How to cut a ceiling baseboard with a wire cutter

How to cut a ceiling plinth: work with or without a tool

Any repair requires attention to the smallest detail. On how well the finish is made, depends on the appearance of the room and its overall perception. To a greater extent, this applies to the ceilings, which in most cases are not perfect, so to hide all the imperfections (their and the walls), many owners use ceiling plinths, which give the rooms completeness. If the installation of baguettes in straight areas is not particularly difficult, then the joints of the elements in the corners require maximum accuracy. That is why many owners, who are planning or have already begun repairs, are interested in how to cut the ceiling plinth, and what tools can be used for this stage of work.

The answer to the question of how to cut the ceiling plinth, depends on the material it is made of. Cutting is different, because the baguettes have different density. So the first thing to consider is the most popular materials, and at the same time the peculiarities of their cutting.

Styrofoam

Such products have the lowest price, because the material is very unstable to mechanical influences. Foam is easy to scratch, damaged by accidental impact. Pros. minimum weight, which simplifies gluing, easy processing, the ability to paint in any color.

This foam material consists of small granules, which are quite easy to separate from each other. However, they are the main disadvantage of such baguettes. They require a very sharp tool. Otherwise, the plinth can crumble, so it will be unsuitable for installation. This is true both for angular and straight cuts.

Styrofoam

This contender is more expensive, but it does not differ from the first candidate very much, because it is a “relative” of Styrofoam: it is produced from expanded polystyrene. This material also consists of small granules-bubbles, but they adjoin to each other more densely. But Styrofoam will not tolerate a blade that is not too sharp, it will also crumble. Therefore, the master needs to prepare no less than a sharp instrument.

The main advantage of foam and polystyrene foam is their softness, which allows you to avoid gaps by pressing the workpieces tightly to each other and to the corners.

Extruded polystyrene foam

EPPS is produced from the same raw materials as conventional polystyrene foam, but in this case using a different, more sophisticated technology. Conventional EPS is made with steam, which is passed through the microgranules.

To obtain the extruded polystyrene foam, the particles are mixed at high temperature and pressure, and then foaming agent is added to the raw material. The size of the granules in this material is much smaller (maximum 0,2 mm), as a result it is less crumbly and more durable. Very sharp tool for its cutting is not required, but bluntness of the cutting edge is also not welcomed.

Polyvinyl chloride

Plastic skirting boards (PVC) is another type of ceiling products. They are usually purchased for finishing bathrooms. If we consider the topic “How to cut a ceiling plinth”, in this case they are exceptions, because they use special, ready-made corners to dock them.

In general, these baguettes can be cut with a box cutter, a metal hacksaw or a sharp kitchen tool. Since PVC products do not restore their shape due to their lack of elasticity, it is not recommended that they be pressed hard when cut.

Polyurethane

This is another representative of polymer products. It has a high density and lacks the disadvantages of previous competitors. It is easy to cut, so the tool must be sharp, but there are no maximum requirements for its sharpening. Skirting boards made of polyurethane do not crumble, are not deformed, and can withstand almost any pressure with honor.

Wood

This traditional material is cut with the usual carpentry tools: for example, a jigsaw, hand or electric. The places of the cut are processed with sandpaper or file. Since such products are more expensive than other baseboards, the work requires accuracy. It is easy to make a serious mistake, but there is no way to fix it. The consequence of negligence will be the purchase of a new molding.

The ideal tool for cutting wooden workpieces will be an electric mitre saw. Its biggest disadvantage is the high price, especially for quality models. On the other hand, buyers have the opportunity to find an inexpensive tool that will do a decent job.

Tools to be used

Firstly about how to cut a polymer or wooden ceiling plinth, how to do it correctly and quickly. In this case, the work will require 2 implements. a wire cutter and a cutting tool.

How to cut a skirting board?

As for the latter, the choice depends on the baseboard material:

  • Foam products (all polystyrene) require the use of a sharp office knife;
  • Polyurethane baseboards are usually cut with a metal saw;
  • wood requires the active participation of a jigsaw or saw.

