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Matt Green
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Set it 5mm off the floor- instant venting.
There's no reason you couldn't install vents in it, even telescopic underfloor vents. Why you would want to is a different matter entirely.
Matt Green
There's no reason you couldn't install vents in it, even telescopic underfloor vents. Why you would want to is a different matter entirely.
Matt Green
I've never seen or heard of any, but there's nowt to stop you cutting a hole an putting a grille over it, or maybe drilling a series of holes in a pretty pattern.
My floors are so wobbly the skirting could be ventillated by the gap along the bottom edge - except there's a solid wall and plaster behind it.
What's the ventillation for, if that's not a personal question
?
My floors are so wobbly the skirting could be ventillated by the gap along the bottom edge - except there's a solid wall and plaster behind it.
What's the ventillation for, if that's not a personal question
?I have a wall which has had a damp problem, especially around the chimney breast. The wall has been battoned and plasterboard screwed onto the battons.
There's now a gap at the botom because there is no skirting, my concern was that if i put skirting on as normal, then there will be no ventilation for this damp area.
Trouble is, if i leave a gap at the bottom as suggested then when i eventually get a new carpet it might plug the gap (current carpet is very thin)?!
There's now a gap at the botom because there is no skirting, my concern was that if i put skirting on as normal, then there will be no ventilation for this damp area.
Trouble is, if i leave a gap at the bottom as suggested then when i eventually get a new carpet it might plug the gap (current carpet is very thin)?!
Did you find out where the water was coming from to cause the problem? Sounds like the plasterboard and battened cavity solution is designed to manage an ongoing problem?
I see what you mean about the carpet. My solution is to get a rug instead, but you may not want to go that far.
If you cannot put the gap at the bottom edge, why not at the top of the skirting where it meets the wall. Nail a pair of narrow battens horizontally at the top/bottom heights of the skirting, leave gaps in the top batten for ventillation, and make sure there's a hole in the plaster (will be hidden by the skirting) at that point.
Your skirting board will stand-off the wall by the thickness of the battens, so it may look peculiar. The gaps in the top batten may let the air flow through to the wall. That's the theory but how effective it would be in practice is another matter.
I see what you mean about the carpet. My solution is to get a rug instead, but you may not want to go that far.
If you cannot put the gap at the bottom edge, why not at the top of the skirting where it meets the wall. Nail a pair of narrow battens horizontally at the top/bottom heights of the skirting, leave gaps in the top batten for ventillation, and make sure there's a hole in the plaster (will be hidden by the skirting) at that point.
Your skirting board will stand-off the wall by the thickness of the battens, so it may look peculiar. The gaps in the top batten may let the air flow through to the wall. That's the theory but how effective it would be in practice is another matter.
biffvernon
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Brunhilde would have known.matt80 said:
Very deep skirting is, as Moo said, fixed using battens. The lower section of skirting is stepped out from the wall, and the upper section hides the joint.
My concern is with the thickness of the battens used, and the necessity for ventillation gaps - these may look a bit odd.
Also, I'm not entirely convinced that my proposal would provide adequate ventaillation, never having done it. May be worth having a go though, if there's no other way of fixing the damp problem.
You would fix the first batten along the bottom of the wall (horizontally) near the floor. A second batten would be fixed above it, the top of this batten coinciding with the top of the skirting. Now this top batten is actually in several pieces, providing gaps to allow air to get in behind the skirting that you will fix to it.
Nail the batten to the studs - the gaps in the top batten would be between the studs. You might want to glue the top battens too, for extra security, if each piece is only going to be fixed to the studs in one place. Maybe this is one place to use that "I can't believe it's not nails" stuff in a tube?
Looking from the top, the skirting would stand proud of the wall (on account of the battens) and have a series of gaps between it and the wall.
You could also make the holes in the plaster slightly bigger , at the positions behind the skirting next to the gaps in the top batten. The skirting would hide these holes.
Is there really nowt else you can do to solve the damp problem - what's the cause?
Plan view
P=plaster board wall
= is the top batten, fixed to wall with gaps
### is the skirting (top edge of)
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
======= ======= ======== =======
#####################################
Front elevation view of battems, prior to skirting fix
T = top batten, with gaps
B = bottom batten (no gaps)
(HOLE) = a little hole in the plaster, to encourage ventillation.
The skirting will be nailed to the battens:
TTTTTTTT TTTTTTT TTTTTTTT TTTTTT TTTTTTTT
(HOLE) (HOLE) (HOLE) (HOLE)
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
Not sure if my rubbish diagrams and explanation will help. As I say, this may look cr*p and depends on how thick your battens are and how far out the skirting will stand as a results. Plus, the gaps may be unsightly at the top edge of the batten.
