My Mum’s had the cowboys in and they’ve made a complete mess of fitting the skirting boards. On one wall about a third of it isn’t even attached to the wall. I had a hard time finding the stud in the wall but eventually got it using a magnet, marked the spots on the wall where the magnet stuck and followed the line down to the skirting board but when I hammered a nail into the plasterboard just above it and an inch either side it went straight through each time. Seems like there’s nothing to nail it into.
I don’t want to take the whole thing off and risk ruining the plaster and I can’t really spread any adhesive very evenly while it’s against the wall. Do I just squirt and hope? Would expanding foam be good enough to hold it? Here’s a clip to show what I’m dealing with.
Best Answer
You can try 2 ways. You can "sound out" the wall if it is sheetrock, if it is plaster it will not work. Using a hammer tap the wall lightly and listen for the sound emitted. It will sound less hollow when over a stud. The second way is to ease the skirting away from the wall, say maybe 1/4", and drive a nail in the wall at a slight angle to find the studs. so when yo do, the hole you made will be just under the top of the base and when nailed tight, the hole will be covered or even if it is slightly exposed, caulk will cover.
If there is a chance you have wood lath and plaster and you find the nails holding the wood lath on the studs, there is a possibility that you may have driven the nail in one of the gaps of the lath. Check the length of your nails, they need to go about 1" into the framing. So if you have 3/4" skirt. 3/4" plaster you will need a 2 1/2" ail to hold the base.