Yes — installing skirting board is one of the more approachable DIY joinery tasks for NZ homeowners. It doesn't involve restricted building work, requires no building consent, and with the right tools and a bit of care, you can achieve a clean, professional-looking result. That said, tricky rooms with lots of corners, uneven walls, or heritage profiles can test your patience, so knowing when to call in a professional joiner is just as important as knowing when to go it alone.
What You'll Need
Before you start, gather the following:
- Skirting board — available in timber (pine, MDF, or hardwood) from Mitre 10, Bunnings, or PlaceMakers. MDF is popular for painted finishes; solid timber suits stained or oiled looks.
- Mitre saw or drop saw — essential for accurate angle cuts
- Coping saw or jigsaw — for coped internal corners (more on this below)
- Tape measure and pencil
- Nail gun or hammer and lost-head nails (50–65 mm is typical)
- Adhesive — a flexible construction adhesive such as those from Sika helps bond boards to uneven walls
- Stud finder
- Sanding block and filler
- Paintable acrylic caulk for gaps
- Safety glasses and hearing protection
Measuring and Planning
Measure each wall carefully and add around 10% extra to your total length to allow for waste from cuts. Sketch a simple floor plan and mark which walls are longest — these get cut square at both ends and run first. Shorter walls butt or cope into them.
Tip: Always measure at floor level, not at the top of the existing skirting, as floors can be out of level.
Cutting Corners: Mitres vs. Coping
This is where most DIYers hit their first challenge.
External corners
Use a 45° mitre cut on each board so they meet neatly at the corner. If your walls aren't perfectly square (common in older NZ homes), adjust the angle slightly — a digital angle finder helps here.
Internal corners
Professional joiners typically cope internal corners rather than mitre them. Coping means cutting one board square to the wall, then scribing and cutting the second board's profile to sit over the face of the first. It looks better and handles wall movement over time. It takes practice, but there are plenty of good video tutorials online to guide you through the technique.
Fixing the Skirting
- Locate your wall studs with a stud finder and mark them lightly in pencil above where the skirting will sit.
- Apply a bead of flexible construction adhesive to the back of the board, especially if the wall is uneven.
- Hold the board in position and nail through into studs where possible. On timber-framed walls (the most common NZ construction type under NZS 3604), studs are typically spaced at 400 mm or 600 mm centres.
- On concrete or masonry walls, use construction adhesive as the primary fix, with masonry nails or plugs and screws as needed.
- Punch nail heads just below the surface and fill with a fine filler before painting.
Finishing Up
Once all boards are fixed, run a thin bead of paintable acrylic caulk along the top edge where the skirting meets the wall, and along the bottom edge if there's a gap to the floor. Smooth it with a damp finger. This hides any small gaps and gives a crisp, finished line.
Prime and paint MDF skirting before and after installation for the best result — MDF is thirsty and needs a good primer coat. Resene and Dulux both offer suitable interior trim primers and paints.
A Note on Removing Old Skirting
If you're replacing existing skirting, use a wide, flat pry bar and work slowly to avoid damaging the GIB plasterboard behind it. Score the paint line with a utility knife first to prevent tearing the wall surface. Check out GIB's guidance if you're concerned about wall lining damage during removal.
Building Consent and Restricted Work
Fitting or replacing skirting board is not restricted building work and does not require a building consent — it's a straightforward finishing task. However, if your skirting removal or installation uncovers any electrical wiring, stop work immediately. Any alterations to wiring must be carried out by a registered electrician under the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) rules. Similarly, if you discover plumbing pipes, contact a licensed plumber registered with the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB).
When to Call a Professional
Consider hiring a qualified joiner if:
- Your home has complex or heritage profiles that are hard to source or replicate
- You have many rooms or a large area to cover and want a fast, flawless finish
- Walls and floors are significantly out of square or level, requiring scribing and custom fitting
- You're working in a rental property and need the job done to a professional standard — note that Healthy Homes standards relate to heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and draught stopping, and drainage, not skirting boards specifically — see Tenancy Services for landlord obligations
- You simply don't have the tools or confidence to get the result you want
A skilled local joiner will work quickly, waste less material, and deliver tight, clean joints. You can find qualified joiners in your area right here on tradedirectory.co.nz.
