How to cut skirting boards to the ceiling

Different materials and their features

Styrofoam. Perhaps this material is the most fragile. it is unstable to mechanical damage, scratches and even minor impacts. Of the advantages. light weight, the ability to paint in various colors and ease of processing (it can be cut with a clerical knife. however, very carefully).

Expanded polystyrene. This material can be considered a type of foam, however, its strength characteristics are slightly higher (extruded polystyrene foam is denser than foam). As for the processing. expanded polystyrene is just as easy to cut with an ordinary sharp knife, and also has a low weight, and this is an important factor when taking into account the load on the walls.

Both polystyrene and expanded polystyrene have one significant advantage: the softness of the material allows you to press the plinth as tightly as possible to the corners and to each other, as a result of which there are no gaps. In addition, modern polystyrene skirting boards are made in such a way that they have a small recess. especially for hidden wiring.

Useful. Polyurethane stucco molding is able to transform the appearance of a standard apartment into an elegant stylish interior.

Making a miter box with your own hands

Unfortunately, not everyone at home has the entire arsenal of carpentry tools, however, you can make a similar miter box yourself. For this, a rectangular tray of planks is knocked together, then grooves are sawn in the walls. at an angle of 45 °.

To measure the angle, you can use 2 knocked down boards and a protractor or an ordinary right-angled triangle. that’s the miter box and you’re done!

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 ornaments were called fillets. Today, you can rarely see them: they are expensive, and outwardly they are almost indistinguishable from the cheaper options. And the name is almost lost.

The most popular ceiling skirting boards 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 corresponding interior. Wooden products are most often used here. the style dictates its conditions.

skirting, boards, ceiling

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.

Using a miter box

If the corners and walls in the room are even, you can use a special carpentry tool. a miter box. This is an inverted U-shaped chute in which the mowing line is marked for cutting at 90 ° and 45 °. The part in which you need to make a gash is laid inside, a 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 adhere to 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 part of the skirting board turns out to be turned away from you. Do the cutting direction as shown in the photo below. By folding the two cut pieces together, you get a protruding 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 “dry”, 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 video.

How to cut a ceiling plinth

  • Selection of tools
  • Cutting technology
  • In the miter box
  • By pattern
  • By markup
  • Without miter box

One of the most difficult steps in installing skirting boards is cutting them correctly. Only by correctly joining the individual elements at the outer and inner corners will you get the desired result. Fillets will look aesthetically pleasing and neat if you cut them off at the right angle and seal the cracks. To accomplish this task, a special tool (miter box) is used. And if it is not there, then other devices will help.

method. trimming the edge of the skirting board without the help of a miter box

If you don’t want to waste time making a miter box, then you can make the markings directly on the ceiling! To do this, the edge of the plinth is cut off at a right angle, then the plank is applied to the corner as it is planned to be installed, and the border of the plinth is marked.

How to Cut Skirting and Door Stops. Fein and Toolstop

Do the same with the second bar.

After spreading the lines, they mark the point of intersection of the two lines directly on the planks. this will be the line for cutting the edges of adjacent skirting boards.

How to join in corners

If the installation of the first corner is completed, we can assume that you have already learned almost everything. “Almost”, because you still need to learn how to join the corners and cut the planks to length. When some part is already glued and a small distance is left to the corner, how not to be mistaken with the length? The answer is simple: leave stock.

At first, you can cut a piece 10-15 cm longer: it will be possible to redo it several times if something does not work out right away. Then you make a corner in the way described above, try it on dry, adjust everything so that the result suits you. Only then can you attach the already cut strip to the corner and mark the place to which it can be shortened. You need to trim at exactly 90 °. It is not necessary to use a miter box. Just try to put the knife (hacksaw) perpendicular to the surface.

If the angle is not right

Unfortunately, in some cases, the angle between the walls in the room is not straight, but sharp, or, conversely, obtuse. This is due to structural defects that have arisen through the fault of non-professional builders, the architect’s idea or the result of soil subsidence some time after the construction of the building. This is especially common in village houses and summer cottages.

No miter box or a drawing replacing it will help in this case, and you will have to do the markup in place.

  • Attach the workpiece to one of the walls so that it rests against the other wall with its end.
  • Run the line on the ceiling along the workpiece.
  • Perform the same operation against another wall.
  • At the intersection of the two lines, put a mark on the workpiece itself.
  • Draw the line from the mark to the corner of the workpiece and cut along it.
  • Do the same with the workpiece, which you will attach to another wall.
  • Glue both blanks; they will come together tightly.

What tools can be used?

The feasibility of using certain tools is associated with the materials from which the skirting board will be made.

Tab. 1. Varieties of materials and features of their use.

