Carpenters in Crawley, West Sussex
Skirting boards and architrave in Crawley: the finish a room deserves
New plaster, new floor or new doors, and now the trims let the room down. Say how many rooms and a local carpenter will call you back with a free quote.
- Skirting, architrave, window boards and door linings
- MDF, pine and oak in modern or traditional profiles
- Tight joints at every corner, scribed to uneven walls
- Free to ask, with typical UK prices by room size
The last five per cent that everyone notices
You have paid for plastering, a new floor and fresh paint. The room should look finished. But the skirting is chipped and thick with old gloss, there is a gap under it where the carpet used to be, and the joints at the corners have opened up.
It is a small thing, and your eye goes straight to it. Visitors' eyes do too.
New skirting and architrave frame a room the way a frame finishes a picture. It is the cheapest part of most makeovers and one of the most visible.
Three steps to a price
Say what needs doing
Put your name, number and area in the form, then describe the job in your own words. Rough sizes help, such as how many doors or how wide the alcove is.
Take a call from a local carpenter
A carpenter who works in your part of Crawley rings you at the time you picked. They ask a few questions and, for most jobs, arrange to come and measure up.
Decide in your own time
You get a price for the work. Ask for it in writing, compare it if you like, and only go ahead if you are happy. There is no charge for asking.
What second fix carpentry covers
Second fix is the trade name for the timber work done after the plasterer has gone. On most jobs it includes these.
- Skirting boards along the foot of each wall
- Architrave round each door frame, covering the join between frame and plaster
- Door linings and door stops, ready for the doors to be hung
- Window boards, the internal sills
- Loft hatches and their trims
- Pipe boxing, to hide pipework neatly
- Dado and picture rails where a room has them
It is common to have doors hung at the same visit. See door hanging in Crawley.
Typical price by room size
Pick the size of room to see the usual UK price range for new skirting and architrave. The figures come from the published guide named with them.
These are typical UK guide prices from the published guides named, not a quote. What you pay depends on your home: the sizes, the timber and fittings you choose, and what the carpenter finds once work begins.
Every guide price in one table
| Job | UK guide price |
|---|---|
| Skirting boards and architrave: Small roomReplacing skirting and architrave in a small room, such as a box room, with about 8 metres of wall. | £150 to £300 |
| Skirting boards and architrave: Medium roomReplacing skirting and architrave in a medium room, such as a bedroom or lounge, with about 15 metres of wall. | £250 to £450 |
| Skirting boards and architrave: Large roomReplacing skirting and architrave in a large room, such as an open-plan lounge, with about 20 metres of wall. | £350 to £700 |
These are typical UK guide prices from the published guides named, not a quote. What you pay depends on your home: the sizes, the timber and fittings you choose, and what the carpenter finds once work begins.
The published guides behind these figures
Choosing the material and the shape
MDF comes ready primed, is perfectly straight and takes paint well. It is the usual choice for a painted finish.
Pine can be painted or stained. It holds a screw better than MDF and copes better with knocks.
Oak is chosen where the wood is to be seen, often to match oak doors or flooring.
Then there is the profile, the shape along the top edge. Torus and ogee are the traditional curves. Chamfered and square-edged boards suit a modern room. Taller skirting suits rooms with higher ceilings. If you want to match what is already in the rest of the house, take a photo and a rough height and mention it in the form.
Why neat corners take skill
Rooms are never truly square. If a carpenter simply cut each board at 45 degrees, the inside corners would gape. So inside corners are scribed: one board runs into the corner, and the next is cut to the exact shape of its face so it sits tight against it. Outside corners are mitred and glued.
Walls bow as well. Long boards are pulled in with fixings and adhesive so the top edge follows the wall without waves. On a long wall, two lengths are joined with a sloping cut so the join all but vanishes once painted.
This is where the time goes, and where a rushed job shows.
Skirting in Crawley's homes
Houses from Crawley's new town decades were mostly built with plain, low skirting. Many owners take the chance to fit something a little taller when a room is replastered. In the older cottages around Ifield and Worth, deeper boards with a traditional profile look more at home.
If you are having a new floor laid, plan the skirting at the same time. Taking the old skirting off before the floor goes down, then fitting new on top, hides the gap at the edge without a strip of beading.
Carpentry services in Crawley
- Door hanging and repairsInternal and front doors hung, eased, repaired and re-framed.
- Fitted wardrobes and storageWardrobes, alcove shelves and cupboards built to fit the room.
- Kitchen fittingUnits, worktops, doors and trims fitted level and true.
- Staircases and banistersNew balustrades, handrails, spindles, treads and whole flights.
- Decking and garden carpentryTimber and composite decks, steps, fence panels and gates.
- Flooring and loft boardingLaminate and wood floors laid, floorboards fixed, lofts boarded.
- Carpentry repairs and small jobsFrames, floorboards, loose rails, boxing in and other small jobs.
Where in and around Crawley
Carpentry help for every part of Crawley and these places close by.
- Town centre, Northgate, West Green and Southgate
- Three Bridges
- Pound Hill and Worth
- Maidenbower
- Furnace Green and Tilgate
- Broadfield and Bewbush
- Gossops Green and Ifield
- Langley Green and Forge Wood
- Horley
- Copthorne and Crawley Down
- Pease Pottage and Handcross
- Charlwood and Rusper
- Horsham
- East Grinstead
Good to know first
- No charge and no strings. Sending the form is free. Nobody can make you accept a price, and you can say no at any point.
- Four boxes to fill in. Name, phone number, area and the job. You are not asked for an email or the number of your house.
- Every price shows its source. The figures on this site are typical UK guide prices taken from published cost guides, each one named and linked. They give you a feel for the job. They do not replace a quote for your own home.
- Your details stay with the job. They are used to get your carpentry sorted and for nothing else. They are never sold on.
Common questions
Should skirting go on before or after flooring?
For laminate and wood floors, after is neater, because the skirting covers the gap the floor needs at its edges. For carpet, skirting goes on first and the fitter tucks the carpet up to it. Tell the carpenter which floor you are having.
Can new skirting be fitted without damaging the walls?
Taking old skirting off can pull away some plaster, more so on older walls. A careful carpenter cuts the paint line first and levers the board off gently. Any small damage sits behind the new board, which is often taller than the old one.
Will it be painted when the carpenter leaves?
Usually not. MDF arrives primed, and the carpenter fills the fixing holes and joints. The top coats are normally left to you or your decorator. Check what the quote includes.
Finish the room you have already paid for
Skirting is far easier to fit before the carpet goes down and before the final coat of paint goes on the walls. Leave it until afterwards and you pay for touching up as well. If other trades are booked, get the carpenter in the diary first.
Say how many rooms and which part of Crawley. Asking costs nothing.