Skirting boards VS shadow gaps
Architect Jeff Kahane looks at the pros and cons of skirting to help you decide which type will add the finishing touch to your interior
Skirtings and architraves evolved to conceal the hairline cracks that inevitably develop between timber floors and door linings and the plastered walls which they abut. It’s likely that thinking ahead about the junctions between floors and walls is not top of the list for most self-builders and home improvers in the early stages of their project.yet what may at first feel like a tedious minor decision best left until as late as possible, can actually be a helpful decision to make, to focus in on how the new spaces are going to feel. The outside of any new house or extension is what first captures the imagination but the interior is where you will be spending most of your time.
When detailing a new extension you will need to decide whether the interior design will be a visual continuation of the existing character of the house – either literally or with a subtle modern twist – or whether the intent will be to make a dramatic visual contrast.
Design considerations: What are the choices?
So, when it comes to picking a skirting, what’s out there?
If you’re extending a period property then sticking with some form of skirting board is often the obvious way to go. Traditional skirting boards, like Victorian or Georgian designs, are generally taller and have fairly chunky profiles with a double step
(or double teardrop) mould and are in keeping with how a house of that period would have been decorated.