Skirting boards have always been one of those things I never ever questioned in a house. They’re in every room you go into, so constant you don’t often register them. It was only when we finished lime plastering our 300-year-old cottage guest room with incredibly wobbly walls that we realised that skirting boards just weren’t going to be an option.
So, we went about looking for alternatives to wood or plastic that wouldn’t look out of place alongside engineered wood flooring in a cosy cottage guest bedroom.
After looking into the different options, including tile, plaster or a completely bare wall, we’ve installed a bit of a rogue choice - rope! I know it sounds awful, but it honestly looks really good.
Why do most houses use skirting boards?
Traditionally, skirting boards perform two functions. One, it allows ground floor rooms to have a moisture gap between the floor and the plaster itself and two, it hides the often ugly joint between plaster and the floor.
‘Skirting boards became popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, when they became an important part of home design,’ begins Natalia de Arteaga, an Interior Designer at Planner 5D. ‘In older houses, they were not only practical but also decorative. Their detailed and elegant designs helped make rooms look more beautiful and gave spaces better proportions.'
A bedroom with tradition skirting board
‘Today, skirting boards are still an important part of interior design. They create a clean transition between the floor and the wall while also protecting the lower part of the walls from bumps, scratches, and everyday wear,' she adds.
‘In many of my own homes, I think of the skirting as the 'red thread' that runs throughout a home,’ adds Interior Designer Wendy Morrison. ‘It is one of the few elements that can remain consistent from room to room, quietly connecting different spaces into a cohesive whole.’
If I’m honest, I kind of dislike the look of skirting boards in general and definitely resent the price and the effort to install them - and I don't think I'm the only one! More modern alternatives to skirting boards have seen the rise of shadow gaps, whereby a layer of plaster boards is fitted a centimetre or so off the ground and skimmed for a contemporary finish. Unfortunately, the added cost for materials and labour for this style means it is out of the picture for many, including me, and it just wouldn't be possible with the cosy aesthetic I was going for.
‘I do believe every home should respect its architectural story rather than follow trends. The finish will be much more authentic,’ continues Wendy Morrison. ‘Georgian homes often suit taller, more decorative skirting because that's how they were originally proportioned, while Victorian interiors frequently feature deeper profiles with richer detailing. In cottages, simplicity often feels more real.’
Why couldn’t we use normal skirting boards?
After removing the damp-creating concrete render from our stone walls, I replastered using an insulated lime and a fine finishing plaster. I love wibbly-wobbly cottages, so I followed the stones’ form fairly closely, only building up mass where I really needed to. The result looks soft and lived-in, but the only truly straight, flat wall in the room is a stud wall we built.
'I would say imperfection is one of the greatest luxuries in an old home,' says Wendy Morrison. 'Crooked walls, uneven floors and centuries of movement tell a story that no new build can replicate. Rather than trying to straighten every line, I prefer to work with the character, using natural materials and craftsmanship to celebrate its individuality.'
Once the engineered wood flooring was down and scribed to the wall, we really took in just how distorted any skirting would have to be to fit and even then it wouldn’t look great.
What have we used instead?
Traditionally, old workers’ cottages like ours would not have had the wall panelling that grander houses of the Jacobians and Tudors used before skirting. The lime plaster would have reached the flagstone floor, and any board would have wicked up the moisture and created damp.
While there are some fantastic design alternatives to wooden boards, including tile, wainscoting and plaster-made skirting, we liked the idea of representing the cottage’s humble origins and leaving the lime plaster going all the way to the floor.
‘Plaster skirting boards are made directly on site, so they can be shaped to fit perfectly between the wall and the floor, or even between the wall and the ceiling,’ explains Natalia de Arteaga. ‘They can also be customised with almost any profile or design, making them a great choice for traditional or historic homes.’
That being said, our flooring needs an expansion gap between the wall and the edge. Our solution to this is using a mid-sized rope. Rope is often used in conservation projects such as ours and allows for the joins between flooring and wall to be more visually appealing.
Now, bear with me. We haven’t gone for a fully nautical-themed room, completely with blue and white stripes and a porthole so it doesn’t look all that twee. In fact, I went for a deliberately fun colour - Naples Yellow by Edward Bulmer - to counter the heritage look.
Natalia adds: ‘This is one of the most affordable and creative options. Because it's flexible, it can easily follow walls that aren't perfectly straight. It also adds a warm, natural, and rustic feel to a space.’
18m of jute rope at a 20mm thickness cost us £38, which is a fraction of what it would have cost to board with MDF (plus priming, painting and installing) and took about 10 minutes to fix into place. At the moment we have just have it snug in the gaps between the wall and the floor, but if we find it lift in time, we will fix with fittings to secure it down.
What is the verdict now the room is complete?
While I think the rope trim looks really effective in this room, I’m not sure I’m going to continue it elsewhere in the cottage. This room was by far the most wibby-wobbly in its walls, and we’re not using engineered wood - and therefore no expansion gap - anywhere else.
‘Skirting boards may seem like a small detail, but they can completely change the look and feel of a room. Their height, thickness, material, and design all have an impact on how a space looks,’ says Natalia de Arteaga. ‘That's why it's important to choose skirting boards that fit the style of your home. When they're chosen well, they don't look like something that was added later, they feel like they belong and help tie the whole design together.’
‘I would be inclined to retain skirting where possible, even in an old cottage,’ argues Wendy Morrison. ‘The profile doesn't need to be elaborate, but I see skirting as an important architectural element that grounds a room and creates continuity throughout a home.
‘Alternative materials can work beautifully in older homes where walls and floors have settled over time, but they should always feel sympathetic to the building's character.
‘For me, the most successful period homes are those where every detail feels intentional. If you're introducing an unconventional alternative to traditional skirting, it should enhance the architecture rather than become a novelty. Natural materials tend to age more gracefully and allow the character of the building to remain the focus.’
While this look worked for my lime-plastered spare room, it has not persuaded me to give up on skirting boards completely.