How to properly trim a ceiling plinth inside corner

How to cut a ceiling plinth: work with or without a tool

Any repair requires attention to the smallest detail. On how well the finish is made, depends on the appearance of the room and its overall perception. To a greater extent this applies to the ceilings, which in most cases are not perfect, so to hide all the imperfections (their and the walls), many owners use ceiling skirting boards, which give the rooms completeness. If the installation of baguettes in straight areas is not particularly difficult, the joints of the elements in the corners require the utmost accuracy. Therefore, many owners who are planning, or have already begun repairs, are interested in how to cut the ceiling plinth, what tools can be used for this stage of the work.

The answer to the question of how to cut a ceiling plinth depends on what material it is made of. Cutting is different because the baguettes have different densities. Therefore, the first thing to consider is the most popular materials, and at the same time the peculiarities of their cutting.

Styrofoam

Such products have the lowest price, because the material is very unstable to mechanical influences. Styrofoam is easy to scratch, damaged by accidental impact. Pros. minimum weight, which simplifies gluing, easy processing, the ability to paint in any color.

This foam material consists of small granules, which are quite easy to separate from each other. However, they are the main disadvantage of such baguettes. They require a very sharp tool. Otherwise, the skirting can crumble, so it will be unsuitable for installation. This is true for both angular and straight cuts.

Styrofoam

This contender is more expensive, but it is not very different from the first candidate, because it is a “relative” of Styrofoam: it is produced from expanded polystyrene. This material also consists of small granules, but they stick together more densely. But also the polystyrene foam will not tolerate not too sharp blade, it also crumbles. Therefore, the master needs to prepare no less than a sharp instrument.

The main advantage of Styrofoam and polystyrene foam is their softness, which allows you to avoid gaps by pressing the workpieces tightly together and to the corners.

Extruded polystyrene foam

EPPS is made from the same raw materials as conventional polystyrene foam, but in this case use a different, more advanced technology. Ordinary EPS is made by passing steam through the microgranules.

To obtain the extruded polystyrene foam, the particles are mixed at high temperature and the same pressure, and then added to the raw material foaming agent. The size of granules in this material is much smaller (maximum 0.2 mm), as a result it is less crumbly and more durable. Very sharp tool for its cutting is not required, but bluntness of the cutting edge is also not welcome.

Polyvinyl chloride

Plastic skirting boards (PVC). another type of ceiling products. Usually they are purchased for finishing bathrooms. If we consider the topic “How to cut a ceiling plinth“, in this case they are exceptions, because for their docking use special, ready-made corners.

In general, these baguettes can be cut with a box cutter, a metal hacksaw or a sharp kitchen tool. Since PVC products do not reshape due to their lack of elasticity, it is not recommended to put too much pressure on them when they are cut.

Polyurethane

This is another representative of polymer products. It is characterized by high density and lacks the disadvantages of previous competitors. It is easy to cut, so the tool must be sharp, but there are no maximum requirements for its sharpening. Polyurethane skirting boards do not crumble, do not deform, and honorably endure almost any pressure.

Wood

This traditional material is cut with the usual carpentry tools: for example, a jigsaw, hand or electric. Work the cuts with sandpaper or a file. Since such products are more expensive than other baseboards, when working requires accuracy. A serious mistake can be made easily, but there is no way to fix it. The consequence of negligence will be the purchase of a new baguette.

The ideal tool for cutting wooden blanks will be an electric mitre saw. The biggest disadvantage of it is the high price, especially of high-quality models. Buyers, on the other hand, have the option of finding an inexpensive tool that will do the job decently.

Tools to use

First about how to cut a polymer or wood ceiling plinth, how to do it correctly and quickly. In this case, the work will require 2 tools. a plane and a cutting tool.

What to cut baseboards with?

As for the latter, the choice depends on the baseboard material:

• Styrofoam products (all polystyrene) assume the use of a sharp office knife;
• Polyurethane skirting boards are usually cut with a metal hacksaw;
• wood requires “active” participation of the jigsaw or saw.

