Skirting Board Fitting Cost London
Published 16 October 2026 · 8 minute read · London Handyman Pro
Skirting board fitting cost in London runs £25 to £45 per linear metre supplied and fitted, or about £800 per day if you are paying for labour only and supplying the boards yourself. A standard single room, around 12 to 16 metres of run, typically lands at £800 to £1,200 and is finished in a day. Architrave, dado rails and coving can go in on the same visit for a lower combined price than booking separate trades. Final cost depends on profile, material and how uneven the existing walls are. Every job is different, so please contact us for an exact quote.
On this page
- Skirting board fitting cost breakdown
- Skirting board fitting cost per metre
- What affects the cost of skirting board installation
- Labour cost vs supply and fit cost
- MDF, softwood or hardwood: which changes the skirting fitting cost
- How the job works
- Areas we cover
- Frequently asked questions
Skirting board fitting cost breakdown
The number that matters most is the per-metre, supplied-and-fitted price, because most London rooms are quoted that way rather than by the hour. Here is what we charge across the jobs we quote most often, prices unchanged from our standard 2026 rate card.
| Job | Typical London price | Guide time |
|---|---|---|
| Skirting board (per linear metre) | £25-£45 | – |
| Standard room re-skirt | £800-£1,200 | 1 day |
| Architrave around a door | £100-£150 | 1-2 hrs |
| Dado / picture rail (per metre) | £20-£40 | – |
| Coving (per metre) | £20-£45 | – |
| Remove old skirting | from £100 | – |
Indicative 2026 London prices, supplied and fitted. We confirm the exact figure after a free assessment, because wall condition changes the labour time more than most people expect.
Skirting board fitting cost per metre
Per metre is the fairest way to price this job because the material cost scales directly with the length of the run, while the labour per metre barely changes whether you have 8 metres or 20. A simple MDF square-edge profile in a flat-walled new build flat in Canary Wharf sits at the bottom of the £25-£45 range. A taller period-style ogee profile scribed into the bowed Victorian walls you get in a Dulwich or Islington terrace sits at the top of it, or slightly above if the walls are badly out of true. We quote per metre after measuring on site rather than over the phone, because a phone estimate on skirting is almost always wrong by the time we see the actual corners.
What affects the cost of skirting board installation
Four things move the price more than anything else: profile height, material, wall condition and how much old trim has to come out first. A tall traditional profile in hardwood with external mitres on a bay window costs more per metre than a plain modern square-edge in MDF on a straight internal wall. Removing old skirting that has been nailed and painted over multiple times, common in older Victorian and Edwardian houses across Clapham, Battersea and Fulham, adds the from-£100 removal charge before the new boards even go up.
Scribing is the hidden cost driver nobody mentions until the quote arrives. Properties in Hampstead, Highgate and Primrose Hill tend to have original Victorian plasterwork and floors that have moved over a century, so the carpenter has to scribe each board to follow the actual wall line rather than just cutting it square. That takes longer than a straight cut, and it is the difference between skirting that sits flush with no gap and skirting that needs a bead of filler running its whole length to hide a 5mm gap.
Labour cost vs supply and fit cost
If you already own the skirting, labour alone runs about £800 per day, which usually covers one room including cutting, scribing, fixing and filling. Supply and fit folds the material cost into the per-metre price instead, which is simpler to budget against and is what most clients in Chelsea, Kensington and Wimbledon choose, since it means one fixed number rather than a day rate plus a separate materials invoice. We will quote either way. If you are ordering boards yourself, tell us the profile and we will confirm quantities so you do not under-order and end up with a mismatched batch halfway through the room.
MDF, softwood or hardwood: which changes the skirting fitting cost
MDF is the cheapest and most common choice for painted skirting because it does not move with humidity and takes paint cleanly, which is why most of the £25-£45 jobs we quote are MDF. Softwood costs a little more and is worth it where the skirting will see knocks, hallways and stair runs for example. Hardwood, usually chosen to match existing period joinery in a Belgravia or Marylebone property, sits at the top of the range per metre and is the right call only where the existing trim is already hardwood and a mismatch would be obvious.
How the job works
A re-skirt follows the same four steps whether it is one room or a whole flat.
- Measure and quote. We measure the run, agree profile and material and give a per-metre or per-room fixed price.
- Remove old trim. Old skirting and architrave come out carefully, with the from-£100 charge applying if removal is involved.
- Cut and fit. Boards are scribed, mitred and fixed flush to the wall and floor.
