There are many varieties of baseboards, which differ in the following characteristics: manufacturing material, shape, as well as size. When choosing a ceiling plinth is recommended to be guided by all these factors, but the material of manufacture is the key to determine the complexity of processing.
Polyurethane baseboards are considered the highest quality. However, they are least suitable for cutting corners because the material is very elastic. Cut the inner or outer corner of the ceiling plinth from polyurethane is easiest with the use of a wire cutter. The main disadvantage of such products is their weak resistance to high temperatures, so they are not allowed to use in the kitchen.
Skirting boards
Products made of other materials, also have their disadvantages. Ceiling plinths made of polyvinyl chloride are prone to the appearance of dents. In turn, products made of polystyrene are easy to break, so they must be handled very carefully.
So what skirting board to choose? There is no definite answer to this question. Specialists recommend to be guided by the individual characteristics of the room and the budget calculated in advance.
Material and name
The first material that began to be used to make skirting boards for ceiling design, was plaster. They had to be cast in special molds, after which they were attached to the ceiling with plaster mortar. Similar decorative elements were called skirting boards and nowadays they are practically not used, and you can see them in old houses, which have hardly survived for that time. These are expensive elements of interior decoration, so no one uses them today, and their name is practically unknown to anyone. Today there are cheaper and more practical skirting boards for ceiling finishing.
Nowadays, ceiling plinths are made of materials such as polystyrene or polyurethane. These are inexpensive decorative elements, which have yet a number of advantages associated with ease of installation, with practicality and attractiveness, as well as “weightlessness” compared to elements of decoration from gypsum, which have an impressive weight. Such plinths from polyurethane or polystyrene are made of various widths (from 5 to 250 mm), and also have a wide range of forms and drawings, so there is an opportunity to pick up such elements of decor under any style of design. The only exception are the buildings made of wood, decorated in the appropriate style, where elements made of wood are taken as the basis, and here it can not be helped, because the style always dictates its terms.
There are still skirting boards made of plastic, which are not afraid of moisture, so they are used for finishing rooms where there is high humidity. For the sake of justice, it should be noted that decorative elements made of polystyrene are also not afraid of moisture.
Trim ceiling skirting boards in the corners with some methods, while such options are not suitable for trimming skirting boards made of plastic.
External corners
It happens that a room has not only internal, but also external corners, which also need to be trimmed with a baseboard (see. photo). How to do it? There are also several ways. The easiest way, as in the case of inner corners, is to cut them with a wire cutter. Outer joints should be cut so that the side that will be glued to the ceiling, was on the surface of the jig, and the side pressed against the wall, facing the wall of the device.
As with inside corners, you can also use the marking “in place”, that is, by drawing a scythe line on the ceiling. Here the technique is exactly the same as that used for interior corners.
You can use the wall marking by placing the workpiece and drawing a fishing line along its bottom edge (see “The line from the ceiling”). photo).
If the outer corner is too rounded, you can finish the joint with a knife.
Trimming a ceiling plinth. External and internal corners
To the point where they come together, a fishing line is drawn right along the future part of the connection. From the point that is on the ceiling to the second. The resulting marking will be the line on which to saw or cut off the connecting parts. Using these techniques, you can no longer wonder how to trim the corners of the ceiling baseboard.
Trimming the corners of the baseboard with a wire cutter
First, let’s consider how to properly trim the corners of the baseboard with the use of a wire cutter, a joinery tool that is a tray in the shape of an elongated inverted “U”. On this tool there are special slots for cutting parts at angles of 45 and 90 degrees: a workpiece is placed inside the jig saw, a hacksaw is inserted into the guides and the workpiece is cut at the required angle.
At first glance everything is simple, but in the case of the skirting boards there is a risk of getting mixed up in the sides of the planks and make a marriage. To avoid this, we recommend to perform the work according to the following schemes.
- Use the side that will be directly fastened to the ceiling, lay the skirting board on the bottom of the joiner. Press the second side of the product against the wall of the tool, more precisely against its right-hand slot.
- Cut the necessary part of the skirting board using a hacksaw or a utility knife.
Tip. Cut the skirting board without pressing too hard, to avoid chipping or deforming the workpiece.
- Press the baseboard to the bottom of the wood skirting board, the side with which it will be fastened to the ceiling. Press the second side of the slat against the left slit.
- Cut the corner. Put the slat obtained on the first product, and check how the sawed off parts fit together. If gaps are left, carefully trim the pieces with a knife. In this case, if the error is small and you are not sure that you can accurately work with a knife, choose a simpler way. after gluing the skirting board on the ceiling, mask the gap with a matching color putty.
Trimming a ceiling plinth
Ceiling skirting boards are made of a variety of materials. foam, polyurethane foam, plastic, wood. Tools available in every home can be used to trim them. Cut Styrofoam strips with scissors or a knife. Cut a wooden skirting board with a wood hacksaw. How to cut a plastic baseboard is also not a question. You can cut it with a standard metal hacksaw.