Type of material Material properties, requirements Tool
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) PVC skirting boards are distinguished by the fact that they are easily damaged when pressed and no longer restore their former appearance, since they are devoid of elasticity. Therefore, such skirting boards cannot be pressed when cutting. Cut with a construction knife or a hacksaw for metal. A blade or a sharpened kitchen knife will also work.
Styrofoam Foam plinth is also not very durable, but better than PVC counterparts. Easily crumbles. The same tools can be used as for PVC
Wood Stronger and more aesthetically pleasing than their polymer counterparts, but expensive. It is best to cut the tree with a hacksaw, you can use metal, although this way you run the risk of hammering the teeth of the blade with wood sawdust. A hacksaw with fine teeth is best.

Using factory corners. an alternative to cutting and sawing

Corners for PVC skirting boards

The disadvantage of corner pieces is that they are actually and visually larger than the baseboard, which will make the corner noticeable. This can ruin the look of the room. It is also inconvenient to use the corners where the walls do not join strictly at an angle of ninety degrees. But most of the time they look great.

How to cut skirting boards to the ceiling: corners

Today it is impossible to imagine the interior of a residential building or apartment without ceiling plinths. The skirting board covers the irregularities of the suspended ceiling or wallpaper, cracks and imperfections in the walls, and gives the interior completeness. But how to make the skirting board perfectly fit in the most important place. in the corner? There are several ways.

Using a miter box

The miter box has a recess for a cut-off board or plinth and saw slots at an angle of 45 and 90 degrees. You will need to cut the skirting board at a 45 degree angle.

To cut the skirting board with this device, you need to follow these steps.

  • We apply the plinth to the future attachment point.
  • We mark where we will cut.
  • We put the plinth in the gutter of the miter box so that the lower part is pressed against the surface of the device, and the part that will be greased with glue “looks” up.
  • Cut off the area by inserting the saw into one of the 45-degree holes.
  • We correct the cuts with a knife or the same saw (remove irregularities).

How to cut the corners of a ceiling plinth with a miter box

After that, the skirting board can be glued in place.

Outside corners

It happens that the room has not only internal, but also external corners, which also need to be pasted over with a plinth (see photo). How to do it? There are several ways here as well. The easiest way, as is the case with the inner corners, is to cut them with a miter box. The outer joints must be cut so that the side that will be glued to the ceiling is on the surface of the miter box, and the side pressed against the wall is facing the wall of the fixture.

As with the inside corners, you can also use in-place markings, that is, draw the mowing line on the ceiling. Here, the technology is exactly the same as that used for the inner corners.

You can use the markings on the wall by attaching a workpiece and drawing a fishing line along its lower edge (see photo).

If the outer corner turns out to be too rounded, you can finish the joint with a knife.

Trimming the ceiling plinth. Outside and inside corners

To the point where they converge, the line is drawn directly along the future part of the connection. From the point that is on the ceiling to the second. The resulting marking will be the line along which you need to saw off or cut off the connecting parts. Using these techniques, you no longer need to wonder how to cut the corners of the ceiling plinth.

How to make a miter box yourself?

If desired, the miter box can be made at home. It can be crafted from wood or iron. The dimensions of the workpiece do not play a special role, but the wider it is, the more accurate your cuts will be. However, if the width is greater than the length of the hacksaw, with which you will cut the baseboards or boards, then it will be extremely inconvenient to saw, so you do not need to take a workpiece that is too wide.

First, a transverse line is marked in the center of the workpiece. Then, at a distance of 1/2 the width of the workpiece from the intersection of the straight line with the edges of the workpiece, marks are made. Then these marks are connected crosswise, as shown in the figure.

Wooden miter box, fastened with self-tapping screws

Next, the process of marking the side walls of the miter box begins. Attach them to the already marked base and make marks based on the base markings. Then draw straight lines from these marks across the entire wall.

After that, the process of mounting the miter box begins. The walls must be attached to the base with self-tapping screws if the fixture is made of wood or chipboard or bolted corners if it is made of steel. Only after installation in the miter box are sawed slots for the saw.

After making the slots, the miter box is ready. If you have a large amount of work or want to repair regularly (on a professional basis), this simple device can speed up the process of cutting skirting boards by 5-10 times.

How to cut a skirting board without a miter box?

The easiest way is to draw the future cut line on paper (cardboard, wallpaper), and then, attaching a baseboard blank to it, cut.

To do this, you must first attach the skirting board blank to the paper and draw two parallel mowing lines that will mark the sides of the skirting board. Then, using a protractor, you will have to measure 45 degrees and draw the line of the future cut. Then the drawing is used in the same way as the miter box: a blank is placed on it and the excess is sawn off along the mowing line.

How to cut the corners of a skirting board without a miter box

The disadvantage of this method is that the saw will have to be held on weight, focusing on the drawing, and not inserted into a previously prepared slot.

Ceiling skirting boards: how to cut corners?

