How to measure skirting and plan board cuts

By Measure & Make · Updated 15 October 2026

Measure each uninterrupted piece

Measure the wall at the height where the skirting will be fitted. For a wall with a door, record both the opening width and where it starts from the left end. The opening should cover the area that will not receive skirting, including architrave where relevant. Do not assume the width of the door leaf is the full unskirted gap.

Example: one door in a 4 m wall

If an opening is 0.9 m wide and starts 0.3 m from the left, the remaining pieces are 0.3 m and 2.8 m. The total is 3.1 m, but the two separate lengths matter when deciding how to cut stock boards. The planner keeps both pieces instead of treating them as one continuous run.

More than one opening

Each wall row supports one opening. For several doors on one wall, add the uninterrupted sections as separate rows with opening width set to zero. Add chimney-breast returns, alcoves and other small sections separately. This produces a more useful cutting list than subtracting a single combined door width from a room perimeter.

Choose a stock length

Enter the actual length being sold, such as 3,050 mm or 4,200 mm. Longer lengths can reduce joins, but must still fit your handling space and transport. If a run is longer than the stock, the planner splits it into parts and counts a join. These are straight finished lengths; it does not add the extra needed for a scarf joint, mitre, scribe or decorative return.

Understand the suggested allocation

The planner sorts cuts longest first and allocates them to boards that have space, allowing for saw cuts. An offcut may cover another wall piece. The purchase count is the larger of this cutting-plan count and the total length with your extra percentage divided by stock length. The method is not guaranteed to find the absolute fewest boards.

Before cutting or ordering

• Check every length and angle on site.
• Include separate allowance for damaged ends, corners and your chosen joint method.
• Keep the stock profile, thickness and finish consistent when using offcuts.
• Enter the price per complete stock board in the budget, rather than a price per metre.

For additional measuring and waste advice, see Skirting 4 U’s guide. Supplier instructions and the actual room take priority over an illustrative plan.