Trim the wood baseboard with a fine hacksaw
What is a planking saw??
For neat and maximally precise trimming of ceiling skirting boards a special tool, the plier, is usually used. It is a tray, made of three boards. In its walls there are slots at certain angles to the axis (45, 60 and 90 g, etc).д). They are designed to guide the blade of the hacksaw when trimming. You can buy a planking mitre for ceiling plinths in a hardware store.
Trimming slats at an angle of 45gr is done in a hacksaw
Trimming a ceiling plinth in a jigsaw
Trimming in the jigsaw is done as follows:
- The right strip is placed in a tray from left to right side facing the bottom (the part that will later join the ceiling). Part of the adjacency to the wall, however, should be leaned against the side board of the tray (closest to you);
- The strip is pressed tightly to the tool and cut through the slit.
How to make the angle of the ceiling plinth
When trimming, remember that when decorating the inner corner, the plinth edge adjacent to the wall should be longer than the one adjacent to the ceiling. When finishing the exterior, on the contrary.
- The second ceiling plank is inserted into the tray from right to left and trimmed;
- Finished strips are attached to the corner and adjust the joint with a knife;
The strips are attached to the corner, and the adjustment is made
- How to join the corners of the ceiling plinth? You can do it with a step-ladder directly on the wall. But this is not too convenient, so the polyurethane and foam elements experts advise to combine and glue to each other more on the floor with special glue for joints.
It is best to glue the corner before installing the skirting boards on the walls
What to do if you don’t have a joiner?
So we’ve figured out how to file a ceiling plinth (video above will probably help someone deal with this better) using a wire cutter. But what to do if you do not have this tool at hand?? In fact, trim strips can be adjusted evenly without using it. There are two main ways to solve this problem: marking directly on the wall and making an imitation of a jig.
In the first case, the procedure is as follows:
How to properly cut a ceiling plinth without a jigsaw. We draw the first line
- Next, the right ceiling element is placed on the ceiling and scythe line 2;
- A mark is made at the point where the edge of the right slat intersects with line 1;
A second line is drawn and a mark is set on the skirting board
- Then the left element is again attached to the ceiling;
- At the intersection of its upper edge with the line 2 is also placed a mark;
- Now on each strip you need to connect the marks with the end of the bottom edge of the baseboard;
Then the actual cutting of the skirting board at an angle is performed using the obtained scythe line.
Without the use of the tray, the slats in the corner can be mounted quite neatly
In order to cut an even corner, you can also use the imitation of a jig:
- On a smooth plywood sheet we draw two strictly parallel mowing lines;
- We put a point on one of them and using a protractor connect it to the second ruler at an angle of exactly 45g (draw to the left);
- At a distance of 10 centimeters to the left of the first point we put the second;
- Connect it to the second line at an angle of 45g (draw to the right).
How to cut the corner of the ceiling plinth, using a simulated jigsaw
The improvised jig is ready. Now it remains to attach the right ceiling element (the wrong side) on the right the bottom edge to the nearest to you mowing line and trim. Do the same with the left strip (only you have to apply it on the left side).
You can cut polystyrene strips with a knife. In doing so, however, sharpen it properly. Otherwise the material at the ends will just crumble.
How to cut a ceiling skirting board without a joiner:
How to connect the slats if the angle is uneven
In city apartments, and especially in older apartments, walls are rarely even. That’s why the corners between them are often not straight at all. How to properly cut the ceiling plinth in this case?
In fact it is not as difficult as it may seem at first sight. You just need to measure the angle. To do this, you can use a special tool malku or simply make a template from paper and use the protractor.
Uneven angle can be measured using a small angle gauge
The resulting angle is divided into two, drawing a corresponding “notch” on the plywood and trim strips. Next, you will just need to perform their connection with glue.
How to do finishing corners
How to cut the corner of the ceiling plinth we found out with you. Now let’s see how to do the finishing of the joints. What to seal the joint in the corner? In the event that there remains a small gap, sealing can be done with normal putty in the color of the baseboard. The joints can also be passed with silicone sealant.
The gap between the slats in the inner corner can be puttyed with putty
Caulk or sealant can be filled only the inside corner. Outer corner should be fitted as carefully as possible. Even a small gap will be impossible to remove unnoticed later on. Especially when the baseboard is wide.
