Skirting board

A skirting board (baseboard in American English) is the narrow strip or profile that runs along the bottom of a wall where it meets the floor. It looks like a minor detail but does several jobs at once: it covers the uneven joint between wall and floor, protects the lower wall from vacuum cleaners, mops and furniture, and hides the expansion gap left around floating floors such as laminate.

Materials and profiles

Skirting can be MDF, solid wood, PVC, aluminium, ceramic or stone. Painted MDF skirting, finished in the wall color, gives a calm look; skirting in the same material as the floor carries the floor up the wall. The profile carries the style of the room as well: flat, slim profiles suit modern interiors, while stepped and moulded ones belong in classic rooms. Flush, recessed skirting that sits level with the wall face is a favorite in minimal design.

Practical points

Clean mitres at corners, a tidy finish against door frames and, where cables need to run, a profile with an internal channel all decide the quality of the job. In wet areas, the material must not absorb moisture. LED strips hidden in the skirting can also provide gentle guiding light along corridors at night.

In a 3D model, skirting is often the last thing anyone thinks of, yet a render without it looks wrong straight away. Drawing it room by room takes time; for tools that speed up repetitive modeling in SketchUp, see SketchUp model preparation before rendering.