Ground floor flush skirting and architrave
I had decided to have a flush skirting and architrave on the ground floor and then a simpler to install surface mounted skirting and architrave on the first floor, with a detail to mimic the shadow gap. It is always tricky to have a good quality shadow gap detail on skirtings and architraves as it is reliant on door linings and shadow gap trims being fitted accurately prior to plaster boarding. If the carpenter, plaster boarder or plasterer are not up to scratch the end result is disappointing.
I had managed to get this far with only minimal input from a carpenter so decided I might as well undertake skirtings, architraves and floor laying myself. The skirting and architrave were bought as pre primed mdf that were then glued and pinned in place with a nail gun.
Flush skirting and architrave with shadow gap detail
First floor surface mounted skirting and architrave
Surface mounted skirting glued & pinned in place
Skirting and architrave
Flush mounted cupboard doors
Storage cupboard flush doors
Cutting down and lipping door blanks
Living room oak floor
Laying fumed oak living room floor. This was a 6mm oak on an 18mm ply, bonded direct to the slab with a flexible adhesive. This gives a very solid floor with no chance of bouncing like a floating floor and responds well to under floor heating. The planks are taped together with masking tape until the glue goes off to prevent them from moving.
The boards are weighted down as they are laid. Once the floor is laid the flush skirting is fitted over the top, covering the expansion gap to the walls.