Ceiling Skirting Boards How To Cut Corners
How to glue a ceiling plinth, cut fillet corners correctly
Do you want to cut and glue the skirting board correctly, but don’t know how to do it? At first glance, this does not seem difficult, but if you look at it in more detail, then everything is not so simple. The photo below shows how to properly cut and glue the inner and outer corner of the ceiling plinths (fillets) made of foam or polyurethane. All instructions are written in stages in an understandable form with examples.
How to cut the inner and outer corner of the ceiling fillet
Thus, we cut the plinth, if you need to get an outer corner.
As a result, these are the edges of the fillet.
Then the inner corner. Pay your attention, but at what angle and on which side of the miter box you need to cut the ceiling plinth.
This is what happened in the end, after cutting and gluing to the wall.
Do-it-yourself apartment renovation website advises to start practicing on pieces, if everything works out, then go ahead, cut out the inner and outer corners.
If everything was done correctly, then it turned out to cut the first corner. You can glue two corner skirting boards to the wall. If you have chosen the method of gluing on the wallpaper, then coat the fillets with glue and attach them more tightly to the wall. Remaining glue can be removed with a soft cloth. Also cover the cracks between the wall with glue.
If you have chosen a way to fix the ceiling skirting boards before gluing the wallpaper, then you need to fix them with a putty. Apply the putty to the fillet with a spatula. And attach it more tightly to the wall. Remove residues with a spatula or a damp cloth. The cracks can also be covered with putty.
Tips to ease the installation of ceiling dumbbells:
- To correctly measure, the bar is measured between two corners. In this case, for internal corners, the length is measured from the internal elements, and the distance from the external corners is measured from a point that is spaced from the internal by a distance equal to the width of the plinth deep into the room.
- When installing foam plinths at the junction between the wall and the stretch ceiling, glue is applied to the part of the plinth in contact with the wall, not with the canvas.
- The final fixation of the plinth is carried out after adjusting the angle of the adjacent plank to it.
- If there is a right angle near the wall, ceiling and floor, it is easier to fit the planks at the bottom by spreading the parts on the floor or on a prepared table.
- Small gaps remaining in the corners are putty.
- Particular attention should be paid to the installation of rare wood skirting boards. In this case, the putty of the gaps will most likely not give the expected result. A bright spot appears on the texture background.
Well, are the inner and outer corners ready? So you are doing the fillet installation correctly. Now take the next plank and in the same way attach it to the wall to the glued plinth and do not forget to grease the corner joint. When you proceed to the next corner, then carefully measure the distance that remains, and cut off the missing part, everything should be very accurate. The side that goes joint to joint with the skirting board will remain unchanged. So cut out every corner. When everything is glued, then they can be painted to match the color of the ceiling. Good luck gentlemen and remember that you need to cut after determining the exact size.
How to properly glue the ceiling plinth
So let’s get started. First, measure the footage of the perimeter of the room and determine how many fillets you need. The length usually goes according to the standard 2 meters. But it is best to purchase with a margin, just in case. Also decide on the width that suits you. They can be glued to the wall in different ways.
The first way: on a special putty or acrylic (before gluing the wallpaper). And the second: immediately on the wallpaper and on the sealant.
Most people prefer to attach directly to the wallpaper. As an option, we advise you to glue on the silicone sealant, it is perfect for this job. The manufacturer does not play much here. Everything will hold up perfectly. But this method is even suitable for those who have curved walls, since gaps can form between the wall and fillets, they will need to be covered with the same sealant. It is white, so it will turn out more or less normal.
It is advisable to align the walls. The master advises to glue the ceiling plinths on the putty, that is, before pasting the wallpaper. In this way, the gaps are sealed with a putty. And accordingly, adjust the wallpaper to the fillets themselves. This option will suit the more experienced.
Basically, craftsmen prefer to glue the foam plinth on an acrylic white sealant; it can be easily applied, it holds well and dries quickly. Its main property is that it can fill up cracks, corners and it can be painted well. The cost of acrylic sealant is within 100 rubles. And it doesn’t make much sense to buy expensive.
In general, everyone decides for himself which way to use.
