Perfect mitres – putting a crown on your work
Once you brought the right number of skirting boards home, you can start fixing them. It is not so straightforward to cut mitres in skirting boards if you want to achieve a perfect result. However, if you use the right tools and take accurate measurements, you will manage just fine. We can promise you that a little extra effort here will be worthwhile. After all, it is the difference between ‘good enough’ and 'perfect' that will make your parquet floor look as if it was fitted by a craftsman.
These are the tools you need to cut mitres in your skirting boards
To measure each corner where your skirting boards meet, you will need a framing square or a bevelled protractor. These tools allow you to determine the exact angle at which you will have to cut mitres in your skirting boards. In this way you can seamlessly connect the skirting boards to each other when you fit them. To make neat and accurate cuts, it is best to use a manual or electric mitre saw, which displays the size of the cutting angle in degrees.
This is how to cut mitres in your skirting boards
Measure the mitre angle in which the first skirting board needs to be cut using a framing square or a bevelled protractor. Mark out this angle in pencil on the skirting board. For inner corners, you should cut the skirting boards outwards at an angle with the correct number of degrees (so that the two skirting boards mate with each other). For an outer corner, you should cut the skirting boards inwards at the correct angle.
Tip: try out each skirting board in which you have cut mitres before you glue them. If the angle is not 100% correct, then you can remeasure it and cut a mitre in the skirting board again without any messing around.
Have you cut the perfect angle? Great job. Here you can read how to effortlessly glue your skirting boards using the installation kit.