How to Clean and Protect Skirting Board and Architrave

Keeping your skirting boards and architraves looking clean and pristine will make a surprisingly huge difference to your home’s appearance. Do you always remember to look after them? Or have they become an afterthought in your home’s maintenance regime?

Perhaps at Skirting King, we’re a little biased – we love seeing the difference our quality range of architraves and skirting boards can make to our customers’ homes. But even if you’re not quite as passionate about them as we are, you’ll soon notice the difference if you abandon these key areas.

Here, we explain why giving them some love and attention is a good idea, plus some tips on how you can maintain and protect them to last.

How Can Skirting and Architrave Get Damaged?

Both skirting boards and architraves can suffer damage over the years. And yes, that’s right, architrave too.

It’s pretty clear how skirting boards can get damaged – they’re at foot level, and their job is to protect our walls. So it’s inevitable really that they’re going to take knocks from shoes, toys, hoovers, pets, furniture… anything really that uses floor space.

They of course wear over time, too. Skirting boards will gradually start to fade, chip and peel, or simply look generally old and tired. There’s also the risk of water damage from moisture and water. Water leaks and spillages are your biggest culprits, and can lead to warping.

But what about architraves? Damage is still a regular occurrence for these high-positioned features. They take knocks from heavy-handedness from hoovers as we attempt to rid the room of cobwebs. They also take a surprising amount of damage from toys that really shouldn’t be in the air, but mysteriously find a way.

And then there’s the issue of multi-layered paint peeling and flaking away. We get it – they’re not the easiest to sand down, prime and paint, which is the correct way to give your architraves a much needed refresh. But simply layering new paint on every time means they easily start to look worse for wear.

Water damage can also be an issue – just like it is for skirting boards, but much more difficult to spot.

So it’s now much clearer why a good cleaning and maintenance regime is essential for your skirting boards and architraves, if you want to keep them looking their best for longer.

How To Clean and Protect Skirting Boards and Architrave

All you need is a little bit of habituality. Make it a regular occurrence to dust your skirting boards and architraves with care. Have you ever smudged a dirty cobweb into a white surface? If you have, you’ll know how tricky it is to then try and wipe it away without causing even more mess, especially at a high reach like your architraves.

With a feather duster, dusting mop or hoover attachment, very carefully go round and gently sweep away dust and debris from the surfaces, including nooks and crevices.

Only then should you wipe down with a damp cloth and mild detergent, being careful not to soak them, so that they can self-dry. This should remove any stains or marks, but always avoid using any chemical-based cleaning products, or you’ll be causing more damage than good.

Schedule this into your cleaning once a week, and you’ll prevent a build-up of dirty dust (which is messy business). Alongside regularly, gently does it to avoid any knocks or scratches. If your architraves and skirting boards are well cared for, they’ll last for years to come.

Chips and Scuffs?

Chips and scuffs are a problem for both skirting boards and architraves due to the nature of their roles. Luckily, these can often easily be corrected. If the damage is minimal, you can use a touch-up pen or wood stain to cover up the mark.

For larger chips or scratches, you may need a wood filler. These are easy to apply, and only need to be sanded down and repainted afterwards – just make sure you use a matching paint colour.

Always keep a close eye on chips and scuffs, as they can soon be knocked into bigger problems. Whenever you’re cleaning your skirting boards and architraves, look out for these minor issues and plan to fix them – it’ll be worth the effort in the long-run if you keep on top of them as and when you find them.

Painting Your Skirting Boards and Architrave

It may be that your skirting boards and architraves need a little more than a dust and a wipe. A fresh lick of paint could work wonders, refurbishing them back to a crisp new look that makes the whole wall look better.

If you haven’t already, start by cleaning the surface thoroughly, just like you would when you clean them regularly. Once the surface is completely dry, you’ll then need to lightly sand it with some high-grit sandpaper, so that you have a newly smooth surface for the paint to adhere to.

Once you’ve done this, remove any dust so that it doesn’t affect the finish of the paint. You should ideally prime the surface too, followed by a lighter sanding.

With a small brush or mini roller, paint sections of the surface at a time in sweeps. You’ll need a couple of coats, so make sure you let your first coat set completely before applying the second.

It’s likely that your skirting boards and architraves will need repainting every couple of years or so. However, always check there isn’t a cause behind the problem. If you’re painting them because there are brown patches, for example, it may be that there is water damage rotting them. Repainting over it will never fix the root cause, so always deal with that first.

If it’s simply age, wear and tear that’s calling for a repaint, then giving them a new coat could be a fantastic solution – your skirting boards and architraves will look great again, and they’ll be protected for longer if you do it correctly.

And don’t forget, always invest in a high-quality paint for the job. Go for a hard-wearing option that will stand the test of time against damage and maintenance.

Invest in High-Quality at the Beginning

A lot of common problems with skirting boards and architraves can be avoided or at least reduced if the material is high-quality. Cheaper options may look more appealing financially at the beginning, but can easily become more costly over time, especially when you have to fix or replace them much sooner.

Cheap materials are, of course, much more likely to suffer chips and damages that are too ugly to leave, and either need regular fixing or a complete replacement – both of which are costly on your time and money.

High-quality skirting boards and architrave are more durable. They’re going to last you longer, and are much more resistant to wear and tear. While cheap materials often look flimsy and generic, other materials can offer stylish finishes in various profiles that blend in beautifully with the rest of the room. Sturdy materials such as pine not only last years with less likely damage, but also look beautiful, with or without paint.

So whether it’s aesthetics or practicality you’re looking for, investing a little more into your skirting boards and architraves can be a very good idea. That being said, at Skirting King we offer a range of skirting boards and architraves that suit all budgets, styles and requirements, including pre-primed and painted options to help you achieve the look and protection you need.