in this film we're going to show you how to fit the skirting first you need to measure and cut your boards to length so see part one of this film to learn how to do this if you haven't done it already once you've done that you're ready to start fixing your skirting board but before you do you need to identify what the walls are made of so that you can use the right type of fixings it's important that we work safely so we're using knee pads because we're going to be spending quite a bit of time on our knees we'll also be using sharp tools so we need to keep these in a safe place when they're not in use use a piping cable detector before drilling or hammering anything into the wall and wear goggles to protect your eyes we're also going to be using some solvent based gap filling adhesive so make sure that the work hair is well ventilated and that you wear gloves and eye protection when fixing skirting onto a masonry wall like brick or block use masonry nails or screws and wall plugs if you're attaching the skirt into a timber stub partition wall use lost head nails nailed into the studs some new homes have metal stud partition walls if your home has this type of wall you'll need to use screws remember to use zinc plated screws or coated screws so that they don't rust you can also stick the skirting board to the wall using a gap filling grab adhesive we've cut our skirting board to length with the right joints and now we're ready to fix the skirting board onto the wall we've also had to attach an in-field board because we had a cavity which needed leveling to the wall we're going to use a gap-filling grab adhesive lay the skirting board on its face and then apply adhesive to the back of the skirting board in blobs at regular intervals when you're fixing the skirting boards make sure you apply pva glue to any external mitres you may also need to use some small diameter pins to hold the joint tightly together then simply fix the skirting board by placing the bottom edge onto the floor just in front of the fixing position and push the skirting board firmly against the wall if the wall is flat you shouldn't need any additional fixings but if the wall has a bow in it you'll need to put in additional screw fixings to draw the skirting board into the wall the type and number of screw fixings you will use will depend on the type of wall you are fixing to and the shape of the boat because our surface is flat we don't need to do this but we're going to fix the next length of skirting to an external wall using screws and wall plugs the fixing method is exactly the same mark up the skirting board so that the fixing points are approximately two centimeters below the start of the chamfer and at approximately 60 centimeter intervals next we need to position the skirting against the wall and mark up the approximate position of the fixing points make sure you mark the wall behind the skirting so you don't see the marks when the skirt is fixed use a cable and pipe detector and if you detect a cable or pipe just move the fixing point along to a clear area once you're happy with the position of the fixing points drill a pilot hole into the skirting board at each fixing point using a suitable size wood drill bit next use the countersink bit to create a countersink at each fixing hole make sure that the countersink is large enough and deep enough to allow the screw head to be below the face of the skirting board when the fixing is made you could also use a combined drill bit and countersink if you have one now position the skirting board against the wall and mark up the exact position where the wall needs to be drilled for each fixing by pushing a long nail or screw through it until it marks the wall surface remove the skirting board and check that you can see every mark if not repeat the process now we can drill the wall this wall is dry lined which means there's a space between the plasterboard and the block work so we're going to use a longer masonry drill bit to make the holes our screws are 75 millimeter by four millimeter so we need to drill holes that are approximately 80 millimeters deep if you wrap masking tape around the drill bit at 80 millimeters from the end then you'll know to stop drilling when you reach down to the masking tape once the holes are drilled we can insert the wall plugs and using a spare screw tap them through until they are into the block work we can now position the skirting board and make the fixings when you're fixing your skating buds make sure you apply pva glue to any external miters you may also need to use some small diameter pins to hold the joints tightly together once the fixings are made the fixing points and any gaps in the joints can be filled over using suitable filler if you're going to varnish your skirting use a fillet that matches the colour of your wood and is suitable for varnishing over to finish off use flexible decorators caulk to seal the gap between the top of the skirting board and the wall apply the cork using a sealant gun and then use a damp cloth to smooth the sealant and wipe away any surplus and that's that we're now ready to get on with the decorating for more ideas and know-how visit diy.com you