The second potential tool for polyurethane is the same office knife. The reason. a fairly low density of the material. Another alternative is a sharply sharpened kitchen knife. A blade that is not too thick is a special requirement.

A possible substitute for a wood jigsaw is a metal hacksaw. A blade that has the smallest serrations is optimal. Otherwise, the tool will get stuck in the material, and in such conditions it is extremely difficult to make a flawless cut.

Chisel and its self-made

The plier is the second indispensable tool for working with baseboards.

What is it?

Not everyone may know what it is. This is a device that allows you to cut any workpiece at different angles (45-90°). This is a trough, consisting of the bottom and two sides in which slots are made for tools. At the bottom of it lay the material, and in the slots are inserted a hacksaw (knife, etc. д.). After sawing the baguettes with it you get almost perfect blanks.

Chisel. a necessity for trimming any skirting boards, because the joints of the elements require an angle of 45 °. Otherwise, the connection of the parts will not work: either between the adjacent skirting boards will remain a gap, or they simply will need to be trimmed again, since the junction of adjacent products will be impossible.

Yes, the remaining hole can be masked with a compound. However, this option is still not the best. The filler may soon change color slightly, and this discrepancy will become very noticeable. However, even here there is an exception.

How to Make a Jigsaw?

For self-made will need to find a board length of about a meter or more, or a sheet of plywood (chipboard). Still need to prepare:

  • From the selected material, cut out 3 parts with a width of 200 to 250 mm, their length. 300 mm (400, 500 mm). Using self-tapping screws, they are connected in the shape of the letter “U”.
  • Using a protractor, the tops of the sides make marks corresponding to the angle of 45 ° (if necessary, and 90 °).
  • Then take a hacksaw and cut holes with it so that the slots reach the bottom of the tool.

Finished holes are bored with a rasp, so that the jigsaw or hacksaw can freely enter them.

Ceiling plinth. batten

To do it correctly, it is important to strictly follow the existing recommendations and rules of finishing work. And then the result will please you.

In the attachment of the fillet (so called this element) there are no difficulties: in fact, all varieties of products are attached to a reliable adhesive.

In order to hang a ceiling plinth, even inexperienced repairmen have no difficulty. Worries them quite another thing: how to properly trim a ceiling plinth? Virtually every room, no matter how intricately shaped, is equipped with corners.

And here in these internal corners of the individual elements of the baseboard must be beautifully and evenly docked. And in rooms of particularly complex configuration will have to fiddle with the outer corners. Let’s try to figure out how to be in each of these situations, and how to cut the right part with the available tools.

Baseboard materials and cutting methods

First of all, let’s try to determine what the baseboard can be made of, and with what particular material is better to cut.

On sale today you can find products made of foam (polyvinyl chloride), wood, polystyrene foam and polyurethane.

Perhaps some of the cheapest are skirting boards made of foam, which is a fragile, soft and brittle material.

Even the fingers of the hand can leave dents on them, they are easy to form crimps and defects. Trim a nice and even corner of the PVC baseboard is difficult.

Inexperienced masters a large amount of purchased material can go to waste for this very reason. Also, this polymer has high electrostatic properties, which explains its ability to collect dust.

It is more convenient to cut such a skirting board with a hacksaw or a sharp construction knife.

Products made of expanded polystyrene is also inexpensive, although this material is more durable analog of the traditional foam.

They can also be cut with a sharp tool.

Extruded polystyrene foam

Skirting boards made of extruded polystyrene foam are a little more expensive, they are somewhat denser and more difficult to cut. But they are much less likely to crumble and break.

That is why it is more convenient and easier to cut them. For this purpose it is convenient to use a hacksaw or a sharp knife.

Polyurethane skirting boards for the ceiling are currently, perhaps, one of the most expensive.

But they justify their cost: water-resistant, fairly strong and tight, quite flexible.

Placed over the kitchen stove, the baseboard can become warped and even crack a little.

They are perfectly cut with a special knife and do not form crumbs. But these products are very sensitive to temperature differences.