How to make installation
You need to cut with the help of such tools: a miter box, a hacksaw, a sharp knife. Insert a piece of material into the miter box at a 45 degree angle and press down firmly. Now it remains at the right angle and cut the ceiling plinth from the right side.
Take your time to glue the cornices along the straight sections. First take care of the corners in this case, you can trim them if necessary, or sand them until you get a good joint.
Now let’s figure out in more detail how the installation of the ceiling plinth is done with photo examples.
Masking joints and painting
If, after gluing the ceiling plinth, there are small gaps between the strips, this is absolutely not a problem, because they can be easily eliminated by rubbing in a white sealant. If you have not yet whitewashed and painted the ceiling, then the following would be the best option.
With a light putty, you need to go over all the glued strips, smearing them like a dye composition, and after drying, you should remove the excess with a fine sandpaper or a special grinding sponge for plastering. After such a final finish, the ceiling and moldings will become a single whole, and you, in turn, will not find a single gap.
After you have glued the ceiling plinth and removed all the flaws, you can start painting the plinth. The process of painting the plinth is considered optional, but if you want to give your ceiling a finished and more attractive look, then the plinth must still be painted.
Way, guess
A simple collective farm option is cut by eye at 45. For this, a butted part is taken, which is adjusted to the previous angle in fact.
You can try on the structure by weight, it is quite a long and painstaking business. Need maximum precision!
Continuously try the mate in place as you fit. Only after several fittings can you achieve a good result, and then glue the baseboard to the base. In short, you can’t do without experience 🙂
A way to fit a skirting board without using a miter box
Inner corner cutting
Inside corner cutting technology is as follows:
- The first step is to attach the baseboard to the ceiling. The required length is set on the plinth.
- The plinth is inserted into the miter box in the same way as it will subsequently be located on the ceiling. The part is pressed against the far wall of the miter box and held in a stationary position.
- The hacksaw is positioned in the slots that mark the 45-degree angle. The workpiece laid in the miter box can be cut, and the effort required for this is minimal; you should not press too hard on the hacksaw.
- Now you need to cut off the opposite plank. The operation itself will be carried out in the same way, only the plinth must be placed not at the near wall of the miter box, but at the far one, so that the corners can be joined later.
- The cut skirting boards must be joined together to ensure that the cut is correct. When cutting internal corners, it is recommended to start work from the outside of the product. After work, it is advisable to slightly adjust the cuts with a file to improve the quality of the joint.
Expanded polystyrene
By and large, expanded polystyrene is a type of polystyrene that has an increased margin of safety. The cost of products made of extruded polystyrene foam is slightly higher compared to foam, but the reliability of such skirting boards is much higher. It is already problematic to break such a detail.
Cutting styrofoam skirting boards requires any sharp tool, such as a construction knife or a hacksaw. Due to their high strength, it is much easier to work with such products, they practically do not break or deform during operation. There will be less waste in the end.
Finished corner pieces
Unfortunately, this method is not relevant in all situations. The dimensions of the corners produced at the factory are adjusted to certain standards, but the skirting boards themselves do not always meet the standards. Of course, such details can be combined, but the result will look unaesthetic. If corners of a suitable size are not available for sale, then you will still have to cut the baseboards yourself.
Pruning with a miter box
To give the plinth the required angle, use a special miter box tool. Structurally, this tool is a tray made of wood, metal or plastic. In certain areas of the miter box there are vertical slots that allow you to cut various parts at an angle of 45 or 90 degrees.
Wood
Wooden ceiling skirting boards differ from analogues. Wood has a fairly large weight, which affects the mass of products from it. As a result, the skirting boards are quite dense, very resistant to mechanical damage and hard, which allows you not to be afraid of accidental deformation during installation or cutting.
Outside corner cutting
In the case of external corners, the cutting technology will look like this:
- For greater accuracy, it will be better to start from the inner corners, and only then proceed to the outer corners. If this is not done, then the length of the plinth in the end may simply not be enough.
- The part is attached to the ceiling, and marks are made on it in the right places. Then the plinth is placed in the miter box, held by the left hand near the near wall and cut off at the desired angle using a hacksaw.
