How to paint skirting boards.

What you will need

• Paintbrush

• Sandpaper

• Paint

• Masking tape

How to paint skirting boards

To begin, you need to prepare the skirting boards. You do this by sanding the skirting boards down with fine sandpaper. If your skirting boards are brand new and not painted yet, run them over with sandpaper and apply an interior primer before painting.

Dust the skirting boards clean. You might want to wipe them with a damp cloth too. Grab your masking tape and apply it around the edges, towards the wall. If your wall is in a different colour or gloss than your skirting boards, check our guide on How to paint two different colours. 

An easy tip is covering the floor with a piece of paper that you place either under the skirting boards or as close as possible to the skirting boards. Move the paper as you paint. This allows you to quickly remove any paint spills that may occur as opposed to having to remove dry paint that has crept under the tape.

Time for the fun part – the paint. Both Pure Matt and Soft Gloss can be used on skirting boards. Many choose a higher gloss level for skirting boards and Soft Gloss is, therefore, the typical choice. If you prefer matte skirting boards matching the gloss level of the wall, you can simply choose Pure Matt. Paint in long sweeping motions and start painting along the sides of the skirting board. Then, paint the fronts of the skirting boards. Start in a corner and make sure to keep painting in long sweeping motions. If you have wide panels, it can be a good idea to use our small paint roller as a supplement to our paintbrush. Leave the paint to dry for four hours before painting the second layer. The final step is to remove the tape and you can enjoy the results of your good work.

Tips & Tricks

Painting the skirting boards in a different colour, tone-in-tone or just a different gloss can fundamentally change the expression of any room. A lot of the people from our decorators’ community have been nice to share their results which you can find on our Instagram @notesofcolour.

Use fine sandpaper (120-180 grit) when sanding the skirting boards as this ensures a smoother surface.

If you have a carpet, you might want to consider protecting this with our dust sheet or another protection.

It is better to apply multiple thin coats of paint as opposed to one thick. The finish will be more even, and as a bonus, it will minimize the risk of paint drips.