The second potential tool for polyurethane is the same office knife. The reason. a fairly low density of the material. Another alternative is a sharp, well-sharpened kitchen knife. The blade is not too thick, which is a special requirement.

A possible substitute for a wood jigsaw is a metal hacksaw. The blade that has the smallest teeth is optimal. Otherwise, the tool will get stuck in the material, and in such conditions it is extremely difficult to make a flawless cut.

The chisel and its self-made

The chisel is the second indispensable tool for working with baseboards.

What is it?

Not everyone may know what it is. This is a device that allows you to cut any workpiece at different angles (45-90°). It is a groove, consisting of the bottom and two sides, in which slots are made for tools. On the bottom of it lay the material, and in the slots are inserted a hacksaw (knife, etc. д.). After sawing the baguettes with its help you get almost perfect blanks.

Chisel. a necessity for trimming any skirting boards, because the joints of the elements require a 45° angle. Otherwise, the connection of the parts will not work: or between the adjacent skirting boards will remain a gap, or they simply will need to be trimmed again, as the adjacent products will not be possible to join.

Yes, the remaining hole can be masked with a compound. However, this option is still not the best. The filler may soon change color a little, and this discrepancy will become very noticeable. However, even here there is an exception.

How to make a jigsaw?

For self-made you will need to find a board length of about a meter or more, or a sheet of plywood (chipboard). It is still necessary to prepare:

• From the selected material cut out 3 parts in width of 200 to 250 mm, their length. 300 mm (400, 500 mm). With the help of self-tapping screws they are connected in the shape of the letter “U”.
• Using a protractor, on the upper parts of the sides make marks corresponding to an angle of 45 ° (if necessary, and 90 °).
• Then take a hacksaw, which sawed holes so that the grooves reached the bottom of the tool.

Finished holes are bored raspilnym so that they could freely enter a jigsaw or hacksaw.

How to trim the corners of a ceiling plinth: general rules

Trimming should be carried out on the outer edge of the skirting, as well as on the inside (when forming the outer corner) or the front side (for the inner joint).

If everything is done correctly the texture of the eaves will not be broken. In the home most often used foam finishing materials. The technology of joining the elements is as follows.

• Use a protractor to measure the angle between the walls. In the case where it is strictly equal to 90 °, cut the edges should be at 45 °. The action is performed with both elements.
• If the joints between the ceiling and the walls are not straight, the radius of the corner should be divided in half. The baguette, which will be attached to the left side, is cut to the right, and the right element, respectively, to the left.
• The edges of the parts of the inner corner are cut so that the upper part is shorter than the lower one. The edges of the outer corner are formed differently: their lower part is shorter than the upper part.
• In contrast to the skirting boards of foam plastic, wooden parts are required to fit precisely to each other and to adjacent surfaces, by appending and trimming at the line adjacency.

Ceiling plinth (corners): the photo demonstrates the techniques of trimming and docking elements:

What tools can be used for cutting corners

Cutting ceiling plinth (outer corner) with explanations will be a good help to the novice craftsman.

Help with a small production

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I was very satisfied, I got exactly what I wanted. I will not overload the answer, but if you want to. I will show you pics of what was/is

How to properly cut the corners of the ceiling plinth

Ceiling plinth can be made of wood, plastic, foam plastic. The last option is the most common. It has an affordable price, many varieties and easy to work. It is usually trimmed with a sharp knife.

Before you begin, you need to cut the material according to the perimeter of the room. It is possible to draw a diagram on paper in advance, marking all the corner joints.

Baseboard corner trimming technology

Trimming baseboards in the jigsaw. Trimming technology

• The right strip is placed in the jigsaw from left to right. The back part, which will be attached to the ceiling, lies on the bottom.
• The profile is pressed firmly onto the trough and trimmed at a 45º angle.
• From right to left another plank is placed and the same way is cut.
• The corners of the cuts are docked at the point of attachment and corrected with a knife (for foam and plastic).

The standard room is rectangular with 90º corners. In fact, such perfect corners are quite rare and are only the dream of the installer. If you are lucky, then the procedure of cutting the corner of the edge of the baseboard is as described above, it is very easy to do it with a facing.