- The opposite plank is laid near the near wall of the miter box, but is held by the right hand. The hacksaw is at a 45-degree angle and the workpiece can be cut off. Finished planks need to be docked together to make sure the cut is correct.
With decorative corners
There is one more, simpler way. For skirting boards made of polyurethane or polystyrene, use ready-made, factory decorative corners. They are installed in a corner, strips are glued to them closely. Cutting them if necessary is very simple: a few millimeters with an ordinary clerical knife.
Examples of finished corners for fillets
How to get the correct angle
Most of the problems when working with skirting boards arise in the design of corners. Since the surface of the products is complex, it will not be possible to simply cut off at the desired angle: it is also necessary to cut so that they dock, and preferably without large gaps. In reality, there are several ways to make the corner of your skirting board perfect (or almost).
What is it made of and what is it called
The very first skirting boards on the ceiling were made of plaster. They were cast in special molds and then installed on the ceiling with mortar. Such figured decorations were called fillets. Today, you can rarely see them: they are expensive, and outwardly they are almost indistinguishable from cheaper options. And the name is almost lost.
The most popular ceiling skirting boards today are made of polyurethane or polystyrene. They are inexpensive, look great, are easy to install, have a wide range of profiles and patterns. The width can be from 5 mm to 250 mm. They are used in almost any room, decorated in any style. An exception is wooden houses with a suitable interior. Wood products are most often used here; style dictates its own terms.
There is also a similar plastic finish. It is mainly installed in bathrooms. But even in damp rooms, you can safely mount polyurethane strips, they are not afraid of damp.
You need to cut the ceiling plinth in the corners of any material in one of the ways described below. The only exception is plastic skirting boards: you can arrange such a corner only using ready-made corners.
What and how to cut
Working with skirting boards made from different materials means using different cutting tools. When working with a wooden skirting board, it is more convenient to work with a saw on wood. All others, including plastic, made of foam and other polymers, are better cut with a metal sheet. The result is a smoother cut, less burr. Saws are usually used when working with a miter box.
Corner design looks attractive
When working with polystyrene skirting boards without special devices, they cut them with a good stationery knife. Its blade is quite thin and even, the cut is smooth, not wrinkled. If you use a saw with polyurethane or polystyrene, do not press hard: you can wrinkle.
In general, to get used to the tool and material a little, take a piece and practice on it: cut, saw, trim. So there will be fewer problems when working.
How to make a corner of a ceiling plinth without a miter box
Few people in apartments or houses have angles exactly at 90. Small deviations are easily corrected after fitting. But not always. Then you have to mark everything in place under the ceiling.
You will need a thinly contoured pencil (hard it is not so visible on the ceiling, but leaves quite clear marks near), a small piece of plinth, a ruler and a good clerical knife if you work with polyurethane (polystyrene) baguettes or a metal saw to work with the rest materials.
Apply the plinth to the corner, draw along the outer edge with a pencil. Apply to the other side of the corner, also mark. You have got a cross on the ceiling, the center of which marks the place where the plinths of the ceiling plinth should converge (look at the photo). Having installed a piece of plinth in the corner, which will be glued there and resting it with its end on the wall, transfer the mark to it.
How to make corners on skirting boards without using special tools
Now take a ruler and connect the edge of the skirting board with the marked mark. If you just put the plinth on the table and cut along the mowing line, the two parts in the corner still won’t fold: the inner part will interfere. It can be trimmed later by trying on the ceiling. The second way is to set the piece to be cut on the table with the piece that will be on the ceiling. And cut along the mowing line, but holding the knife at an angle of about 45. It will still be necessary to correct, but much less (and less chance of error).
Repeat the same operation with the second bar. Put it to the desired wall, rest the butt against the adjacent wall, mark the place where the cross is drawn, draw the line and then cut it off. Correction Carried out dry without applying glue.
You repeat exactly the same steps for the outer (protruding) corner. Now you know another way to make a corner of the ceiling plinth, and without a scribe or other special devices.
