How to cut skirting board to get your media wall flush with the wall

Find out how to cut skirting board to get your new media wall sitting perfectly against the wall.

If you’re building a media wall in a new build home or in a room without an existing fireplace, there’s a good chance there's a skirting board running across the spot where you want to place your media wall.

Whether you’re building a media wall from scratch or using a flat-pack self-build media wall kit, you’ll need to remove some of the skirting board to get your media wall sitting perfectly against the wall.

In this article, we’ll explore the best way to cut skirting board to achieve the right finish and create the perfect focal-point fireplace for your home.

What are the best tools for cutting skirting board accurately?

The boost tools for cutting skirting board accurately are oscillating multi-tool saws. A multi-tool is a power tool with a narrow, thin blade, which can be easily used at any angle. 

It’s called an oscillating saw because the head vibrates back and forth rapidly, creating the movement needed to make the cut without the need for the user to apply a great deal of force. This helps to achieve an accurate cut in the skirting board.

If you don’t have a multi-tool saw, you can also cut fitted skirting boards with non-electric saws. A tenon saw or pull saw are the best options to do the same job by hand.

How do you cut skirting board?

When cutting skirting board for a media wall, the easiest way is to use one of the tools we’ve mentioned above to create a clean, accurate cut of the section of skirting board you want to remove.

Since the blade of an oscillating multi-tool can be offset and used at any orientation, you can cut flush with the surfaces of the skirting board and the wall behind it with precision.

Example of cutting a skirting board for a media wall

In the video below, you can see DIYTomm using an oscillating multi-tool saw so that he can fit a media wall flush to the wall. As you can see, for confident DIY-ers, the multi-tool makes short work of cutting skirting board.

Crucially, it also gives the control and precision needed to achieve the ideal finish.

Step-by-step guide on how to cut skirting board

Here are all the steps you need to follow to cut skirting board for your media wall.

1. Measure the cut

Decide on the width of your media wall or check the width of the base of your suite or flat-pack media wall kit. If you’re building your own media wall, this might be informed by the size of the media wall electric fire you’re installing or the lengths of timber you want to use.

2. Mark the cut

Use a pencil to mark exactly where you want to cut. If you’re building a straight-edged media wall, a couple of straight lines should do the job. If you’re planning a more ornate design, such as a stepped or bevelled base, this might require a little more consideration.

If you’re working from a self-build media wall kit, you can place the base against your skirting board and trace around it with pencil.

3. Cut the skirting board

Once you’re happy with your measurements and markings, you can make the cut. As we mentioned above, an oscillating multi-tool saw is the best tool for cutting skirting board with a clean and simple cut. If you don’t have a multi-tool, use either a tenon saw or pull saw.

4. Remove the section of skirting board and tidy up

Pull the section of skirting board you’ve cut away from the wall. Depending on how and how well it was attached, you might need a crowbar or hammer and chisel to prise the skirting board from the wall. You can use the same tools to remove any chunks of skirting board or adhesive left behind. 

If the cut left any rough edges on the remaining skirting board, you might also want to sand those down at this stage.

5. Building and positioning the media wall

You can then build your media wall and position it within the gap so that it sits flush against your wall. If you’re using a self-build kit or electric fire suite, you can mount the unit to the wall once it’s in position.

6. Finishing touches

Once your media wall is complete, you can add the finishing touches to the skirting. This could include caulking between the skirting board and media wall to close any remaining gap. You might also want to touch-up the paintwork, especially if any paint was knocked off while you were cutting or removing the skirting board.

Finding the perfect media wall for your home

You can use the steps above to fit any of our self-build media wall kits or electric fire suites flush to your wall. If you’re still looking for inspiration, follow this media wall build, which involved removing a section skirting board in a new-build home, from start to finish.