When trimming, remember which side the skirting will be located. You can use putty to create the perfect corner for wood surfaces or joints, but a good carpenter will never do that, and will just file it evenly.

Cutting an inside corner

Material and name

The first material that began to be used to make skirting boards for ceiling design was plaster. They had to be cast in special moulds, after which they were attached to the ceiling with plaster mortar. Such elements of decor were called battens and nowadays they are practically not used, and you can see them in old houses, which have hardly survived during this time. These are expensive elements of interior decoration, so they are not used today, and their name is almost unknown to anyone. To date, there are cheaper and more practical skirting boards for finishing ceilings.

Part of the range in a specialized store

In our time ceiling plinths are made of materials such as polystyrene or polyurethane. These are inexpensive decorative elements, which have a number of advantages associated with ease of installation, with practicality and attractiveness, as well as “weightlessness”, compared to the elements of decoration of plaster, which have an impressive weight. Similar plinths of polyurethane or polystyrene are made of various widths (from 5 to 250 mm), and also have a wide range of shapes and designs, so there is an opportunity to pick up such decorative elements for any style of registration. The only exception are constructions made of wood, decorated in the appropriate style, where elements made of wood are taken as a basis, and there is nothing to do, because the style always dictates its conditions.

There are still skirting boards made of plastic, which are not afraid of moisture, so they are used to finish the premises in which there is high humidity. In this case, for the sake of justice, it should be noted that the elements of polystyrene decor are also not afraid of moisture.

Fit ceiling skirting boards in the corners with some methods, while such options are not suitable for trimming skirting boards made of plastic.

The tools used

Depending on the manufacturing material, for fitting baseboards used different tools: when working with wood baseboards used hacksaw for wood, and when working with plastic or polyurethane baseboards is better to use a hacksaw for metal. Elements of the decor of foam plastic can easily be cut with a regular, sharp office knife. In most cases, a plier is used, allowing a precise cut of a skirting board at a certain angle. If you use a hacksaw for metal, you should not press hard, because the cut can be uneven, with burrs, and the material can be crumpled and become unusable. Polystyrene and polyurethane skirting boards require careful handling.

If there is no experience with such tools, as well as elements of the decor, it is better to take a small piece of finishing material and practice with different force of pressure, which will later help in solving the problem.

How to cut a corner with the jigsaw

The chisel is a joinery tool that can be used to cut any material at 45 and 90 degree angles. The chisel can be made of wood, plastic, or iron. Even the simplest device has openings for a hacksaw, more expensive models even have a swivel mechanism.

The principle of working with a wire cutter is very simple. A slat is placed in the groove, pressed down and cut through the side holes. As a result, you get a cut at the desired angle.

• To measure.
• Place the skirting board face up into the groove of the chair.
• Press the slat with your hand, but not too hard (if the skirting board is made of foam plastic, it’s easy to break it).
• Insert a hacksaw at a 45 degree angle into the opening of the jigsaw and make the cut
• Using a mirror image, cut the second piece in a similar way. We get the formed inner corner.

Tip! You can cut the baseboard with a metal hacksaw, but if the baguette is narrow, it is better to use a construction knife, with it the cut is more even.

It is just as easy to cut the outer corner. Step by step instructions:

• Mark the required length on the underside of the skirting board, but its edge must protrude a little.
• We put a slat in the jigsaw at an angle of 45 degrees and make the cut through the holes.
• Mirror cut the second slat.
• Prepared elements we attach to the wall. If everything is straight, we glue, and if there are any imperfections we simply remove them with a sharp knife.

If you are going to work with a wire cutter for the first time, it is better to practice on extra pieces beforehand.

How to cut a corner without a joiner

It is possible to cut the corner and glue the skirting board without the joiner. Let’s tell you how not to spoil the appearance of the baguette.

• We draw a fishing line for the trimmer on any solid basis.
• From a line does an indentation in 10 cm and we spend one more line for a trimmer.
• At right angles draw a line through the parallels.
• From a line on each line we do marks on 5 cm and connect lines opposite points.
• Lines with parallels as a result form an angle of 45 degrees.

