Should I fit the flooring before or after the skirting?

The sequence changes how the expansion gap is covered, how much cutting there is, and whether you end up with beading — and it depends on whether the skirting is already there.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 20 min
Read: 4 min

Short answer

If the skirting is coming off anyway, lay the floor first and fit the skirting down onto it: the skirting covers the expansion gap and there is no beading. If the skirting is staying, the floor goes in around it and the gap is covered with scotia beading pinned to the skirting — never through the floor.

This is really a question about how the expansion gap gets hidden. A floating floor must have a gap all round, that gap must stay empty, and something has to cover it. Whichever of skirting or beading does that job determines the order of work.

A floating floor in section — what each layer does, and where the skirting sits

Step by step

Decide whether the skirting is staying or going.New skirting, or skirting that is coming off for decorating anyway, means you have the free choice. Existing skirting that is staying makes the decision for you.
If the skirting is coming off: floor first.Lay the floor with its expansion gap to the wall, then fit the skirting down onto the floor. The skirting hides the gap, there is no beading, and the finish is the cleanest available.
Leave a whisker of clearance under the skirting.The skirting should not clamp the floor to the subfloor. It sits down onto the boards, or just above them, so the floor can still slide underneath as it moves.
Never nail or screw skirting through the flooring.Fix into the wall — masonry or studs — not down through the boards. A fixing through the floor pins the raft and removes the expansion allowance at that point.
If the skirting is staying: floor up to it, then beading.Lay the floor with the expansion gap against the skirting face, then pin scotia or quadrant beading to the skirting to cover the gap.
Pin beading to the skirting only.The beading's job is to hide a moving gap. Pinned into the floor it becomes another pinch point, and it is one of the more common causes of a floor that lifts.
Consider the third option: remove, lay, refit.Taking existing skirting off carefully, laying the floor and refitting the same skirting gives the beading-free look without buying new skirting. It usually needs some redecoration afterwards.
Think about door frames and architrave at the same time.Whatever the skirting decision, frames want undercutting so the floor runs beneath them. Architrave is normally cut at the same height.
Check the skirting height against radiator pipes and sockets.Raising the floor level effectively lowers the skirting relative to pipes coming up through it, and any low socket. Worth checking before committing.

Tips

Fitting skirting after the floor makes scribing to the floor easy, because the floor is flat and continuous.
If you dislike the look of beading — and many people do — that alone is a good reason to take the skirting off.
Carpet is the exception: gripper rods sit against the skirting and the carpet tucks between rod and skirting, so the skirting goes on first.
If you refit the original skirting, number the lengths as you take them off. They were cut to those walls.

Common mistakes

Fixing the beading or skirting down through the floating floor — It anchors the raft at that point. Everything expanding towards the fixing has nowhere to go, so the floor lifts in the middle of the room or buckles at a doorway. This single nail is one of the most common causes of a failed floating floor.
Filling the expansion gap with sealant or filler — A filled gap is not an expansion gap. Rigid filler transmits the movement straight into the wall, and even flexible sealant can be stiff enough to matter over a long run.
Clamping the floor under a tight skirting — If the skirting is pressed hard down onto the boards, friction stops the floor sliding. The point of fitting skirting after is that it covers the gap without gripping the floor.

If it doesn't work

Floor lifted in the middle of the room

Cause: Pinned at the perimeter, or no expansion gap — Fix: Release the perimeter — remove beading fixings that go into the floor, and trim the gap back where the boards are touching walls or frames.

Gap visible under the skirting after laying

Cause: Skirting fitted before the floor and now sitting above it — Fix: Beading is the pragmatic answer; alternatively take the skirting off and refit it lower onto the new floor.

Skirting damaged when laying the floor

Cause: Tapping block or pull bar working against the skirting face — Fix: Protect the skirting with card or an offcut while laying, and use a pull bar with a soft face at the last row.

Questions people ask

Is beading a bodge?

No — it is a perfectly standard detail and in some situations, such as a floor laid without disturbing decorated skirting, it is the right answer. It is simply more visible than a skirting that sits on the floor, so people who care about the look tend to take the skirting off.

What if the skirting has to stay for a listed or period reason?

Then beading, and choose a profile that suits the skirting — a scotia in a matching timber and finish, or a very small quadrant, rather than a plastic strip in the wrong colour.

What about tiles?

Same principle in reverse: the tile goes down first with a perimeter movement gap, and the skirting is fitted onto the tiled floor and covers the gap. Tiling up to existing skirting leaves an awkward joint that has to be sealed.