Should You Paint Skirting Boards Before Walls?

Here at UK Timber, we have been supplying skirting boards for decades. The question about painting order crops up time after time, usually from customers collecting their freshly machined skirting who want to get the installation right first time.

There is a simple answer to this, but it comes with some proper context based on thousands of case studies across the UK. The short version? Paint your walls first, then the skirting. But like most things in our trade, the devil's in the detail!

Why Walls First Makes Sense (Most of the Time)

Walk through any professional decorator's job, and you'll notice the same pattern: walls get painted first, and there's good reason for this.

When you're rolling emulsion onto walls, you're covering large areas in quite a short time. Even the steadiest hand is going to get paint splatter down near the floor line. If your pristine skirting boards are already installed and painted, then you're either spending ages masking them off or touching up afterwards. Neither option appeals to decorators who've learned efficiency over years of work.

The Professional Sequence We Recommend

After decades of supplying skirting and hearing back from customers about their installations, here's what actually works:

Painted Finishes: Install bare or primed skirting, paint walls completely, then apply your top coats to the skirting. Use proper masking tape on the fresh wall paint and do not rush the job.

For Stained/Varnished Timber: Complete the finish on the skirting prior to installation. You will achieve much better results working horizontally on trestles than you will crouched on the floor trying to apply even coats of stain.

Quick Refurbishment: If you're just freshening up a room with existing skirting, painting walls first lets you be less precious about the bottom edge. You can always touch up skirting afterwards.

The Tools That Make the Difference

Returning customers who ordered more skirting for additional rooms often say the same thing: the second room went much faster because they'd learned from the first.

A good skirting brush (smaller than your wall roller) provides control. An angled brush makes that top edge, where the skirting meets the wall, easier. Proper decorators' masking tape-not that cheap stuff from pound shops-allows ordinary DIYers to achieve clean lines.

Getting Your Project Right First Time

Whether it's a one-room refresh or a whole-house renovation, the sequence is less important than doing each step correctly. Rushed wall painting means poor finishes. Skirting installed in a hurry means gaps and uneven joints that no amount of caulk will camouflage.

We supply the timber, you bring the patience and decent tools. Get those right and the order you paint things becomes less critical than the care you take at each stage. Planning a room renovation? Our range of skirting boards includes profiles to suit everything from modern new-builds to Victorian restorations.

Call our team on 01536 267107 and we'll help you choose the right skirting board for your project - and share any installation tips we've picked up over the decades.