Good wooden floor trim is what makes a new floor look finished. Skirting hides the expansion gap at the wall, while scotia, quarter round, end caps, reducers, T-bars and stair nosing cover edges, steps and joins between different floors. Getting them wrong leaves gaps, lifting boards or a trip hazard at the doorway. Send one request and suppliers and fitters in your area quote you for the profiles you need, supplied or fitted. It is free and there is no obligation to accept any quote.
Skirting profiles and trim pieces
Each piece does a specific job:
- Skirting: a board along the base of the wall, in timber, MDF or PVC, usually 70 to 150 mm high.
- Scotia and quarter round: small curved beading that covers the gap between floor and existing skirting.
- End caps and reducers: finish a floor at a sliding door or step it down to a thinner floor.
- T-bars: bridge two floors of equal height, such as laminate meeting tiles.
- Stair nosing: a rounded edge on the front of a step that protects boards and gives grip.
Choosing material and finish
Primed MDF skirting is cheap and takes paint well, but it swells if it sits in water. Solid timber such as pine or meranti suits stained or oiled finishes and stands up to knocks. PVC works in damp rooms. Trims in aluminium or a timber veneer can match the colour of your floor. Ask for pieces long enough to avoid joints, and for the same finish as the boards where possible.
Fitting details that matter
Timber floors must be left a gap of about 10 to 15 mm at every wall so the boards can expand. Skirting or scotia hides that gap but must never pin the boards down. Fix trims to the wall or the slab, not through the floating floor. Check with the fitter where doors will clear, how corners are mitred, and whether threshold pieces will be glued or screwed. Many wall-to-wall jobs start with wooden floor installation or laminate flooring installation.
Comparing quotes for skirting and trims
Measure the wall length of each room, less the doorways, and add 10 percent for mitres. Count the thresholds, steps and sliding doors as well. Ask each supplier for the profile, height, material, finish and length of each piece, whether painting, nails and filler are included, and what the fitting charge is per metre. Skirting is priced by the metre, but trims are priced per piece.
What to include in your request
- Wall length of each room, in metres
- Skirting height, material and finish
- Thresholds, steps and sliding doors to trim
- Painted, stained or primed only
- Supply only, or supplied and fitted
Skirting and Floor Trims for different clients
- Homeowners: painted or stained skirting and doorway trims that finish the floor in each room
- Flats and townhouses: slim skirting and low-profile reducers that suit small rooms and thin acoustic floors
- Builders, developers and renovators: primed skirting by the metre fitted across a whole house once the floors are down
- Landlords and letting agents: hard-wearing painted skirting and simple trims that are quick to replace between tenants
- Offices, practices and showrooms: tidy, durable trims at doorways and edges to protect floors from trolleys and chairs
- Guesthouses, lodges and restaurants: solid timber skirting and stair nosing that match guest room and lobby floors
- Shops, salons and cafés: tough threshold strips and neat edging where shop floors meet entrance tiles
- Schools, halls, gyms and studios: durable timber or PVC skirting and nosing for halls, classrooms and stairs
Frequently asked questions
What trim do I need where laminate meets tiles?
Can I fit new skirting over old skirting?
How high should skirting be?
Do you supply or fit skirting?
Skirting and Floor Trims by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg