Are There Alternatives To Skirting Boards?

What Can You Use Instead Of Skirting Boards?

If you're dead set on doing things differently or want to fit an alternative space such as a Garden or Mobile Home, there are a few skirting board alternatives. From lattice boards and foam boards to metal skirting and lattice skirting.

We’re going to breakdown the best skirting board alternatives below.

Use A Shadow Gap

This option is a complete skirting board alternative, which removes the need for skirting boards altogether. 

Extremely popular in modern and minimalistic settings, shadow gaps (sometimes referred to as a shadow lines) are simply small, recessed gaps at the bottom of a wall.

It's worth noting that this option is also one of the most difficult to pull off and requires a lot of planning and attention to detail. For these reasons, they are typically installed in new builds or full renovations.

You cannot cut corners when fitting shadow gaps, this method requires meticulous craftsmanship to achieve a showroom finish.

There are shadow gap profiles that can be purchased to aid the creation of the line around the bottom of the room. They are fitted between the floor and the plasterboard producing the shadow gap straight away.

These can be used to house LED lighting strips which give a super modern look, especially on an evening.

You can achieve a similar effect by using a skirting board with a rebate. Simply having it located at the bottom of the front of the skirting would give the illusion of a shadow gap. As standard, rebates are located on the back, but we can change the location without any issues. Skirting with a rebate is very versatile, it can be installed in every room and even on your stairs

Use Beading Instead Of Skirting

Using beading as a skirting board alternative is an option if you really can't stand the thought of having skirting boards around your home.

They will bridge the gap between the floor and the wall just like skirting does but in a much smaller form. Aesthetically, beading will be much less prominent and minimalistic than skirting boards.

You've likely seen beading used alongside skirting. Some people use them to add further detailing to the lower part of the wall or even cover expansion gaps where the flooring has been installed up to the skirting rather than underneath it.

If you are thinking about using beading as a skirting board alternative, we would strongly advise just using a small skirting board instead. At least with the skirting, you will have some form of protection at the bottom of the walls to protect against bumps and scrapes where beading just wouldn't be sufficient.

Could Tiling Be An Option?

Bathrooms and kitchens are the two main areas in a home where tiles will be used as flooring. In these scenarios, you could use tiles along the bottom as a skirting board alternative.

This often works well for several reasons including:

• Appearance - the same tiles used on the floor can be used as skirting keeping everything uniform.
• Waterproof - most tiles, especially those used in bathrooms, are waterproof. On top of this, the sealant used around the tiles is also waterproof, so this is a sure-fire way to make the room water tight at floor level

Metal Skirting Panels

If your skirting board alternatives need to be a little more robust and durable for a mobile home or a commercial environment, consider metal and galvanized skirting. Metal skirting is available in various finishes and can be a versatile option for many settings. They are also easier to clean and extremely durable which makes them perfect for sanitary environments and areas with high foot traffic.

Metal skirting can also offer a modern high-tech aesthetic and streamlined look as they can be shaped around corners, as opposed to being cut.

FAQ

Can You Have No Skirting Boards?

It is possible to have a home without skirting boards. However, this is normally all done during the building of a new home as it can be accounted for during design and planning. That's not to say you can't get away with not having skirting boards in your older style home, but it does take more work. It requires much more upkeep to keep the walls looking fresh and you'd need to be much more careful doing everyday tasks such as hoovering and mopping. To have the true bare wall look, a small expansion gap would still be left between the wall and flooring (in the case of wooden and laminate flooring) and the gap filled with a flexible filler / sealant. As we mentioned before, an option is to install a shadow gap if you're dead set on having a skirting free home.

Is Skirting Board Necessary?

Since this post is about having something other than skirting boards, we know you don't want to hear that they're practical and almost a requirement within the home. However, this is exactly the case. They really are a necessary part of almost every home. They protect the walls, cover expansion gaps and provide a finishing touch to the room..

Do Modern Houses Have Skirting Boards?

A lot of modern homes still have skirting boards. Detailed skirting is often thought of as traditional. However, the market today has changed and more and more modern style skirting boards are being introduced. Simple designs like Bullnose and 15mm Grooved could easily fall under the modern bracket due to their simplicity. So yes, modern houses do have skirting boards in the majority of cases.

Skirting Boards Are Key

As our bread and butter, it makes sense for us to shout from the rooftops about how you must buy skirting boards and use them in your home.

But we know everyone's tastes are different and we love to help where we can.

We explained some alternative options for you but first, we want to make sure you understand why skirting is such an important fixture in the home.

A skirting board is a vital part of most rooms within a home, even though they are often overlooked when it comes to the style.

They serve the purpose of covering expansion gaps between wooden, laminate and other hard flooring and the wall as well as preventing damage to the bottom section of walls.

A lot of the big DIY stores stock simple designs but are often more expensive than choosing a more decorative skirting board from the likes of ourselves. We also use higher quality materials, offer longer lengths, superior finishes and deliver for free!

Lee Watkinson

Digital Marketing Director at Skirting World with 10 years of experience in Home Interiors & Manufacturing.