How To Paint MDF Skirting Boards Leave a comment

Painting skirting boards may be a bit tricky considering they are low down and worries of paint dripping on the flooring. However, here are some tips to do the most efficient job when you need to paint MDF skirting boards.

What You Will Need to Paint Skirting Boards:

• 2-inch Paint Brush
• Primer (If Bought Unprimed)
• Good Quality Sandpaper
• Paint of Your Choice.
• Newspaper/Dust Sheets
• Painter’s Tape

The Procedure to Paint Skirting Boards:

1. First, move all the furniture away from the walls. Depending on the size of the room, you will want to move all the furniture as far away from the wall as possible. If your room is big enough, you could simply move all of the furniture to the middle of the room and for best practice, cover it up with a dust sheet. If your room is a smaller size then you may find it better to take the furniture out of the room you’re working on. We also recommend putting on some clothes you wouldn’t mind getting paint on them, just in case!
2. Next, you will want to protect your flooring. If you have carpet, try to lift it as this would be the safest route to eliminate any paint ruining it. If you aren’t able to take it up entirely, at least pull the carpet back. Alternatively, if you do not want to move the carpet or you have hard flooring, you can use painter’s tape. Apply the tape to the edge of the carpet, getting as close to the skirting as possible. If you can get it under the skirting board too, that would be even better. Making this as thick as you feel necessary to avoid drip marks. Similarly, you want to protect the walls in the same way. Apply painter’s tape along the wall to ensure you do not get any paint on the wall.
3. Now you need to start sanding the skirting board. You will need to get some good-quality sandpaper and start to rub down the skirting board. You don’t want to sand this too hard, but you want to take off the top layer and ensure it is smooth to the touch. This is to ensure the primer and/or paint applies well. If there are lots of bumps and scratches, the paint will not stick well. After you have finished sanding, there will be residue on the floor. Use a hoover to get rid of this before you start to paint as you do not want this access sticking the board when you begin painting. If you order your skirting board primed from Skirting UK, you will be able to skip this step as we will have already sanded the skirting board after the primer was applied.
4. Decide on the paint you want to use to paint MDF skirting boards. There are a variety of different options you have to choose from now. The type of paint such as eggshell, satin or gloss. The colour of the paint; are you going to go plain and simple having it white, or make a statement with dark or colourful woodwork? This plays a key part in the next decision… the primer. If you going for white, then you will simply need a white primer. However, if you are after something different, you may need the matching primer. For example, a grey primer.
5. You will need to apply some primer now if your skirting board is unprimed MDF. This is because the paint will not apply easily to raw MDF and will start to show. It is always best practice to apply two coats of white primer first which will really pay off when you achieve a wonderful finish in the end. You must ensure that the primer is completely dry, which should take around 2-3 hours and then apply another coat.
6. Now paint your skirting board in your desired paint. Once the primer has completely dried, you can now apply your desired paint. A great trick to eliminate having excess paint on your brush is to put a rubber band around the paint tin. You can then dip the brush in and drag the brush against the band to get rid of any access. This will eliminate any dripping that could occur if there was too much paint on the brush.

Customers Who Have Painted Their Mouldings:

Check our Instagram for more inspiration! @SkirtingUK

If you need any further help on how to paint MDF skirting boards, do not hesitate to call us for advice on 0121 289 4940, or you can email us at enquiries@skirtinguk.com. Alternatively, save yourself the hassle and order your MDF mouldings pre-painted! We have a variety of options to have your skirting board; unprimed, primed, eggshell, satin or gloss. If you are glueing your skirting board, then a finished option is a great decision. The paint is applied by a spray technician, leaving a beautiful seamless finish.