White skirting boards - do they need to be painted?

White skirting boards are a finishing element that is both good-looking and practical. They neatly conceal the expansion gaps left when the floor is laid, while models with a special profile hide household services, cables and electrical wiring perfectly. Thanks to them, our interior looks attractive and beautifully finished down to the smallest detail.

There are plenty of skirting board options on the market today, including unusual shapes, but what sits on the shelves of DIY stores most often comes in a standard shade of white. That is no problem if you have gone for minimalism and light colours in your interior, but what if you want to match the colour of the skirting boards to the wall? Simply paint them! How do you go about it, and do the original white skirting boards really need painting, even if you want to keep their pristine white shade? You will find the answer in our article. Enjoy the read!

Painting skirting boards

There are many options on today's market: MDF, solid wood or plastic skirting boards. Wooden skirting boards are usually bought so that they can be matched exactly to the colour of the floor. Changing the colour completely is very difficult, and the result of painting may be disappointing. In that case it is better to use products designed for wood and to preserve their original appearance - using a wood stain to refresh the colour and then a varnish to protect the finish.

MDF skirting boards are found in many popular DIY stores. These skirting boards must be properly prepared before painting - covered with a coat of primer or sanded with sandpaper to improve paint adhesion. The surface is then covered with paint and, once the paint has dried, the operation has to be repeated several times until coverage is perfect.

There are many plastic skirting boards on the market. In this article we focus on polymer skirting boards. Mardom Decor white skirting boards are made from polyforce, a high-quality plastic that is resistant to water and UV rays. The skirting boards are ready to be painted as soon as you buy them, with no additional treatment required. Their surface is covered with a special primer, which makes the paint easier to spread and improves pigment adhesion. That means you can paint white skirting boards any colour you like and achieve an intense shade with perfect durability.

What should you use to paint Mardom Decor skirting boards?

To paint Mardom Decor skirting boards you can use paint in any colour. Remember to use a water-based product such as acrylic, vinyl or latex paint. Solvent-based paints are not recommended.

How do you paint white skirting boards?

Skirting boards can be painted once they have been fitted to the wall. The installation must be firm and dry. We recommend waiting for the drying time specified by the manufacturer after fitting, so that you can be sure the products are ready to be handled.

Painting skirting boards should begin with carefully protecting the floor with paper or plastic sheeting. It is also advisable to mask the walls with masking tape just above the paint line of the skirting boards. Only a room prepared in this way is ready for painting. Mardom Decor skirting boards do not need to be covered with a coat of primer - that job is already done by the special primer applied to the skirting boards during manufacture.

You can use either a roller or a brush to paint skirting boards. The choice of tool depends on the fitter's preferences and skill. In our experience, however, a fine-structure foam roller is the tool most often chosen. A badly handled brush can leave visible marks, while an overly porous sponge can create an unwanted grainy effect on the surface of the skirting boards.

Painting ornamental skirting boards, unconventional shapes or deep grooves may look complicated. A brush with soft synthetic bristles is all you need, however. Stiff natural bristles can leave marks and shed hairs while you paint.

Another method is spray painting. It is by far the fastest method and gives the best visual results, but it does call for a little practice and some extra equipment.

A single coat of paint should already cover the material, but if you want to achieve a specific colour and hide any imperfections, we recommend painting the skirting boards twice. After each coat you need to wait around 8 hours for the material to dry completely, although we recommend following the time stated by the paint manufacturer.

It is worth choosing high-quality paints from reputable manufacturers. When selecting the product it is also worth looking at additional properties such as washability. Skirting boards covered with washable paint will be far more resistant to wet cleaning than those covered with standard paint.

Mardom Decor white skirting boards

Being able to paint the skirting boards yourself is without doubt an advantage of Mardom Decor products. It lets you choose the shade freely - to match the wall or the ceiling, or even to create a contrast for an avant-garde effect