name that you know you can trust when it comes to painting & this paint is purpose made for wood, so it will be more than suitable for your skirting boards.
Why we have chosen it?
It is a good option that is great for interior and exterior wood and metal. The capacity is 16m2/L per coat. You can cover approximately 40m2 with this 2.5L with one coat. If you choose for this one, then it means you don’t have to use any undercoat and it’s also quick-drying, so you can finish painting your house quickly.
Reviews
It is one of the top picks of customers with a very high rating and very few negative reviews, which is one of the main reasons it’s made the list, people are generally very happy with it!
Before buying the product, you should always ensure that you read all the reviews, and you can do so by clicking the button below:
Johnstone’s 303929 Quick Dry Satin, Brilliant White, 1.25 Litre
Product description
This is a great product by another well known brand in Johnstone, it’s got great features such as being low odour and water-based formulation. The great texture and non-low yellowing paint make it convenient and pretty.
The satin paint on wood takes one to two hours to dry; hence the work can be done really quickly. It leaves a great finish and we’re sure you’ll be happy with it at its cheap price point.
why we have chosen it?
It has top ratings on different shopping sites due to its features like easy to clean, easy to use, low cost, and much more. The brilliant white colour of the product without needing undercoating and one coat application means you get great value for money. Another reason, of course, is the brand is well known and stocked in high streets, so you know you’re getting a reliable product.
Reviews
This is another highly rated product on the online shopping portal Amazon, it has great reviews meaning it’s an Amazon Choice. You don’t just have to take our word for it though, you can read the reviews for yourself by simply clicking the button below:
Dulux Quick Dry Eggshell Paint For Wood And Metal – Pure Brilliant White 2.5L
Product description
This pick is fantastic for wood and metal. The capacity of is 16m2 /L per coat, and 750ML can cover 12m2 with one coat approximately. The finish looks fantastic with egg shell and the paint is very easy to apply, which makes it convenient for use, and drying time is six hours.
Again, it’s another choice from the most reputable brand Dulux. You pay a slight premium for Dulux products but it’s more than worth it, there the most popular for a reason, as you can see by the great reviews.
Why we have chosen it?
I wanted to get an eggshell paint in there to offer a different looking finish on a paint type that is still easy to clean, making it suitable for skirting boards. I picked this Dulux product because of the brand reputation, price & the fact it has amazing reviews on the selected online platform.
Reviews
Can’t decide whether eggshell is for you, or just don’t know whether to choose this product? You should read the reviews, they are fantastic, there are very few negative ones.
Before buying the product, you should read them all, and you can do so here:
Dulux Once Satinwood Paint For Wood And Metal – Pure Brilliant White 2.5L
Product description
This is yet another Dulux product making this list, but this time it’s a Satinwood paint.
Apply using a sterile, fantastic excellent brush. Apply a thick coat of paint taking care to not spread it too much. Attempting to do this may take another coat, especially when painting within a darker colour with a milder topcoat. Edge technology was utilized in the creation of the item, the character of solvent-based paints signifies they will discolour over time. The speed of discolouration is quicker in regions with low natural or UV light. For long-lasting whiteness we advocate using a water-based formula, available from the Dulux Quick Dry range
You don’t need any undercoat for the painting skirting boards, or doors and jobs can be done magnificently with one coat only.
Why we have chosen it?
It is optimal for the interior use and great for skirting boards, easy to apply and of course, holds the brand name Dulux. The paint has a long-lasting white effect, and will provide you with fantastic looking skirting boards. Although it’s more expensive than most, it’s cheap when you consider it will only require a single coat.
Reviews
This is another really highly rated paint when it comes to reviews and on the online platform, you can clearly see there are very few negative ones.
We always try to make sure that people reading this check all the reviews before buying the product, so you can do so by clicking the button below:
Leyland Trade 264606 High Gloss, Brilliant White, 5 Litre
Product description
Leyland High Gloss is a top quality, high gloss finish, suitable for use within most kinds of exterior and interior surfaces. The outstanding flow and levelling properties ensure easy brushing together with significant opacity.
It’s perhaps a slightly lesser-known brand, but they offer a quality product none the less, it’s tough and durable and provides a premium level of finish.
Why we have chosen it?
We’ve chosen this one for a few reasons, one to offer a bit more diversity than just Dulux and Johnstone, but two because it’s a quality product at a great price point (considering the size!). It’s got great reviews & the feedback in general is fantastic.
Reviews
As we just slightly touched on there, the reviews for this product are fantastic which is one of the reasons it’s made the list. It currently has an extremely high rating at the time of writing this of 4.4 out of 5.
You can read all the reviews by clicking the button below:
How to paint skirting boards
So hopefully out of the top 5 picks, you’ve managed to find the skirting board paint that you want to choose so that’s all well and good, but how do you get started on the actual painting? We touched on it a little earlier, but here’s a full step by step guide:
- Pick your brush
- Sand down the skirting boards thoroughly
- Make sure that the foundation is clean
- Tape your borders
- Work the paint to the brush
- Apply another coat
- Get rid of the tape
If you are using a water-based paint, then make sure you use one with synthetic bristles.
This enables the paint to bond and also protect against future chipping. Use a gentle dry brush to remove loose dust and paint.
If your boards are cracked or filthy, give them an excellent clean with a solution of mild soap and water (washing-up liquid or sugar works flawlessly), you might also want to polyfill any gaps.
Implementing masking tape across the edge of the ground can allow you to produce clean lines and will leave you with an expert finish. This will guarantee the paint does not creep’ beneath the tape.
Work it around about half of those bristles, wipe out the excess paint and first start from the top of the skirting board so you can see if it drips down and it’s easy to spread the paint evenly.
You ought to provide solvent-based paint 24 hours to wash but water-borne paint requires less time, therefore follow the advice about the can before implementing your next coat. Some paints will say that you only need one coat, but you should always be able to judge this when it dries.
When the second coat is completely dry, then carefully remove the masking tape. If the carpet was masked, push the edge of the tape to “split” the seal prior to getting rid of it to reveal your newly painted skirting boards.
FAQs
1: What are complementary colours for skirting boards?
You can choose from several colours, but most people choose to paint skirting boards white as it goes with most wall paints and furnishings.
2: Do paint manufacturers provide RAL codes?
Unfortunately, no a few paint manufacturers will provide RAL code and can match colours. Hence if this is a concern, before getting paint, you need to determine the RAL code prior.
3: Will the paint look exactly like it does on the website?
Depending on the device you are using and screen resolution, paint colours gets depicted on the website and may appear slightly different than applied to a surface. It is recommended to test a colour before purchase.
