replacing skirting..backing needed?

Hi all,

My hubby, Matt, has replastered two rooms in our new old 50's weatherboard and removed the skirting in the process.

We've bought nice, clean MDF to replace the old stuff which had 20 coats of paint on it.

When he removed the hardwood there was a horizontal strip of plasterboard attached to the back which now leaves a gap of approx 4cm high all the way around the room. ie, the plasterboard finishes about 4cm before the floor.

To re-attached the new skirting, can we just screw/nail to the plaster board that is there ie. will be attached to the top of the skirting only (so it sort of floats); or do we need to buy some more plasterboard (or strip timber) and cut and attached a strip to attach the skirting to...

Thanks very much from me and bubby on her way...

You need to pack it out because otherwise it wont sit right. It doesn't need to be a continuous strip, you can just put packers wherever you're going to nail it. The packers don't have to be the same material but it makes things a bit easier.

thanks Silent - just yelled this out to Matt in the other room - he's taken the afternoon off work to move things along - and he said 'great, will use plasterboard offcuts, and will mark where the studs are on the wall with masking tape on the floor to get the packers in the right spot....(great for me too :), I don't need to make another trip to Bunnings!)

Pics of the babys room before and now attached (actually, it was worse before - wallpaper hanging off, pock marked plaster, manky old wardrobe full of spiders and filth..pretty good huh?....

Looks great. Amazing what a lick of paint will do. :)