The Short Answer
On our estimates, new skirting boards cost about £18 to £40 per metre fitted in MDF, £25 to £50 in softwood and £30 to £60 in hardwood. A medium room, with the door architraves done too, comes to about £250 to £450.
A medium room takes 4 to 8 hours hours. Painting is extra unless the quote says otherwise, so budget for it.
Skirting board prices
| Room | Skirting and architraves, fitted | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Small (box room, small bathroom) | £150 to £300 | 2 to 4 hours hours |
| Medium (bedroom, lounge) | £250 to £450 | 4 to 8 hours hours |
| Large (open-plan, large bedroom) | £350 to £700 | 1 to 1.5 days |
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| MDF skirting, per metre fitted | £18 to £40 |
| Softwood skirting, per metre fitted | £25 to £50 |
| Hardwood skirting, per metre fitted | £30 to £60 |
| Painting skirting, per metre | £5 to £10 |
| Carpenter, per hour | £25 to £40 |
MDF, softwood or hardwood?
MDF is the cheapest per metre (we estimate £15 to £20 for a 2.4m length); softwood costs a little more and hardwood the most. There's PVC skirting too: cheap, durable and easy to clean, but it can't be painted and is unforgiving on uneven walls. Profiles range from plain square and bullnose to ogee and grooved. I'd choose MDF for painted skirting in most rooms, and hardwood only where it'll be left natural to match a wood floor.
What the quote should include
A skirting quote from a carpenter usually covers the new boards, nails and glue, the fitting, and basic clearing up and disposal. Check these, which are often extra:
- taking off and disposing of the old skirting;
- any wall or floor preparation;
- painting;
- VAT, if the carpenter is registered.
A room with lots of corners or awkward cuts costs more than a simple rectangle.
Painting
Budget for painting: we estimate about £5 to £10 per metre for gloss including filling and making good, or by the hour from a decorator. Ask whether the fitter fills the nail holes and caulks the top edge, or whether that's left for the decorator. See decorating costs.
With new flooring
Skirting is often an extra on a new floor. If both are changing, I'd lay the new floor first and fit the skirting after, so it finishes neatly over the edge. See laminate and wood flooring.
Get skirting boards quotes
Skirting is priced per metre, by the profile and whether it's painted.
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Frequently asked questions
How much should it cost to fit skirting boards?
On our estimates, about £18 to £40 per metre in MDF, or £250 to £450 for a medium room with architraves.
How much does a carpenter charge to fit skirting boards?
About £25 to £40 an hour, or £250 to £320 a day, on our estimates.
How long does it take to fit skirting boards?
About 2 to 4 hours hours for a small room, 4 to 8 hours for a medium room and 1 to 1.5 days for a large one.
Is painting included?
Not always: ask. Painting skirting costs extra if the fitter doesn't do it.
How much does it cost to fit skirting boards around a house?
Price it room by room: on our estimates about £150 to £300 for a small room, £250 to £450 for a medium one and £350 to £700 for a large one, with the architraves. Two small rooms, four medium and one large, say, comes to about £1,650 to £3,100.
How we priced thisHow our estimates are made
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. This page relies on our own estimates and the trade price guides we compare against, which we don’t list. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