Thus we get a homemade jig, and now it is necessary to determine the slope and make the cut of the skirting board.

• We put the slats to the ceiling and determine the direction of the cut for accurate and correct installation.
• For the inside corner the top edge must be shorter than the bottom one.
• For the outer corner the top edge must be longer than the bottom edge.
• It is necessary to cut baguettes mirrorwise.
• On the baseboard, which will be located on the right, it is necessary to make a cut on the left side. On the slat that will be on the left. the cut on the right side.
• Lay the skirting boards on the self-made diagonal cutter along parallel lines, and considering the direction of the angle make the cut according to the marks.

To make the cut without roughness and splinters, you need to move the knife carefully in one direction.

How to cut an angle with the angle cutter

The chisel is a joinery tool that can be used to cut any material at an angle of 45 and 90 degrees. The mortiser can be made of wood, plastic or iron. Even the simplest device has openings for a hacksaw, the more expensive models even have a swivel mechanism.

The principle of working with the jigsaw is very simple. A slat is placed in the cavity, pressed down and then cut through the side holes. The result is a cut at the desired angle.

• Measure.
• Put the skirting boards face up in the groove of the wood skating rink.
• Press with your hand on the plank, but not too hard (if the skirting board is made of foam plastic, it is easy to break it).
• Insert a hacksaw at a 45 degree angle into the hole of the jigsaw and make the cut
• In a mirror reflection in a similar way to cut the second piece. The formed internal corner is obtained.

Tip! Cut the baseboard can be a metal hacksaw, but if the baguette is narrow, it is better to use a utility knife, with it the cut is more even.

It is also easy to cut the outer corner. Step by step instructions:

• On the wrong side of the skirting board, mark the desired length, but its edges must protrude slightly.
• We put the slat in the jig at a 45 degree angle, and through the holes we make the cut.
• Mirror cut the second slat.
• Prepared elements we attach to the wall. If everything is straight, we glue it, and if there are any flaws, we simply remove them with a sharp knife.

If you have to work with a jigsaw for the first time, it is better to pre-practice on extra pieces.

How to cut a corner without a jigsaw

It is possible to cut the corner and glue the skirting board without a joiner. Let us tell you how not to spoil the appearance of the baguette.

• On any solid base draw a line for the trimmer.
• From the line we indent 10 cm and draw another line for the trimmer.
• At right angles lead the line through the parallels.
• From the line on each line we do marks on 5 cm and connect the lines of the opposite points.
• Lines with parallels as a result form an angle of 45 degrees.

Thus we receive a selfmade jig, and now it is necessary to define an inclination and to make a cut of a plinth.

• Place the strips on the ceiling and determine the direction of the cut for accurate and correct installation.
• For the inside corner, the top edge should be shorter than the bottom edge.
• For the outer corner, the upper edge must be longer than the lower one.
• It is necessary to cut baguettes in a mirror image.
• On the baseboard, which will be located on the right side, you need to make the cut on the left side. On the slat that will be on the left. the cut on the right side.
• We lay the slats on a selfmade jigsaw along parallel lines and, taking into account the direction of the angle, make a cut on the marks.

To make the cut without roughness and splinters, you need to carefully move the knife in one direction.

Method two. without additional tools

For the inside corner, you can use the easiest way to perfect the joint. by marking on the ceiling. Another example of how to cut a corner nice and flat.

The end result is an even angle of 45° if you draw a line for the trimmer from the intersection point to the edge of the part. Note that the above method of marking works only if the corners are perfectly level.

Other ways

With good eye and hand accuracy, you can use a homemade template, which resembles an imitation of a chisel. For this purpose they 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 lines connecting the opposite edges. Now you can cut the ceiling plinth with 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 overlap the drawing and combine the hacksaw with the marking of the layout.

Special component parts for docking

Installing ceiling plinths, you can bypass the question of how to cut the corner of the side. In a situation where you do not want to cut anything, if you are a woman and love beauty, but not carpentry work, you can go another way. We advise to pick up for your finishing plinth, to which in the store you will find a matching pattern part, closing the joint. This method will save time and effort.