Wooden skirting boards for the ceiling are quite heavy and dense products, hard and durable.

They lend themselves well to special fine-toothed hacksaw. You can also use a reliable metal blade. So how to trim a ceiling plinth correctly?

Prefabricated corners

Note that every craftsman has an opportunity not to pore over the accurate cutting and trimming corners.

In a construction store you can buy a prefabricated corner element, into which the prepared edges of the baseboard can easily be inserted.

It is enough to measure the necessary length of the workpiece, and cut it at right angles.

All defects and flaws will hide this special element. But such a convenient way to use it is not always possible, because the standard size of these factory corners may differ markedly from the size of the baseboard itself.

Such corners will stand out for their disproportionality, and it will not look very neat. But if the design of the room and the size of the workpieces allow you to use this method, then do not neglect it.

Those who have to use one of the methods of trimming the ceiling plinth, the following tips will be useful.

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How to cut a skirting board properly

Products masking gaps are fixed so that they fit snugly to both the wall and the ceiling. The element has a special configuration, but to join its fragments, you must first cut the material

The skirting boards are cut not at 90 degrees, but at 45 degrees. This solution then allows you to correctly align the baguette on both the outer and inner parts. You can buy models with a ready-made cut of this type. In this case, the user has to cut the elements only at right angles. But the model is more expensive and does not completely exclude the preparatory work.

In practice, cutting a skirting board at 45 degrees is quite simple. Most often a special device is used for this purpose. a plier, but you can also do by other means.

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How to cut a ceiling plinth correctly

Products, masking gaps are fixed so that they fit tightly to both the wall and the ceiling. The element has a special configuration, but to join its fragments, you must first cut the material

Baseboards are not cut at 90 degrees, but at 45 degrees. This solution then allows you to correctly combine the baguette on both the outer and inner parts. It is possible to purchase models with a pre-cut of this type. In this case, the user has to cut the elements only at right angles. But the model is more expensive and does not completely exclude preparatory work.

In practice, cutting a ceiling plinth at 45 degrees is quite simple. Most often a special device is used for this purpose. a plier, but you can also do by other means.

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The mortiser is a tool for cutting baseboard corners

There are two ways to cut corners. with a tool (chisel) and without it. We will consider both methods.

The chisel is a carpenter’s tool, which is a small rectangular tray (you can make it yourself from wood or buy ready-made plastic or metal), in the walls of which there are grooves. Grooves guide the blade of the hacksaw at a certain angle to the axis of the tray.

Important: the angle of cutting the edge of the baseboard. always oblique and equals 45 °, when processing elements designed to install butt joints in the corners of the ceiling. The bevelled edge allows a snugger fit of the fillets.

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Types of the chisel

Chisels are divided by type according to three criteria:

Size

According to the first feature, there are two sizes:

Material

It is possible to meet on sale the chisel made of different materials:

Wood. Wooden models of the tool have good working characteristics: convenience in work and cutting accuracy, which, together with the affordable price have made this type of device for cutting materials at a given angle the most popular. Adds pluses to the tool made of planks and the ability to make a plinth jig with their own hands.

Structurally, wooden tools are made of 3 boards, one of which. the base, the other two. the side strips with slots for different angles. Can be collapsible. fastened with self-drilling screws and not collapsible. the connection of the slats with the base glue with the addition of self-drilling screws for rigidity.

The disadvantages are not very long life. when working with a hacksaw or saw the teeth of the cutting tool is undercutting the sides of the kerf, resulting in a groove increases in size. There is a lateral displacement of 1-2o, which immediately affects the quality of the connection of the baguettes in the corners. That is why tool models made of other materials are preferred for professional carpenters. But for DIY jobs around the house, it’s ideal.

Plastic. Plastic, mostly PVC, low-cost (polyurethane tools are more expensive), various sizes and low weight. Constructed as a one-piece product with slots in the sidewalls. Used exclusively in the home, because durability is even less than its wooden counterpart: the slots increase in size much faster, exceeding the allowable standard.