Using a miter box
If the corners and walls in the room are even, you can use a special miter box carpentry tool. This is a groove in the form of an inverted letter P, in which the mowing line is outlined for cutting at an angle of 90 and 45. The part in which you need to cut is laid inside, the saw is inserted into the guides. The part is held in place, cut at the desired angle.
This is what the miter box looks like. Can be plastic, wood or metal
In the case of skirting boards, not everything is so simple: they must simultaneously adjoin two surfaces, therefore they must be pressed against one or the other wall of the miter box. When working with ceilings, they are pressed in the side closest to you.
The sequence of actions when finishing the outer corner, you need to make a gash at an angle of 45 degrees. Place the miter box in front of you. Trying on how the plinth will be located, determining which part of it will be attached to the ceiling. In order not to get confused and cut off the ceiling plinth correctly, place the strip that will be located on the right on the right, the one on the left on the left.
How to cut a corner on a ceiling plinth: install it correctly in a miter box
Press the part that is on the ceiling to the bottom of the miter box. The other side is closer to you and raised. Lean it on the wall of the device so that it does not stagger when cutting. That is, the front of the skirting board turns out to be turned away from you. Do the cutting direction as shown in the photo below. Fold the two cut pieces together for a projecting outer or outer corner.
How to make the outer corner of a skirting board using a chair
First put the sawn-off parts in place on a dry one, without applying glue. If the geometry of the corner is not so perfect, you can tweak it a little with a knife. It is easier to cover small errors with a special putty.
The situation is very similar with the inner corner of the skirting board. First you try on which side will be on the ceiling, press this part to the bottom of the miter box, lean the second part on the wall closest to you and make cuts as shown in the photo below.
How to make an inner corner of a ceiling plinth using a miter box
And again, first try on without applying glue, if necessary, slightly adjust. Then apply a thin bead of glue to both surfaces that will adhere to the wall or ceiling.
Your own version of how to use the miter box correctly is shown in.
The first way with a miter box
The miter box usually looks like a tray with vertical holes for a hacksaw. It can be made of wood, metal or plastic. This tool represents the oldest and simplest carpenter’s tool, designed for cutting wooden parts at an angle of 90 and 45. There are types of such devices for professional work, with a swivel mechanism, in which the cutting tool can be rotated and fixed in any position.
How to cut a ceiling plinth correctly
Ceiling corners are divided into internal and external, the method of joining them is slightly different.
Outside corner
- Measure the length of the plinth from the nearest wall to the outer corner, leave the fishing line on the wrong side with a pencil, indicating the desired length. It should be noted that the edge (its upper part) should extend slightly outward.
- The plinth is moved to the miter box and cut off.
- The adjacent bar also needs to be measured with a margin and cut off in a mirror image to the first part.
Trying on the ceiling plinth: the joining of the parts should be perfectly flat. If the result is not achieved and there are irregularities at the joints, you can trim the edges with an ordinary knife to a perfect fit.
Checking the smooth docking
All the nuances are well described:
Inner corner
- We make the right measurements.
- We install the plinth strip in the miter box so that this position exactly coincides with the placement on the ceiling.
- The plinth should be firmly pressed against the opposite wall of the miter box. Hold and press with your free hand.
- We put a hacksaw at an angle of 45 in a special hole and cut off the part.
- The adjacent part must be cut in the same way, only in a mirror image, as shown in the photo.
Method two without additional tools
For the inner corner, you can use the simplest way of perfect joining by marking on the ceiling. Another example of how to cut a corner nice and even.
- Apply a fillet to the ceiling, firmly pressing its even edge into a corner.
- Draw a line along the long side of the plinth on the ceiling.
- The same action is done with the adjacent part on the other side.
- Mark the point of intersection of lines.
The end result is an even angle of 45 if you draw the line from the point of intersection to the edge of the part. Note that the above marking method works only at perfectly flat corners.
How to cut the corner of a ceiling plinth straight
A beautiful and neat edging of the ceiling hides the joints between the coatings and is an additional element of the room’s decor. But in order for the ceiling plinth to look really beautiful, you need to be able to qualitatively join its corner joints.
How to cut the corners of the ceiling plinth evenly can be found in our article.
