Tools Needed:

• Hand Saw
• Coping Saw
• Sandpaper
• Mitre Saw/Mitre Block
• Pencil

Step 1: Cut The Skirting To Size

So you have the piece of skirting that you need to scribe in order to fit it snugly into the corner up against the piece you've already installed. 

We would recommend roughly cutting this length to size. This will make the length more manageable and easier to manoeuvre. But you don't want to cut it perfectly to size at this point as you'll be scribing one end and may end up needing to cut more away if you make any mistakes. 

A safe bet is to add approximately 100mm (10cm) to the final measurement to allow for mistakes. 

You can easily cut it to the perfect size once you're happy with the scribe joint.

Step 2: Cut A Back Mitre

A mitre you say? Don't worry, we're definitely going to be scribing! 

For our easy to follow method, you'll want to mitre the end you're planning to scribe as if you were mitring it for an internal corner. This will be a mitre in the direction across the face of the skirting like in the image below.

Doing this will make it much easier to get a great fitting scribe.

Step 3: Mark The Edge

This is an optional step. 

Using a pencil, mark the edge of the profile all the way from the detail to the bottom of the skirting. By edge, we mean where the face of the skirting meets the face of the mitre. 

Doing this will make cutting the scribe a little easier as the line you need to follow will be much clearer. 

If the skirting board is already primed, this will also make the scribing easier as it's easy to distinguish the line between the primed face and the unprimed mitred face.

Step 4: Cut The Straight Edge

Before we touch the detailed section of the board, we'll tackle the simpler straight edge. 

You'll want to cut from the bottom of the skirting all the way up to exactly where the design starts.

Use a normal hand saw for this section and rather than cutting straight, angle the saw in behind the face of the skirting. Doing this will create a back cut and allow more movement when fitting the scribed skirting into place.

Step 5: Cut The Profiled Edge

Now you can switch to a coping saw which makes it much easier to change the direction of cutting - perfect for following the curves and intricate detailing of some skirting boards. 

It's easier to start cutting from the top of the skirting (opposite to where you started with the straight edge) and head down the design.

As you reach tight turns, feel free to cut away any excess material to allow more free movement of the saw as you proceed. 

Remember to keep cutting at a slight angle as you did in step 4.

Step 6: Sand The Edge

A quick light sanding of the edge will remove any loose or jagged edges to allow the skirting to fit snugly against the other piece.

Take it easy here as you don't want to alter the edge in any way.

Step 7. Dry Fit The Skirting Board

Now you simply need to push the skirting board into position and check the fit! 

If you've managed to nail it first go, you'll have ended up with a perfect fit. If this is the case, you can simply cut the board to the correct length (remember how we left it slightly over in step 1) and secure it into position. 

If you haven't managed to achieve the desired fit the first time around (don't worry, we've all been there!), now's your chance to amend the cut before fixing the board into place.

Scribe Or Mitre?

What Is A Scribe?