Skirting boards ? most of us have them in our homes. The Americans usually call them baseboards whilst some others refer to them as floor mouldings, mop boards or kick boards. But to the British, they are known as skirting boards.

What is a skirting board? Basically, these boards are wooden planks or panels that run along the walls, either nailed, glued or screwed onto them. They usually rise two to five inches off the ground. Though most are made of wood, there are some that are made of plastic, PVC or some other flexible material. They can be either painted or stained, and they can be either flat or carved with moulding.

Why do we use skirting boards at home? What is their purpose? These boards actually serve a lot of uses in our homes. There are four main reasons why we have them in the house, and these reasons are:

1.To hide the gaps between the wall and the floor. It is nearly impossible to keep the wall aligned to the floor. As it happens, sometimes a construction job will end up with a gaping space between the wall and the floor. Rather than redo the whole thing all over again, most contractors resort to using skirting boards to cover these unsightly gaps and give the wall a more finished look.

2.To protect the walls from scratches and scuffs. Baseboards provide a buffer between the furniture and the walls. The boards prevent the furniture from sticking close to the walls, thus ruining the paint job or the plastering, or creating unsightly lines on the wallpaper. The furniture pieces are protected as well from inevitable scratching and scuffing that may result from friction with the wall.

3.To hide unsightly wiring. No one likes to see electrical wirings hanging so nakedly and obscenely from the walls or the ceiling. Hiding them in the ceiling presents more problems, because if repairs are needed, one may have to tear the ceilings down. Hiding them in the skirting boards is more practical and economical. Many PVC boards were made for this very purpose.

4.To provide a decorative element to the room. Skirting boards generally give a room a more finished look by hiding the gaps between the floor and the walls. They can also decorate the room as well. These boards can have mouldings on them, which is why they are also called moulding boards. The moulding can be very simple, with just a line or two carved into them. They can also be very elaborate as well, like the ones found in old houses. These mouldings are also called profiles.

Baseboards can be painted to give a unifying look to a room. The paint can also be done to provide a contrasting element. For those who do not wish to paint their baseboards, they have the option either to varnish them or wood stain them.

Skirting boards are planks that serve a practical purpose of hiding gaps between our walls and floors, as well as the wirings that make our homes comfortable. Skirting boards are also used to provide a decorative element in a room.