Related article: how to properly glue the ceiling plinth with glue and putty.
Other methods
With a good eye and accuracy of hand action, you can use a homemade template that resembles an imitation of a miter box. To do this, take a thin board or thick plywood and draw a layout in the form of a horizontal rectangle. Using a protractor, mark 45 on the right and left sides of the rectangle. Draw mowing lines connecting opposite edges. You can now cut the ceiling plinth using this layout. The actions are simple and similar to the description above in the first option. Only the ceiling parts should not be inserted, but superimposed on the drawing and combined with the hacksaw layout.
Special accessories for docking
Factory ready corners
Note that every craftsman has the opportunity not to pore over precise cutting and fitting corners.
It is enough to measure the required length of the workpiece and cut it at right angles.
All defects and flaws will be hidden by this special element. But it is not always possible to use such a convenient method, since the standard dimensions of such factory corners can differ markedly from the size of the plinth itself.
Such angles will stand out for their disproportion, and it will not look very neat. But if the design of the room and the size of the blanks allow you to use this method, then you should not neglect it.
For those who have to use one of the methods of trimming the ceiling plinth, the following tips will come in handy.
Skirting materials and cutting methods
First of all, let’s try to determine what fillet can be made of, and what specific material is better to cut.
On sale today you can find products made of polystyrene (polyvinyl chloride), wood, expanded polystyrene and polyurethane.
Styrofoam
Perhaps one of the cheapest skirting boards is made of foam, which is a fragile, soft and brittle material.
Even the fingers of the hands can leave dents on them, wrinkles and defects are easily formed on them. It is quite difficult to trim the corner of the PVC-based skirting board nicely and evenly.
For an inexperienced craftsman, a large amount of purchased material may go to waste for this very reason. Also, this polymer has high electrostatic properties, which explains its ability to collect dust.
It is most convenient to cut such a plinth with a hacksaw or a sharp construction knife.
Expanded polystyrene
Products made of expanded polystyrene are also inexpensive, although this material is a more durable analogue of traditional foam.
Can also be cut with a sharp tool.
Extruded expanded polystyrene
Extruded polystyrene skirting boards are slightly more expensive, they are somewhat denser and more difficult to cut. But they crumble and break much less.
Therefore, cutting them is more convenient and easier. For this purpose, it is convenient to use a hacksaw or a sharp knife.
Polyurethane
Polyurethane skirting boards for the ceiling are currently perhaps one of the most expensive.
But they justify their cost: moisture resistant, quite strong and dense, quite elastic.
The skirting board above the stove may deform and even crackle slightly.
They are perfectly cut with a special knife without forming a crumb. But these products are very sensitive to temperature changes.
Wood
Wooden skirting boards for the ceiling are quite heavy and dense products, solid and durable.
They lend themselves well to processing with a special fine-toothed hacksaw. You can also use a reliable metal blade. So how to cut the ceiling plinth correctly?
How to cut a skirting board without a miter box? How to make a miter box template with your own hands
If you don’t have a miter box, you don’t have to buy a one-time tool. You can create a template with similar functions yourself.
To do this, the required cut angles are applied to wood, paper or cardboard.
Then you need to draw a pair of parallel lines, find the center, and then use the protractor to measure the angles of any given value.
This method is especially convenient in that, using it, you can postpone an angle of any value, even more than a straight line.
The technique of processing a baseboard blank using a homemade tool is practically no different from working with the original. The bar is pressed against one of the parallels, after which the hacksaw is set at the required angle and cut off.
Ceiling plinth fillet
To do this correctly, it is important to strictly follow the existing recommendations and rules for finishing work. And then the result will please you.
In order to hang the ceiling plinth, even inexperienced repairmen have no difficulty. They are worried about something completely different: how to cut the ceiling plinth correctly? In fact, almost every room, no matter how intricate it may be, is equipped with corners.
And in these inner corners, the individual elements of the skirting board should be nicely and evenly joined. And in rooms of a particularly complex configuration, you will have to be smart about the outer corners. Let’s try to figure out how to be in each of these situations, and how to cut the desired part using the available tools.