How important are skirting boards in flooring

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How Important Are Skirting Boards In Flooring?
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• Also known as baseboards, skirting boards have
  been around for many, many years in different
  forms and typically serve two or three important
  purposes.  First, a skirting board can be added
  to a room purely for decorative purposes.  In old
  houses, for example, its common to find high
  skirting boards that feature mouldings and can
  even be quite intricate, making a decorative
  feature.  That said, at its simplest level, a
  skirting board will simply be a plank of wood
  that has been nailed, screwed or glued to the
  wall.

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• The second purpose of a skirting board is to
  protect the wall.  Skirting boards will typically
  protect the walls from accidental knocks, as well
  as wear and tear from furniture and soiling and
  scuffs from mops and hoovers.  In the third
  instance, skirting boards can be used as a really
  clever way of hiding uneven or rugged floor or
  wall edges.

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Skirting boards and wood flooring in renovation
or re-looking projects.

• If youre in the throws of renovating a property
  or re-looking a room in your home, it may well be
  that you already have skirting boards in place. 
  What this means, when you decide on how you will
  fit your new floor, is that you either have the
  choice of leaving the skirting boards in place,
  or removing them to enable the floor to be laid.

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• Particularly in older properties, many people are
  wary of removing skirting boards because more
  often than not, they take away a whole lot of the
  walls plaster with them.  It is for this reason
  that most people decide to leave their skirting
  boards in place when they fit a new wooden floor.

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Wood Skirting boards and wood flooring in
new-builds.

• If youre planning wood flooring in a new-build
  situation, youll have significantly more
  flexibility, because youll be able to install
  your chosen skirting boards after youve fitted
  your floor.  By working this way, youll be able
  to choose the style of flooring youre wanting
  and also the style of skirting youd like to
  finish off your look.  Once again though, dont
  forget to make sure that you leave an expansion
  gap all the way around your room to make sure
  that your floor has the space to expand and
  contract without getting damaged in the process.