Affixing skirting board

[hipped80]

I am having some rotten skirting board replaced, and now the damaged sections have been removed I can see it was attached not to plaster as I expected, but to a strip of timber (3 inches high, by 3/4 inch deep) that is flush with the plaster. This timber strip seems to be nailed to timber noggins embedded in the brickwork every 2 or 3 feet.

The skirting board covers the bottom of the plaster by 1/2 an inch, and is nailed to the timber strip.

It leaves a convenient 4 inch high void between the brickwork and the skirting-board for cables to run, but I doubt this was foresight for CAT6 cabling in the future!

Has anyone come across this method of fixing skirting board before? The property is late 18th century. Is this a standard method?

 

[dandrew]

This was the standard method of fixing all manner of joiners work before rawl plugs and patent cements. The 'noggins' are called plugs and are hammered into the vertical joints between the masonry. The timber strip nailed to the plugs is a 'ground', and formed the finishing edge to which the plasterer worked, sitting a little way below the top edge of the skirting, which was nailed to the ground.

David

 

[88v8]

The strips were part of what is collectively known as 'first fixings', and the skirting along with other mouldings such as picture rail and architrave were 'second fixings'.
The terms in general also apply to plumbing and electricals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_fix_and_second_fix

As dandrew says, this was standard practice, certainly into the 1950s and probably beyond.

Ivor

 

[hipped80]

Thanks for the information,and terminology - interesting.

The plugs (what I called noggings) are the same size as the bricks they are surrounded by, and look like oak. Where as the 'ground' looks like pine, and has rotten in places along with the skirting board, the 'plugs' are in great condition.

 

[Owain]

yes, done in my council-built flat in the late 1960s.

 

[Penners]

Before the advent of Rawlplugs, all kinds of uses were made of wooden "insets" into brickwork. Where today we would use a plastic plug, a small wedge of wood was hammered into a joint or a hole in the brickwork. For linear fixings, such as skirtings, dados and so on, a continuous strip of wood (the "ground" that dandrew referred to) was built into the brickwork.

 

[Keithj]

Very much so! I was taught that technique to fix wall cupboards in the kitchen in North Wales.

 

[88v8]

And more dubiously it was used to affix external iron drainage.

Ivor

 

[d49xc]

...and very successfully to.
Indeed when I needed to replace a 6ft length of cast-iron stuff downpipe I duplicated the method.
Extract old wood remains
new piece of hardwood chiseled to fit hole in mortar
Hammer it in
Trim flush
Drill pilot hole in centre
fix pipe in place and hammer pipe nail into the wood piece
job done - good for another 70 years

This method is also used round the house for skirting boards and to secure wooden fire surrounds into walls.

 

[TheRoost]

And more dubiously it was used to affix external iron drainage.

Ivor

Yes I see remnants of these plugs all over my external walls, where new downpipes have been affixed elsewhere, the old plugs are left to rot and the surrounding mortar falls out and provides a nice sandy abode for wood lice etc. :wink:

 

[formerly known as]

In my experience, using timber as plugs works better than using plastic rawlplugs.

 

[Penners]

In some circumstances I agree with you, FKA. However, I have found that the performance of plastic plugs is greatly improved if you drill the hole for the plug 0.5mm smaller than specified. For example, I tend to use 7mm plugs, but I drill a 6.5mm hole. You have to tap the plug in quite firmly with a hammer, but provided you've got decent quality plugs, they'll usually withstand this treatment. The hold is much improved.

 

[88v8]

IME, the chief cause of plastic plugs pulling out is that they are not punched below the surface. That seems pretty much to guarantee a good fix.

I still have some fibre Rawlplugs, which I am hoarding for some unknown future purpose.
Which typical situation rather explains why I have so much stuff.

Ivor

 

[plasticpigeon]

i always drill the plastic ones the right size, otherwise the screw gets a bit tight for me.

 

[Penners]

PP - rub a bit of soap into the threads of the screw before you drive it in. It will go in much more easily.

Imperial Leather of course. You're worth it.

 

[Penners]

I have so much stuff.

Oh, don't get me started, Ivor! My workshop is stuffed with stuff. I have these daydreams about hiring an enormous skip and turfing out everything except the few good tools and some pristine boxes of lovely, shiny screws. But I just can't bring myself to do it.

You'll recognise the thought that always forces itself in front of any such decision:-

" Oh no, I can't throw that out. It's bound to come in useful one day."