Skirting, architrave and coving projects are an important part of decorating your home. But many people don’t give them enough thought – assuming that they’ll just leave what’s there already installed, or just won’t bother getting them installed at all. However, skirting, architrave or coving could be the final finishing touch you need to really tie together your space. It is worth researching the various types of skirting boards available to find a style suited to your room and budget.
These humble pieces of decoration offer an opportunity to add a truly special flourish to a room or simply to cover over unsightly edges where painted walls meet ceilings or floors. If you’re looking at getting skirting, architrave or coving installed, painted or replaced in your home, you’re likely thinking of the price.
That’s why we’ve created this handy price guide to how much you’re likely to pay for skirting, architrave and coving in 2022. Read on to find out a bit more about each of these projects and what will affect the price you pay.
Before we go any further, let’s pause to take some time to explain exactly what skirting, architrave and coving actually is, and the differences between each one. They’re often lumped in together as one job amongst decorative finishing in a room, but they are actually different types of carpentry and they have different purposes, so it’s helpful to have a good knowledge before you get started.
Skirting, skirting boards or base boards are the lengths of wood that cover up the edge between the floor and the walls. They’re usually installed as there are often unsightly gaps or cracks in this part of your home, so fitting skirting boards covers these up. They’re designed to both improve the aesthetics of your space but also to prevent draughts. Skirting boards come in a wide variety of styles and are generally painted a neutral colour, like white or cream.
Architrave refers to the wooden elements that go around a door frame. There’s a huge variety of styles of architrave, from simple blocks to ornate and decorative frames. Like skirting, architrave is designed to cover up the rough edges that can often feature around the edges of door frames, and to provide secure fixtures for hinges rather than screwing these into plaster.
Coving is a bit like skirting, except it goes at the joint between the wall and the ceiling of your room. Coving is probably the least popular, but it’s still commonly installed in many homes and is again designed to cover up unsightly joints or gaps – especially as it can be difficult to paint a truly clean line between the top of the wall and the ceiling of your home.
So, now you know a little bit more about the differences between skirting, architrave and coving, let’s cover some information about how much you should expect to pay a carpenter for these types of projects.
First of all, we’ve included a table to the right of this page, that shows you how much you should expect to pay to get either skirting, architrave or coving installed in a room. This compares the prices across the country, showing how the price you’ll pay will be different depending on where you live, as labour costs vary across the country. Bear in mind that this only covers each of the projects in one average sized room.
On top of this guide, we’ve included a few other costs below:
|
Project |
Rough cost |
|
Architrave replacement (per door) |
£100 |
|
Architrave replacement (whole house) |
£500-£1000 |
|
Skirting board painting or staining (per room) |
£50 |
|
Coving replacement (per room) |
£200 |
You can use these costs to figure out how much you’re likely to pay for your next skirting, architrave or coving project.
On top of the prices above, there are a few decisions you can make when it comes to skirting, architrave or coving that will affect the price. It’s important to consider these before you get started, as if you don’t you could end up with a nasty surprise!
Skirting, architrave and coving is available in a range of kinds of wood, with each having a different price point. At the low end, there’s MDF, in the middle softwoods such as pine, and costing a premium are hardwoods like oak. Most people tend to install either MDF or pine for coving and architrave, with oak skirting boards being more of a luxury item in period properties.
As well as the materials you choose, another thing that could impact the price is whether you choose to have the skirting, architrave or coving painted or stained. Most people do choose to paint these in a neutral colour like eggshell, white, or cream to match the room. If you do choose this, it’s likely to add £50-£100 to the overall price per room, plus a small amount more for the paint itself.
Of course, as with many decorating projects, the size of the room will affect how much you pay. With architrave, you tend to pay a set price per doorframe, but skirting and coving will cost more to install in a larger room – there’s more work, and you’ll have to pay more for materials. Our prices above are for average sized rooms, so expect to pay a bit more for a big room, and less for small ones.
Skirting, coving and architrave does come in a range of designs. These don’t usually affect the price too much, but if you’d like a particularly ornate style, this can add to your overall bill. You can check out the types of materials available on various home improvement websites and find some that you like before you speak to tradespeople, as they can then source these for you.
| Job | Estimate |
| Cost to replace the staircase and bannister | £4500 |
| Supply and fit new skirting, architrave and coving | £400 |
| Cost to hang a door | £91 |
| Cost to fit fitted wardrobes | £4500 |
| Repairs on window frames and windowpanes including leaks | £100 per window |