How to Order Custom Skirting Without Guesswork

A skirting board order can look simple until you reach the details: one wall is longer than the available board length, an old doorway has an uneven reveal, and the architrave needs to match. Knowing how to order custom skirting means dealing with those details before the boards arrive, not while your fitter is waiting on site.

Custom-made skirting gives you control over the profile, height, material, length and finish. It also avoids settling for a limited off-the-shelf range that does not suit the property or the rest of the joinery. The key is to measure carefully, choose the specification for the room, and order with fitting and wastage in mind.

Start by measuring every wall

Measure each run of wall separately rather than adding up the perimeter and ordering one total length. Note the measurement in millimetres, identify where doorways break the run, and mark any external corners, internal corners, chimney breasts, bay windows or boxed-in pipework. These features affect both the board lengths you need and the amount of material required for cuts.

Measure at skirting level, not from a plan alone. Older walls can be out of square, and a bay or alcove may be different from the dimensions shown on drawings. For a refurbishment, remove a small section of existing skirting first if possible. This shows whether there are uneven plaster edges, old adhesive or gaps behind the board that the new installation will need to accommodate.

Order a sensible allowance for cutting and fitting. Around 10% is usually appropriate for straightforward rooms with a small number of joints. Increase this for rooms with several corners, bays, angled walls or complex detailing. A little extra is cheaper than delaying the job because one short offcut cannot complete the final wall.

Plan board lengths before you buy

Longer boards reduce the number of joints and give a cleaner finished appearance. Where a wall is longer than the maximum available board length, plan the joint position before ordering. A scarf joint is generally preferable to a straight butt joint because it is less noticeable and provides more surface area for adhesive.

Try to place joins away from the most visible part of the room. A joint behind furniture may be less noticeable, but it still needs proper support and fixing. For trade projects, it is worth marking proposed board lengths against the room plan so the installer knows which boards belong in each area.

Do not forget that fitted kitchens, built-in wardrobes and radiator pipe boxing can reduce the visible skirting required. Whether you run skirting behind fixed units depends on the installation sequence and the specification of the job. Measure the actual exposed runs if you are certain the units will remain in place.

Choose the right skirting height and profile

Skirting height changes the proportions of a room more than many people expect. A low, simple board tends to suit compact modern spaces, while a taller profile can give period rooms, hallways and rooms with generous ceiling heights more presence. There is no universal correct height. The best choice depends on ceiling height, existing architectural details and the look you want to carry through the property.

If you are replacing skirting without redecorating the walls, match or slightly exceed the existing height where practical. Choosing a shorter board can leave an unpainted line, damaged plaster or old adhesive marks visible above it. A taller board is often the easier solution during renovation, provided it does not clash with sockets, pipework or other fittings.

Profile selection should work with the rest of the trim, especially architrave. Square-edge, chamfered and pencil-round designs suit clean, contemporary interiors. Ogee, torus and other moulded profiles are more at home in traditional houses and period refurbishments. The aim is not to make every room identical, but to avoid a new skirting board that looks unrelated to the doors and frames beside it.

Ordering a free sample before committing to a full order is useful when you are deciding between profiles or materials. Put samples against the wall, door architrave and flooring in daylight. A profile that looks right on a screen can appear deeper, sharper or more decorative in the room itself.

Select a material that suits the job

For most interior projects, moisture-resistant MDF is a practical and cost-effective choice. It has a smooth, consistent surface, machines cleanly and has no knots or grain movement to manage. It is particularly well suited to painted finishes and offers reliable consistency when ordering several rooms in the same profile.

MDF is moisture-resistant, not waterproof. It is suitable for the normal humidity found in kitchens, bathrooms and utility areas when correctly installed, sealed and finished, but it should not be left exposed to persistent water. Pay particular attention to cut ends and joints, which should be sealed as part of the finishing process.

Oak skirting is a premium option for rooms where a natural timber finish is part of the design. It has visible grain and variation, which is exactly why many customers choose it. Those variations mean boards will not look identical, so view timber as a natural material rather than a uniform painted product.

Pine provides a traditional softwood option and can be painted, stained or finished to suit the scheme. It is often chosen where a timber substrate is preferred, although knots and natural movement need to be considered. For a painted, consistent finish across a large project, MDF is often the more straightforward choice. For exposed grain and character, oak or pine may be the better fit.

Decide whether to order primed or finished boards

A primed skirting board is ready for final painting after installation, filling and light preparation where needed. This is a sensible option if you want a specific paint colour or plan to paint the walls and woodwork together. It gives decorators flexibility, but it still requires time on site.

A fully finished or spray-painted option can reduce decorating work and provide an even factory-applied surface. It is particularly useful where speed, consistency and a clean final finish matter. The trade-off is that fitting damage, cut ends and filled joints will need touching in carefully, so keep suitable paint available.

Think about the installation method before making this decision. If boards will be heavily scribed to uneven floors or cut around awkward details, a primed option may be more forgiving. For straightforward new-build walls and planned cuts, finished boards can save time.

Add matching details to the same order

Skirting rarely sits alone. Matching architrave around doors creates a more deliberate result, while plinth blocks can make the transition between taller skirting and architrave cleaner in traditional schemes. Dado rails, picture rails and wall-panelling components can also be selected in complementary profiles where the project calls for them.

Ordering related mouldings together helps maintain consistency in material, profile and finish. It also makes measuring easier because you can assess the whole room rather than treating each item as a separate purchase. If you are renovating in stages, record the exact profile, height, thickness, material and finish used in the first room. That information will matter when you return for the next phase.

Check the specification before placing your order

Before checkout, review the product dimensions carefully. Height and thickness are separate measurements, and both affect the finished look and how the board meets door frames, flooring and existing trim. Confirm the selected profile, material, finish, total quantity and individual board lengths.

Also consider access. Long mouldings need to get into the property, through hallways and up staircases without damage. Measure tight turns and stairwells where necessary. For larger orders, make sure there is a suitable delivery area and somebody available to inspect the goods on arrival.

If you need boards quickly, check the stated availability and delivery terms for the exact product rather than assuming every made-to-specification line is held ready for immediate dispatch. Selected best sellers may be available for next-day delivery when ordered before the weekday cut-off, while bespoke combinations can require additional manufacturing time.

How to order custom skirting with confidence

The most reliable order is built from a room-by-room measurement sheet, not a rough total. Pair that with a profile sample, a material choice based on the room and finish, and an allowance for cutting. If anything is unclear – whether that is board length, profile matching or delivery access – ask before ordering. A specialist manufacturer such as My Skirting Boards can help confirm the practical details while there is still time to adjust the specification.

Good skirting should make the room feel finished rather than draw attention to the compromises made to get it there. Take the extra time to measure, sample and plan the fitting, and the boards will arrive ready to do exactly that.