Metal. Chairs in steel or aluminum are for professionals. It is a durable and easy-to-use product with a high kerf accuracy. In line with the quality and price: it is very high.

Design

According to the design features of the jigsaws are divided:

  • to simple or, as they are also called, conventional. These are templates with predetermined cutting angles. The classic version has three pairs of grooves: for right and left baguette at 45o and cross-cutting. You can find up to 11 pairs of slots in some models. When working with such a tool, it must be fixed to the workbench using a clamp. The second clamp is attached to the workpiece, from which the corner must be cut according to a given template. Often have to work without clamps. In this case, the skirting board and the plinthole are held with one hand, and the other hand is used to file the corner of the fillet. If you work carefully in such conditions, do not rush, you can saw off the corner with the same quality as when using fixing tools;
  • swiveling. These tools are better known as precision wire cutters. It consists of a turntable and a disk segment with degrees, which allows you to cut any angle. A number of models can also be tilted, which makes it possible to cut the part at the end in two planes at once (called universal). With such a device is convenient to work with a small number of operations. manual sawing still exhausts.

A chair for work in two planes at once.

  • electric. These are the same rotary tools, but with a circular electric saw. Used mainly by professional builders for mass filing of corners, although among home tools such a mechanism is also found.

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Where it is used

It is mistaken to think that the device was invented solely for cutting corners in the baguette. Wort, on the contrary, in the finishing of walls and ceilings came from other areas of carpentry. This construction tool is actively used at:

  • making boxes for doors;
  • Installation of door and window casings;
  • production of glazing beads for fixing the window pane;
  • For preparing picture frames and picture frames;
  • the cutting of cable ducts;
  • Cutting corners for floor and ceiling skirting.

The use of the mitre as a tool for working with fillets allows you to file the ends so that they touch in the corners without gaps.

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When it is used for

It is mistaken to think that the device was invented solely for cutting corners at the baguette. Wort, on the other hand, in wall and ceiling finishing came from other areas of carpentry. This construction tool is actively used for:

  • making boxes for doors;
  • installing door and window trim
  • The production of glazing beads for fixing window glass;
  • the preparation of slats for picture and picture frames;
  • cutting cable ducts;
  • Cutting corners in floor and ceiling moldings.

The use of the skirting tool as a device for working with fillets allows you to file the ends so that they touch in the corners without gaps.

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How to cut a skirting board properly. Important details

The measurements required to trim the skirting board to the ceiling should be made in a special way. To determine and mark the inner corner, the length must be measured from the corner itself. To mark the outer corner, be sure to take into account that deep into the room the skirting will protrude at a distance that equals its width.

It is not desirable to fix the skirting boards before their exact position is verified and the mating skirting has been cut. Only after the two skirting boards have perfectly converged in the corner, can they be fitted and fastened. If work is performed with polyurethane or wooden skirting boards, defects and errors can be corrected with a file or file. To fit the product of foam plastic, you should be armed with a sharp knife.

If even after completion of the skirting boards remain even a small gap, do not rush to upset. it is not difficult to patch up with an ordinary putty. It is not so difficult to cut accurately and neatly a ceiling plinth. But to acquire at least a small skill, first try to practice on small workpieces.

Selection of tools for cutting ceiling plinths

To cut ceiling plinths correctly and accurately, you need to use a tool suitable for cutting. It is chosen depending on the material from which the fillets are made:

    Styrofoam. It has low strength and is relatively inexpensive, so foam models are becoming more and more popular. Their durability does not particularly affect performance, since ceiling skirting boards are not usually subjected to mechanical stresses. An ordinary office knife is suitable for cutting.

It can be purchased in a construction store or make your own hands according to these instructions:

    Three boards 5015 cm nailed a long rib in the shape of a tripartite rectangular box. Pay attention, between the side planks and the transverse board must comply with an angle of 90 degrees.

To work with this homemade device was convenient and safe, the boards before joining must be well sanded.