Any renovation work is always completed with finishing. In rare cases, the interior of the room does without a ceiling plinth, its presence helps to hide the joints of the finishing materials used for wall and ceiling surfaces, in addition, do not forget about the decorative function that this element carries. It is not difficult to arrange the perimeter of the room by simply fixing it in a straight line. It is much more difficult to cut it correctly in the corners without spoiling the material and spending a minimum of time and money.

How to cut?

There are two main questions facing the installation of a ceiling plinth. How to properly cut a skirting board without gaps and with perfect fit in the corners, and what tools should you use to get a beautifully positioned ceiling element in the end? In order to understand these issues, it is necessary to study all the methods and tools used in trimming the skirting board. Almost all methods and tools can be used to adjust the skirting board in both internal and external corners.

Interior

The same methods and tools can be used to join the halves of the skirting board in the inner corner. The location of the halves in the miter box when cutting for the inner corner is identical to the location of the parts used for joining the outer corner. But, you do not need to turn the right half of the plinth for a cut, but only change the slope of the cut (use a different cut). In any case, on the left side of the plinth, the line will be angled to the left of the corner point located on the side adjacent to the wall, and on the right side of the plinth, the line will be angled to the right of the similarly located point.

For perfectly flat corner surfaces, you can use a regular square instead of a miter box. To do this, you need to press half of the plinth to the inner corner of the ruler and cut off the unnecessary part at an angle of 45 degrees. It is not difficult to do this, since the side of the ruler and part of the plinth form a total of 90 degrees, the notch line divides this angle in half, which means that part of the plinth will be cut at an angle of 45 degrees.

For wooden and plastic skirting boards, making an incision in place will not work, you can only apply a markup to the surface of the skirting board, and then cut the cut along the mark using a hacksaw or saw.

In order to properly cut and then join the halves of the baseboard for the inner corner, you need to measure in place with a simple pencil. The right workpiece must be applied to the corner from the corresponding side until it stops. On the ceiling surface, draw a line along the half and remove the workpiece to the side. We do the same with the other half.

At the intersection of the two lines, a point has formed, with which you need to make marks on each half of the skirting board. To put a point, you need to attach a half to the docking place. From the resulting point, you need to draw the line to the bottom corner of the half, as a result, you get a small triangle, which you need to cut off.

The halves cut in this way must be adjusted to each other, with inaccurately cut edges, the cuts can be leveled with a knife if the material of manufacture is foam.

To eliminate minor blemishes on the cut of wooden or polyurethane skirting boards, you will have to use a file. Only after complete coincidence of the cuts can you start fixing the halves.

Sometimes you don’t get the perfect fit, but there is always a way out. To eliminate cracks, you can use a putty. The choice of filler depends on the material of the skirting board. In order to eliminate inaccuracies in trimming the skirting boards, you need to practice using small pieces of the skirting board or cut the planks slightly longer than the intended size. Such a margin will make it possible to make a new undercut in case it was made with the wrong slope or the material at the cut point was deformed.

Features of the

Previously, the ceiling plinth had a different name. fillet. Translated from German means “notch” or “groove”. The material for the manufacture of this decorative element was gypsum, which was poured into a prepared mold. The cured gypsum element was fixed to the ceiling surface with mortar. Today, gypsum ceiling plinth is very rare, its cost is high, and it is much more difficult to install it in comparison with modern counterparts.

Ceiling elements are now available in several types of materials in numerous configurations. They are cheaper than gypsum ones, but they look no worse. The cheapest copies are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This material is subject to deformation with insignificant mechanical stress, the formation of irreparable dents or creases leads to a complete replacement of the element. In addition, all PVC skirting boards are electrostatic, dust accumulates very quickly.

Ceiling skirting boards made of polyurethane and polystyrene are among the most demanded products. They gained their popularity due to their reasonable price, a wide range of profile patterns, a variety of sizes (their width varies within 5–250 mm), as well as resistance to moisture. Polyurethane ceiling elements can be found in the design of many rooms, they look great in any interior. But, there are also disadvantages, the material does not tolerate temperature changes, is prone to cracking, especially if installed above a stove.

The classic version of the ceiling plinth is a wood product. Wooden elements, unlike the listed types, are not installed on glue; self-tapping screws are used to fix them. Plinths made of this material are used to decorate wooden houses or rooms, whose style is dictated by the use of wooden elements.

Required tools

Installing a skirting board means trimming the excess length and adjusting it in the corners. In order to do a pruning, you need tools. The choice of this or that type of tool depends on the material from which the plinth is made.

When working with wood and plastic, use an electric miter saw. Cutting with this tool is accurate, fast and effortless, you just need to set the required parameters and correctly lay the skirting board. It will not be difficult to choose the appropriate tool, since manufacturers produce this tool in a wide price range.

