- if possible, paint/varnish the skirting board and architrave before it is fixed to the
walls. If to be painted, then completing the undercoats will save a lot of time - the wood
can be sanded and painted in a more comfortable position and negate the tedium of sanding into
corners. After fixing, nails/screws will have to be finished with a filler, but this can be sanded
and undercoated before the top coat. Altogether, this will save a lot of time and irritation.
Obviously it
helps if there is the space to prepare the lengths of skirting/architrave, trestles would be usefully
employed.
- in kitchens, make sure you paint the ceiling and, at least the tops of the walls, before
the kitchen units are installed as it is difficult afterwards
- apply a bead of decorators caulk to the gap between the skirting board, architrave, stair string
etc and the wall. This finishes it off really nicely but, alas, this is not always done
by decorators. Leave it as long as possible before doing this as the wood will be contracting as
it dries and tends to pull away from the wall. If the bead is done too early, or is too thin, then
cracks will appear in the caulk.