Technology of cutting ceiling plinths

For prompt and quality work to select the tool according to the material of the plinth and choose a method of cutting. If you have a water jet, then there will be no special difficulties in the process. If it does not exist, then there are two options: to cut according to the template and measurements on the ceiling, or to make this tool yourself.

Features of cutting ceiling plinths in a wire cutter

Work with this device should be extremely careful not to blunt the tool and not to leave jigsaws in unnecessary places. In the process, we adhere to the following instructions:

    Fix the baguette in the crossbar the way you plan to place it on the wall. The side that will be pressed to the ceiling on the chair must be adjacent to the sidewall.

When cutting and trimming foam and polyurethane products, remember that these materials crumble and squeeze, so tools must be sharp enough, and strong mechanical action on them is undesirable.

Technique of cutting ceiling plinths by a template

This method can be used if you have even corners, and it is necessary to trim the baguettes exactly to 45 degrees. To do this, before you cut the ceiling plinth in the corners, you need to draw a jig on heavy paper. Draw two parallel lines and mark corners at the right degrees, using a protractor.

Place the fillet in this case in the same way as you would do with a traditional jigsaw. Take into account that the skirting boards must be cut keeping the tool in a strictly vertical position.

Rules of cutting ceiling skirting boards on the marking

This method is used to cut the baseboard in cases where there is no jigsaw, or parts from which it can be made.

To do this, you need to make a marking on the wall in this order:

    We put a baguette in a corner to the place of fastening.

When cutting in this way, it is important to accurately draw all lines and mark points. An error of even a few millimeters will cause a gap. This method is suitable for cutting and joining both the inside and outside corners of ceiling plinth.

The way of cutting the ceiling plinth without a plier

To accurately join the internal corners of the boards, you can do without a plier.

    We put the end part of the baguette to a sheet of paper and trace the contour of the convex side. It is more convenient to use a small section of the baseboard (if available).

The first way. with the use of a chair

A professional jigsaw with a rotary hacksaw

The jig usually looks in the form of a tray with vertical holes for a hacksaw. It can be made of wood, metal or plastic. This tool is the oldest and simplest carpenter’s tool, designed for cutting wooden parts at 90° and 45° angles. There are types of such a device and for professional work, with a swiveling mechanism, in which the cutting tool can be rotated and fixed in any position.

How to properly cut a ceiling plinth

Ceiling corners are divided into internal and external, the way of joining them is slightly different.

If necessary, you can make a jigsaw with your own hands. You will need three strips of plywood or boards of equal size. First, they are applied in the form of an inverted “U” and make a marking of the corners. Then, according to the markings, cut notches for a hacksaw almost to the bottom, and the boards are twisted.

Internal corner

  • Taking the right measurements.
  • We set the baseboard plank in the jig so that this position exactly coincided with the placement on the ceiling.
  • The skirting boards must be pressed tightly against the opposite wall of the joiner. Hold and press down with your free hand.
  • Put the hacksaw at a 45° angle in the special hole and cut the piece.

When cutting soft materials (PVC, polystyrene foam) use a metal saw or a regular construction knife. Then the work will be accurate and with straight edges.

Outer corner

  • Measure the length of the skirting board from the nearest wall to the outer corner, leave a trimmer line on the underside with a pencil, marking the desired length. It is necessary to consider that the edge (its top part) should leave a little outside.
  • The skirting board is moved into the jig and cut.
  • The adjacent strip must also measure with a reserve and cut it mirror to the first piece.

Trying on the ceiling plinth: the joining of the parts must be perfectly flat. If the result is not achieved and there are irregularities at the joints, you can trim the edges with a regular knife until the perfect junction.

The second method. without additional tools

The easiest way to make a perfect join. by marking on the ceiling. can be used for the inner corner. Another example of how to cut a corner nice and flat.

The end result is an even angle of 45 °, if you spend a line for a trimmer from the point of intersection to the edge of the detail. Note that the above method of marking works only for perfectly flat corners.

Trimming the fillet

Cutting with the Jigsaw

How to evenly trim the corner of the ceiling plinth with it?

The chisel is an uncomplicated tool used by carpenters. With its help, you can cut any workpiece at the desired angle.