Corner elements for ceiling skirting
The trimming of ceiling planks when using corner elements (special connectors) is also usually done in a jigsaw. How to cut skirting boards in this case? It’s very simple. the cut is done at right angles. In the absence of a tray, you can use an ordinary protractor or an angle piece. Corner elements (photo):
How To Cut & Install Crown Moulding
How to cut a corner correctly
Using a power plier
If you are quite a novice in this business, it is better to carry out the work with the help of a special tool. a plane and a hacksaw. So you will get to cut the skirting board strictly at an angle of 45 degrees, and also achieve a perfect junction of adjacent elements. In the process, pay attention to the following points:
- First measure the length of the ceiling on a scythe line installation of the fillets;
- With the help of the pliers you can perform trimming of different size corners;
- If there are irregularities and edges on the moldings, it is better to use a box cutter.
Cutting the baguette at an angle is carried out as follows:
- set the desired parameters on the tool;
- Insert the first piece and the metal hacksaw into the tool;
- Cut off the excess part of the baseboard;
- Insert the second part into the jig, the docking of which will be made with the previous one;
- Choose the opposite holes, while the angle of cut do not change;
- Cut off the fillet.
If you do everything correctly, then the docking parts will perfectly match each other.
How to make the angle of the ceiling plinth without a jig
Experts assert that without a jig to cut a ceiling plinth will turn out better quality, especially in the inner corners. The only disadvantage is the work with wood or polyurethane trim. Because of their massive weight, it will be quite difficult to hold them in your outstretched arms while you measure.
- First at an angle of 90° cut two blanks, which must be docked;
- Now take one piece, put it on the ceiling, with the end part of the element against the wall, perpendicular to the fillet;
- A simple pencil outline skirting on the ceiling;
- Do the same with the second piece;
- Look at the result. The place where the lines intersect will correspond to the place where the baseboard is cut. To be sure, place the elements on the ceiling again, mark on them the places where the trimming will begin. From that spot straight down the baseboard, run a fishing line along which you will make the cut;
- Now cut off the excess parts of the pieces and proceed to install them.
If after attaching the skirting board to the ceiling, you see that the angle is not very straight, the resulting gap can be covered with putty or sealant.
General guidelines for shaping corners
If there are embossed or printed ornaments, take care to match the image symmetrically. In this case, you will get a harmonious transition from one area to another.
How to properly join a ceiling plinth if it has a complex relief or imprinted ornament? Making the cut, be sure to take into account the peculiarities of relief and print. Use the mirror to find the area that gives the most beautiful pattern alignment. To do this, place a mirror on the bar at the desired angle and move it along the baseboard to the right and left until you are satisfied with the result.
Remember that in straight sections joints are usually not particularly difficult, so start from the corner. In this case the installation will look neat and professional.
How to join a ceiling plinth in the corners so that it looks nice? This can be done in two ways:
Corners for ceiling plinths are usually sold with fillets. You can pick up any number of straight and corner elements for your project. Keep in mind that when you are dealing with angles larger or smaller than 90 degrees, the factory elements will have to be slightly modified and adjusted to size.
What to replace professional tools with
With a large amount of work and the desire to get rid of marking at each stage of the repair, you can make a plier with your own hands. Baseboard options:
All variants of a substitute are processed similarly: in lateral sides are made on VERY ATTENTIVE marking saws of such width, that in them the blade of the working saw or the hacksaw (knife) freely went.
To cut the inner corner of the ceiling plinth as precisely as possible, you can fold the two fragments to be processed face-to-face and saw them simultaneously.
When working with soft materials and complex geometry of corners, it makes sense to make a chair with a variable direction of cutting. It also comes in handy for working with a circular saw.
Such a model will come in handy not only to trim the plinth on the ceiling, but also competently treat the corners of the baguette for the frame.
If it is necessary to cut a ceiling plinth from a foam plastic at an angle of 45 degrees and not otherwise, and there is a transparent dense plastic on hand, it is possible to make rather simple device for a fast trimming.
The most budget and fastest option. marking on a sheet of dense cardboard, plywood, OSB, chipboard or other material. However, it is convenient to work on such a marked substrate only with a knife, to use a saw, you will need to somehow attach the sawed fragment of the fillet.
How you need to work with the jigsaw?
We told you how to properly cut the ceiling plinth without any tools. Now let’s dwell on the technique of working with a jig, in more detail. Follow all steps in the same sequence. and the outer corner of the ceiling plinth will be perfectly flat:
- Putting the baseboard against the wall, measure the length you need;
- Place the skirting board in the jigsaw, so that its position coincides with the position on the ceiling. Press it against the far wall;
- Hold the bar with the left hand. To ensure that the cut accessory has no jagged edges and does not break, the saw is pressed with a minimum of force;
- To cut the counterpart the procedure is repeated in the same sequence, but hold it with the right hand;
- How to trim the corners of a ceiling plinth if it is made of wood? You proceed in exactly the same way, but because the wood is not as flexible, at the end of the edges are also matched and file;
- To avoid incorrect size calculation, start with the marking of the inner corner, and then move on to the outer corner. If the outer corner is cut too much, it could result in the bar not being long enough.