Replacing Standard Skirting Boards and Architraves with Premium Deep-Moulded Timber

Skirting board height should relate to ceiling height. In a room with a 2.35m ceiling (standard modern build), a 120–144mm skirting is the correct scale. In a period property with a 2.6m ceiling, 150–175mm is appropriate. In rooms with 3.0m+ ceilings — Victorian reception rooms in Windsor and Maidenhead — 200mm and above begins to look correct. Standard 70mm skirting in a room with a 2.6m ceiling always looks inadequate: the eye perceives the proportion as mismatched even without identifying why.

Ogee profile has been the dominant traditional skirting profile in British interiors for 200 years — its S-curve and flat field suit Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, and Arts and Crafts interiors equally. Torus profile (a half-round with a flat top) is simpler and suits both traditional and contemporary interiors. A modern pencil-round or bullnose profile with a flat face and rounded top edge suits contemporary interiors where a clean, minimal detail is appropriate. For period properties, we examine existing skirting profiles at the measuring visit and advise on appropriate replacements.