- Fill and finish. Nail holes are filled, the top edge is caulked, and the run is left paint-ready.
Timing matters more than people think. If new flooring is going in, the skirting should go in after it, so the board sits neatly over the flooring edge instead of leaving a gap that needs covering with quadrant beading. We coordinate this directly with our flooring team when both jobs are booked together. The same logic applies after fresh plastering, our plastering services in London team will flag when a room is ready for skirting rather than leaving it to guesswork.
If you are finishing a room properly, dado rails and picture rails often go up at the same visit as the skirting, since the carpenter and the scaffold of trim knowledge is already on site. If you only need a few shelves and pictures hung rather than a full trim job, that is a smaller call-out, covered separately on our shelving and picture hanging page. And if skirting is one job on a longer list for a flat refresh, it is usually cheaper booked as part of a wider visit, see our property maintenance in London service for how that works.
The most expensive mistake: ordering skirting before the room is measured on site. Phone and online estimates based on floor plan dimensions routinely miss door reveals, bay windows and external corners, so clients end up with 2 to 3 metres short or an awkward profile mismatch on the last wall. That means a second delivery, a delayed job and sometimes a visible join where the batches do not quite match in colour or profile depth. Always get boards measured and ordered after the carpenter has walked the room.
Areas we cover
We fit skirting board across every London borough, from central flats to suburban houses. Jobs we quote most often sit in Chelsea, Kensington, Wimbledon, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Belgravia, Notting Hill, Holland Park, Fulham, Hampstead, Richmond, Marylebone, St John’s Wood, Battersea, Clapham, Putney, Islington, Highgate, Primrose Hill, Barnes, Dulwich, Canary Wharf, Kew and South Kensington, plus everywhere in between. Period properties in Barnes, Kew and Richmond tend to need more scribing because of older floor and wall lines, while newer builds around Canary Wharf and Battersea are usually a faster, straighter job. Tell us your postcode and we will give you a fixed per-metre price before anyone picks up a saw.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fit skirting boards in London?
Skirting board fitting in London costs £25 to £45 per linear metre supplied and fitted, so a standard room usually comes to £800 to £1,200 once labour for the day is included. Labour alone, if you supply the boards, runs about £800 per day. Architrave, dado rails and coving can be fitted on the same visit for a combined saving over booking them separately.
What is the skirting board fitting cost per metre?
Per metre, supplied and fitted, skirting board fitting sits at £25 to £45 in London. Plain MDF square-edge profiles on straight walls are at the lower end. Taller or traditional profiles, hardwood, and boards that need heavy scribing into uneven period walls push the price toward the top of that range.
Is the cost of skirting board installation different for a whole flat versus one room?
Per metre the rate does not change much, but the total obviously scales with the number of rooms. Whole-flat re-skirts are usually quoted at a day rate across multiple days rather than per room, because there is less setup and down time repeated for each space, which can bring the effective cost per metre down slightly on larger jobs.
Do you supply the skirting or do I?
Either works. We can supply skirting, architrave and coving in your chosen profile and material, or fit boards you have already bought. If you are supplying your own, tell us the profile and room dimensions beforehand and we will confirm the quantity so you order enough, including a margin for mitres and waste.
Can you match my existing skirting profile?
In most cases yes. We identify the existing profile, whether that is square-edge, ogee, torus or a less common period moulding, and source a matching board so old and new runs look consistent. This matters most when extending a room or repairing a section rather than replacing the whole run.
Do you fit skirting after new flooring?
Yes, and it is usually the right order. Fitting skirting after the floor means the board sits neatly over the flooring edge rather than leaving a gap that needs covering separately. We coordinate timing with our flooring team so the skirting goes in once the floor is down and settled.
Will the skirting be ready to paint?
Yes. Nail holes are filled, the top edge is caulked against the wall, and the run is left paint-ready as standard. We can also arrange for our decorators to prime and paint the skirting as part of the same job if you want it fully finished rather than just ready to go.
What is the skirting fitting cost if I just need odd repairs rather than a full room?
Small repairs, a cracked section, a gap left by a radiator move, or a short run after a door was widened, are usually quoted as a call-out rather than per metre, since the setup time is similar whether the run is 1 metre or 5. For jobs this small alongside other fixes around the home, see our small jobs and odd job handyman service, which covers exactly this kind of one-off repair.
Get a fixed price for skirting board fitting anywhere in London. Call 0800 102 6422 or request a free quote, fully insured carpenters, same-week availability in most areas.