Easy way to cover old skirting boards with new ones?
 

Hi There,

I'm renovating a place with Brick walls, where someone has covered the brick
walls with plasterboard using masonry adhesive, but sat the plasterboard on
top of the old skirting boards.

The old skirting boards protrude from under the plasterboard at varying
depths along the walls, in some places up to 1/2 inch.

I think trying to remove the old skirting boards would damage the
plasterboard far too much, so I want to put new (taller) skirting boards in
to cover the old ones, and somehow rebate the back edge of the new skirting
boards so they cover the old skirting boards and fit flush with the wall.

What's the best way to carve a half inch x 2 inch rebate in the back of the
new MDF skirting boards? Electric planers seem to only have a cutting depth
of 3mm, and a router would make a lot of mess - I have to reskirt 4 medium
sized rooms!

Any ideas on the easiest way to do this?

Thanks,

Mark

Consider setting the base board, then adding a trim piece on top to
bridge the gap.
In fact, you might use a rotozip or similar reciprocating saw to cut
alway the botttom of the wall board and slide a quarter inch piece on
top of the existing base board.
It would create a nice shadow line.

We have this sort of arrangement in our 1834 house and it looks good.

TB