But, with wood and plastic, you can cope with another well-known carpentry tool. a miter box paired with a hacksaw. This tool is in the shape of a tray, made either from wood, or from plastic, or from metal. In the two parallel sidewalls of the miter box, there are saw slots for easy cutting of the plinth at the desired angle. In a simple tool modification, the ceiling element can be cut at an angle of 45 or 90 degrees, and in a more complex version, the plinth can be cut at an angle of 60 degrees.

A miter box and a hacksaw are cheaper than a miter saw, but they also have their drawback. this is the risk of damage to the material, especially if the quality of the purchased material is poor. In addition, the miter box is more suitable for rooms with smooth walls and corners.

For a smoother cut without the risk of damage to the material and without delamination of the structure, a jigsaw is suitable. It is easy to operate this tool, with its help you can set any direction and make the most accurate cuts. For materials lighter in weight and with a less strong structure, you can use an ordinary construction knife, the main thing is to pick up a specimen with a sharp blade.

Outside corner

For the outer corner, the skirting board is trimmed at an angle of 45 degrees. First you need to check the evenness of the outer corner. If the wall surfaces are in contact with each other at exactly 90 degrees, you can use a miter box to trim the skirting board. In order to properly cut the outer corner planks, it is necessary to correctly position both parts of the skirting board.

First you need to outline the length of both halves, and only then trim them at an angle of 45 degrees. In order not to change the position of the saw and not to get confused with the location of the halves of the plinth, it is necessary to correctly position them in the miter box. The left half is laid face up, with the part adjacent to the ceiling closer to the center, and the second side adjacent to the wall should be pressed against the slotted sidewall. With the right half, everything is different: it must be laid face down in the miter box, and the location of the adjacent parts to the ceiling and wall here will be the same.

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The bar placed in the miter box for a smooth cut must be pressed against the sidewall, placing it as close as possible to the slot. Holding the workpiece with your left hand, you need to carefully make a cut and set it aside. The second half of the skirting board should be cut in the same way, remembering to turn it face down.

In the absence of a miter box, you can make a draft of it on paper or cardboard. First, draw a rectangle, inside which, on the longer sides, draw two more parallel mowing lines. On each side, inside the lines, using a protractor, set the desired angle in different directions. Preparation and subsequent cutting of workpieces is exactly the same as using the tool itself.

This method is good in that you can postpone the angle not strictly 45 or 90 degrees, but a little more or less, because the surfaces of the walls in the corners are not always directed towards each other at an angle of 90 degrees, there are errors. Therefore, for a more accurate cut on the miter box depicted on paper, you can draw any angle using a protractor. The degree of the angle is first checked using a protractor, the resulting value is divided by 2. The resulting number will be the exact degree for the correct undercut.

If desired, you can build a miter box with your own hands. The easiest way is to make a tool out of wood, you just need to take three planks and put them together in the shape of the letter P. Then make marks on the side parts at different degrees, using a hacksaw to make slots. You can also make a miter box from two planks, having previously made slots in them, or use a drawing with the desired angles on paper to accurately determine the slope.

Even a table can be used as an improvised tool. The main thing is that he has angles along which he could navigate.

In order to properly cut the outer corners, you can do without any auxiliary tools and drawings on paper at all, you just need to design the future corner in place.

The skirting board of the outer corner always protrudes into the room by an amount equal to its width, therefore, to determine the exact cut, it is necessary to make marks on the right and left halves of the skirting board. You need to set aside the width from the side adjacent to the wall. Then, from the obtained point, lead the line to the upper corner of the half. The resulting triangle needs to be cut, and the halves must be joined in place for a preview.

Advice

For a good fit of the ceiling plinth, it is not enough to properly cut and join the halves, you also need to glue them correctly. In order not to later cover up the cracks in the corners or alter the work altogether, you need to adhere to certain recommendations.

  • Before the final installation of the skirting board, it is necessary to properly prepare the surfaces that will come into contact with it. Priming or simply treating parts of the ceiling and wall surfaces will help improve the adhesion between the skirting board and the surfaces.
  • The corners of the room in which the skirting boards are installed should be decorated first. The remaining sections of the perimeter are mounted only after the complete installation of the corner elements.

If there are not only internal, but also external corners in the room, the priority is in the design at the internal corners, since there is a risk of making a mistake with the length of the plinth.

How to cut skirting board or baseboard corners. No power tools required!

  • In order to fix the ceiling element without gaps, it is necessary to press the plinth rather tightly to both surfaces. It is worth remembering that excessive pressure on some materials can lead to deformation of the element.
  • To avoid the ingress of glue residues on the front surface of the element, you should immediately remove the excess adhesive before it has time to dry.
  • Sealing joints and cracks with a sealant should be carried out only after the glue has completely dried. Compositions with acrylic are most suitable as a sealant.

For information on how to cut the ceiling plinth, see the next video.