It is usually a wooden, metal or plastic tray, which are made to cut at an angle of 45 ° and 90 ° special vertical slots.

There are complicated designs, which in addition to the named corners also have a hole to make a 60-degree cut.

For professional work, a special plier is available. Its pivoting mechanism allows you to fix the cutting blade in relation to the workpiece at any given angle.

Inner corner

The prepared skirting board is applied to the ceiling, the required length is put aside.

Then this same plank is inserted into the mortise exactly as it will be positioned on the ceiling. It must be pressed against the far wall of the fixture. Hold the skirting board in this position with the left hand.

The blade of the hacksaw should be in such a position, so that its angle is 45 degrees, and the handle is as close as possible to your hand. Trying not to exert pressure on the saw, we carefully cut the workpiece.

Next, it is necessary to cut a mating strip from the skirting board. This is also placed at the far side of the tool, held and pressed down, this time with the right hand.

Similar to the previous procedure is the position of the hacksaw. its handle is close to the hand at an angle of 45 degrees. The skirting boards are cut.

Then the finished, already cut slats are joined together. the accuracy of fit is checked. It is believed that for better orientation, when making an inside corner, it is better to start cutting from the front of the product. It is usually necessary to adjust the cutoffs with a file.

Outer corner

The correct way to keep the dimensions more accurate is to start measuring the inside corner first, and only after that move on to the outside corner.

Otherwise, it may happen that the entire length of the bar is not enough.

The strip is held against the ceiling, and a notation is made according to its size. Holding the left hand, the ceiling plinth is pressed to the closest wall, the handle of the hacksaw is close to the hand. The workpiece is cut.

The counter batten is pressed against the nearest wall, holding it with the right hand. The blade of the hacksaw should be at an angle of 45 °, the handle of the tool is close to the hand of the master. A piece of the workpiece is cut, the corner is neatly docked.

Such edge trimming with mash is good if the angle between the walls is even and straight (90°).

If its performance leaves much to be desired, it is worth using another method.

ceiling, baseboard, wire, cutter

Marking on the ceiling

Marking the ceiling allows you to cut the corner exactly and straight. It has one disadvantage. it is rather inconvenient to hold the plinth plank by weight during the procedure.

ceiling, baseboard, wire, cutter

Otherwise, you can use this method to mark a corner even more precisely than the other methods.

When the skirting is applied to the intended place of installation, all dimensional deviations and inaccuracies are immediately noticeable and are taken into account.

Cutting the corner

First you need to take a pair of blanks, then cut them at right angles. With the end of the slat against a perpendicular wall, put one slat against the other. We outline on the ceiling a line for a trimmer on the contour of a plinth. We remove the first slat, then in the same way, pointing at the end into the wall, we enclose a counter slat. Mark the line for the trimmer in the same way.

The intersection point of the two separate lines is the mark at which the workpiece is cut. Each slat is placed against the surface again, and the point of the future cut is marked on both of them. From the point found to the other edge of the skirting board, draw a trimmer line. The skirting boards are cut to the previously made marks, neatly joined, and positioned in the place where they will be installed.

This method allows for finishing inside corners more accurately.

How to cut a ceiling plinth correctly. Important details

Measurements necessary for the trimming of the skirting board on the ceiling, should be made in a special way. To determine and mark an inside corner, the length must be measured from the corner itself. To mark an outside corner, it is obligatory to take into account that the skirting board will protrude into the interior of the room by a distance equal to its width.

It is not desirable to fasten the skirting boards until their exact position is verified and the counter skirting has been cut. Only when the two mating strips match perfectly in the corner can they be fitted and fastened. If you are working with polyurethane or wooden baseboards, defects and flaws can be corrected with a file or file. To fit the product of foam plastic, you should arm yourself with a sharp knife.

If, even after finishing plinths remain even a small gap, do not rush to upset. it is not difficult to patch with an ordinary putty. Cutting a ceiling plinth accurately and neatly is not that difficult. But in order to acquire at least a small skill, first try to practice on small workpieces.