Skirting board calculator
A 4 × 3 m room with one door needs about 13.2 m of skirting, which is 4 lengths of 4.2 m board with 10% extra for cuts.
- Skirting to fit
- 13.20 m
- With extra for cuts
- 14.52 m
- Room perimeter
- 14.00 m
4 × 3 m room, 1 doorway, 4.2 m boards, plus 10% for cuts.
For a rectangular room. For chimney breasts or alcoves, add the extra wall lengths to the room’s length or width.
Skirting for common rooms
4.2 m boards, 0.8 m doorways, 10% extra.
| Room | Doors | Skirting | Boards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 3 m | 1 | 11.2 m | 3 |
| 4 × 3 m | 1 | 13.2 m | 4 |
| 4 × 3.5 m | 1 | 14.2 m | 4 |
| 5 × 4 m | 2 | 16.4 m | 5 |
| 6 × 4 m | 2 | 18.4 m | 5 |
How we calculate this
We add up the length of all four walls, take off the width of each doorway, then add extra for cuts. Dividing by the board length and rounding up gives the number of boards to buy.
Offcuts are only useful if they’re long enough for another wall, so for rooms with many short walls you may need more.
Questions people ask
What length does skirting board come in?
Most MDF skirting in UK DIY stores comes in 4.2 m lengths. Timber skirting is often sold in other lengths, so check before you buy.
How much extra skirting should I buy?
About 10% for a simple room. Each corner needs a mitre or scribed joint, and offcuts too short for another wall are wasted.
Do I need architrave as well?
Architrave is the trim around door frames and is bought separately. Allow about 5 m per side of a standard door.
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