Skirting Boards & ArchitraveFitted Properlyin Sidmouth & Exeter
Crisp, mitre-perfect skirting and architrave that finish a room properly, tight joints, level runs, scribed to uneven walls and floors. The details that separate a finished room from an unfinished one.
Free survey within 7 days · Mitre-perfect joints · 5-year workmanship guarantee on full installs
The work, in plain English.
What it is
Second-fix carpentry for skirting boards and door architrave, supply-and-fit or fit-only, in profiles from plain contemporary to traditional ogee and torus.
Who it's for
Homeowners renovating a room or a whole house, landlords refreshing rental properties, self-builders finishing new-build interiors, and anyone whose existing skirting has been battered by decades of hoovers and furniture.
When you need it
During a redecoration, after new flooring, when replacing internal doors, or as part of a full room refit. It's the finishing layer that ties everything else together.
Why a specialist
Skirting and architrave are the framing of a room. A visible open mitre, a scarf joint that doesn't line up, or a scribed-badly length running along a wavy wall drags down the perceived quality of everything else in the room: no matter how good the paint and plaster are.
Small problems compound quickly.
Skirting and architrave are what people notice when everything else is finished, for exactly the wrong reasons if the joints aren't right.
- Open mitres at corners open up further as timber settles, filler cracks and shows through paint within months.
- Skirting fixed straight to wavy old walls leaves visible gaps that no amount of caulk can hide neatly.
- Butt joints along long runs stand out unless scarf-jointed correctly.
- Architrave nailed in without a level check ends up leaning off the door frame: instantly obvious from across the room.
- Wrong profile fitted alongside existing skirting jars visually in period properties.
Where DIY and general trades come unstuck.
- 01Using MDF glue-only where nails or brads are needed to hold the profile against a wavy wall.
- 02Cutting mitres freehand rather than on a proper mitre saw, even a good chop-saw is only as accurate as its fence setting.
- 03Trying to caulk out large gaps at floor level rather than scribing the board to the actual floor profile.
- 04Not planning joins, a scarf joint should land where it's least visible, not in the middle of a long wall.
Five steps from enquiry to signed-off job.
Free site survey
Alex measures the runs, checks the wall and floor condition, and confirms the profile: new or matching what's already there.
Clear written quote
Fixed price for the room or a day rate for larger runs: you choose.
Materials sourced
Skirting and architrave profile ordered to length. Primed MDF, primed softwood or hardwood, whichever suits the job.
Fitting on site
Old skirting removed cleanly where required, new profile cut with proper mitres and scarf joints, scribed to wavy walls and floors, and fixed securely.
Ready for decoration
Joints filled and sanded ready for the decorator's caulk and paint. Site left tidy. Full installations carry the 5-year workmanship guarantee.
What you actually get.
Tight, invisible mitres
Corners that stay closed once the paint's on: no cracks reappearing at Christmas.
Level, scribed runs
Skirting that follows the floor and hugs the wall: no visible gaps to fill with caulk.
Matched profiles
New skirting matched to existing where required: critical in period houses.
Ready for the decorator
Everything filled, sanded and ready for caulk and paint: no rework needed.
Whole-house consistency
Same profile, same joints, same height reference throughout: the room feels finished.
Backed for 5 years
Full installs carry the 5-year workmanship guarantee.
The specifics, materials, methods, and where each option fits.
Skirting and architrave sit at the top of the second-fix carpentry pyramid, the last thing on before paint, and the first thing your eye lands on.
Profile choice
Plain contemporary square-edge, chamfered, torus, ogee, Victorian and bespoke moulded profiles. In period properties, matching existing is often more important than choosing something new.
Materials
Primed MDF for painted finishes (stable, straight, cost-effective), primed softwood, and hardwood where a stained finish is required.
Fixings
Second-fix nails or brads plus adhesive on solid walls, mechanical fixings where the wall allows, and consideration of any hidden services before nailing anywhere.
Joint types
Internal corners either mitred or scribed depending on the profile, scribing beats mitring on complex moulds where movement is likely.
Working with existing floors
Skirting is scribed to uneven floors, not forced flat. Where new flooring is going in, the timing of the skirting fit matters, usually after flooring, so the board sits neatly against the finished floor.
Whole-room and whole-house jobs
Larger jobs are planned so profile heights and reveal margins are consistent from room to room, and joint locations are placed where they're least visible.
Straight answers before you enquire.
Can you match my existing skirting?▾
In most cases, yes. Common profiles are readily available; less common ones can often be matched by a specialist supplier. Alex will confirm at the survey.
Do you remove old skirting?▾
Yes, old skirting is removed cleanly without damaging the plaster where possible. Any minor repairs are agreed up front.
Do you also paint the skirting?▾
Primed material is fitted and left ready for the decorator to caulk and finish, or the paint work can be included depending on the job.
How quickly can I get a quote?▾
Quotes are free. Alex books your site survey in and completes it within 7 days of your enquiry: often faster. You get a clear written quote afterwards, either as a fixed price or a day rate, whichever suits the job.
How soon can the work start once I accept?▾
Most jobs are booked in within a month of quote acceptance, depending on the size of the work and the current schedule. Smaller jobs often slot in sooner, call Alex directly to check current availability.
How long does a whole house take?▾
Depends on room count and profile complexity. A single room is often a day or two; a whole house typically runs to a week or more. Every quote sets out the time on site.
Is the work guaranteed?▾
Yes. Full installations completed from start to finish by AJW Carpentry, where AJW supplies all the materials, carry a 5-year workmanship guarantee. The guarantee does not apply to repair or remedial work, fit-only jobs where you supply the materials, or damage caused by misuse or third-party alterations after completion.
How do I pay?▾
Bank transfer or cash. There is no card machine on site. Pricing is agreed up front, fixed price or day rate, so there are no surprise line items when the job is finished.
Which areas do you cover?▾
AJW Carpentry covers Sidmouth, Exeter, Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Seaton, Honiton, Newton Poppleford, Woodbury and Ottery St Mary. If you are just outside those areas, still get in touch, we often travel a short distance further for the right job.
Are you insured?▾
Yes. AJW Carpentry holds public liability insurance up to £2,000,000, so your home and belongings are properly covered while we work.
Other work often done at the same time.
Internal Door Fitting
Interior doors hung square, level and quiet-closing. Every latch snicks, every hinge sits flush, every door lines up along the top rail from one end of the landing to the other.
Learn moreFitted Wardrobes
Fitted wardrobes and bespoke bedroom storage that turn awkward alcoves, sloping ceilings and dead corners into real, usable space, built in, scribed to the walls, and finished properly.
Learn moreGeneral Carpentry
Second-fix work, repairs and one-off timber jobs across your home, done cleanly, finished properly, and priced clearly. The job list that always seems to grow, finally sorted.
Learn moreRecent AJW jobs, including work like this in Skirting Boards & Architrave.
Doors, wardrobes, decking, loft work and garden joinery, photographed on real jobs in Sidmouth, Exeter and the surrounding villages.
Book a free skirting boards & architrave quote in East Devon.
Free site survey within 7 days. Clear written quote. Fair pricing, clean sites, and, on qualifying installs, a 5-year workmanship guarantee.