Another thing to consider is the returns at the sides of doors. My house is a rough cottage, built with various architectural mistakes, necessitated by the plan of the building.
======WALL==== DOOR WAY
|
| WALL
On the right hand side of the door, there's no return so the door opens agains the wall. A skirting board on the right hand wall cannot stick out very far as it would hamper the opening of the door!
This was solved by tapering the skirting into the doorway. Hopefully you won't have the same problem.
If this plan doesn't work, I am going to distance myself from the entire enterprise.
However, if it does work, then I'm claiming all rights to the idea.
Good luck!
My concern is with the thickness of the battens used, and the necessity for ventillation gaps - these may look a bit odd.
Also, I'm not entirely convinced that my proposal would provide adequate ventaillation, never having done it. May be worth having a go though, if there's no other way of fixing the damp problem.
You would fix the first batten along the bottom of the wall (horizontally) near the floor. A second batten would be fixed above it, the top of this batten coinciding with the top of the skirting. Now this top batten is actually in several pieces, providing gaps to allow air to get in behind the skirting that you will fix to it.
Nail the batten to the studs - the gaps in the top batten would be between the studs. You might want to glue the top battens too, for extra security, if each piece is only going to be fixed to the studs in one place. Maybe this is one place to use that "I can't believe it's not nails" stuff in a tube?
Looking from the top, the skirting would stand proud of the wall (on account of the battens) and have a series of gaps between it and the wall.
You could also make the holes in the plaster slightly bigger , at the positions behind the skirting next to the gaps in the top batten. The skirting would hide these holes.
Is there really nowt else you can do to solve the damp problem - what's the cause?
Plan view
P=plaster board wall
= is the top batten, fixed to wall with gaps
### is the skirting (top edge of)
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
======= ======= ======== =======
#####################################
Front elevation view of battems, prior to skirting fix
T = top batten, with gaps
B = bottom batten (no gaps)
(HOLE) = a little hole in the plaster, to encourage ventillation.
The skirting will be nailed to the battens:
TTTTTTTT TTTTTTT TTTTTTTT TTTTTT TTTTTTTT
(HOLE) (HOLE) (HOLE) (HOLE)
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
Not sure if my rubbish diagrams and explanation will help. As I say, this may look cr*p and depends on how thick your battens are and how far out the skirting will stand as a results. Plus, the gaps may be unsightly at the top edge of the batten.
Another thing to consider is the returns at the sides of doors. My house is a rough cottage, built with various architectural mistakes, necessitated by the plan of the building.
======WALL==== DOOR WAY
|
| WALL
On the right hand side of the door, there's no return so the door opens agains the wall. A skirting board on the right hand wall cannot stick out very far as it would hamper the opening of the door!
This was solved by tapering the skirting into the doorway. Hopefully you won't have the same problem.
If this plan doesn't work, I am going to distance myself from the entire enterprise.
However, if it does work, then I'm claiming all rights to the idea.
Good luck!
In my house it wasn't actually horizontal battens that held the skirting away from the wall. They'd simply fixed bits of wood to the wall vertically, at fairly wide intervals, and nailed the skirting to that. All very primitive, and not a bit what one would guess from the finished result.
Aye, they're grounds or soldiers. The horizontal batten thing is my lashed up suggestion for the ventiallation problem.
Of course, he's going to have to cut more holes in the plasterboard, but these will be hidden behind the skirting anyway. That is, if he's crazy enough to go ahead with the project!
One way of working is to fix the timber grounds to the wall first, and use these as a guide for plastering. This way, you get a nice, level surface (if you wish) and when the skirting is nailed onto the grounds, there's no nasty gap, or at least less of one.
In my rough cottage the skritings nailed to timber plugs that were put in the masonry joints. Not always desirable around a chimney breast, so I screw grounds on here when making repairs.
Of course, he's going to have to cut more holes in the plasterboard, but these will be hidden behind the skirting anyway. That is, if he's crazy enough to go ahead with the project!
One way of working is to fix the timber grounds to the wall first, and use these as a guide for plastering. This way, you get a nice, level surface (if you wish) and when the skirting is nailed onto the grounds, there's no nasty gap, or at least less of one.
In my rough cottage the skritings nailed to timber plugs that were put in the masonry joints. Not always desirable around a chimney breast, so I screw grounds on here when making repairs.
Penners
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biffvernon said:Brunhilde would have known.matt80 said:
I think hers are naturally vented at the bottom... and when I say 'bottom' I should explain that I don't mean....well, er...
...I wish I hadn't started this.
Wonder what's become of Grimmers. Could she have him locked up?