Cheap vs Premium Skirting Boards – Is It Worth the Upgrade?

All too often, homeowners busy with renovations or new builds put little to no thought into skirting boards. 

In the end, the choice often comes down to price, and because these fixtures aren’t deemed to be as important as others, many homeowners opt for cheap boards without realising this could end up costing them more in the future. 

That said, like premium options, cheaper ones do have their advantages. This begs the question of how you can decide whether cheap or premium skirting boards are the right choice for your home.   

Cheap Skirting Boards

Cheaper skirting boards have advantages and disadvantages that highlight their difference from the premium options available at Home Improvements. This is especially evident when you take into account the material quality, cost, finish, durability, installation, and environmental considerations.

Material Quality

Advantages: Cheaper boards are usually made from lightweight materials that are easy to work with, such as softwood or medium-density fibreboard (MDF). This can make them a good choice for DIY projects.

Disadvantages: While softwood may be easy to work with, it is vulnerable to chips and warping. Knocking your cheap softwood skirting board too hard with the end of your Hoover could leave such a nasty chip that you’ll probably need to replace the board. If exposed to moisture, cheaper MDF could swell, warp, and disintegrate.

Costs

Advantages: This might be stating the obvious, but cheap skirting boards are exactly that. Their affordability makes them a good choice for homeowners on a tight budget or those who aren’t too concerned about longevity or finish.

Disadvantages: While you’ll pay less for cheaper products, you’ll still need to spend money on finishing materials. You’ll also need to consider potential maintenance costs over the years, as cheaper options will likely need more TLC than premium skirting boards.

Finish

Advantages: Cheap boards are usually unfinished, so you can easily paint them in the colour of your choice.

Disadvantages: If you choose cheaper options, you’ll likely be limited to basic bullnose or square-edged boards. As these options are usually unfinished, you’ll need to put time and effort into priming or sanding them before painting them.

Durability

Advantages: None.

Disadvantages: Cheap skirting boards are usually made from standard MDF or softwood. This makes them vulnerable to damage from the smallest knocks, especially if you install them in family homes or spaces with high foot traffic. While you might save money initially, you could end up spending more on maintenance, repairs, or replacing damaged skirting boards.

Installation

Advantages: None.

Disadvantages: Due to their size or finish often being inconsistent, you’ll experience issues with fitting cheap skirting boards and have to do some additional preparation to get a neat join. If you’re fitting boards as a DIY project, this could entail extra labour. Alternatively, if you’re hiring professionals, this will result in additional labour costs.

Environmental Considerations

Advantages: None.

Disadvantages: Cheap skirting boards often come with serious environmental considerations. Formaldehyde may be used in the binding agents used in MDF, which release toxic compounds into the atmosphere, negatively affecting the quality of your indoor air.

Premium Skirting Boards

While cheap options have their advantages, those offered by the premium uPVC and wood composite skirting boards and architrave skirting available at Home Improvements far outweigh them.

Material Quality

Advantages: Skirting boards made from good-quality uPVC and wood composites such as oak offer better stability and moisture resistance. This makes them ideal for strength, longevity, and greater resistance to chips and other damage.

Disadvantages: Premium quality skirting boards can be more difficult to work with if you want to add custom designs.

Costs

Advantages: You can expect better value for money from our premium skirting boards. They’re made from superior materials such as uPVC, are impressively durable, and boast high-quality finishes. The results are lower maintenance costs and a better look for your home. 

Disadvantages: Premium quality boards are more expensive than cheaper options, potentially impacting your budget.

Finish

Advantages: Better-quality boards are usually primed or pre-finished when you purchase them. Additionally, they’re available in flat and ogee profiles and different heights, lengths, and colours, so you should have no trouble finding one to match your aesthetic.

Disadvantages: Depending on the material you choose, you may not be able to paint or stain it in your preferred colour.

Durability

Advantages: Good quality wood composite and uPVC skirting boards are stronger than cheaper options, so they last longer and require less maintenance. With our premium water-resistant and rot-proof options, you don’t need to worry about chips, dents, swelling, or warping. When it comes to cleaning, a quick wipe with a slightly damp cloth should do the trick.

Disadvantages: None.

Installation

Advantages: There’s no need to put additional effort into creating the finish you want with good-quality boards. Installation is usually much faster than when working with cheaper options, as our superior uPVC and wood composite skirting boards are easy to cut and install. What’s more, premium skirting boards sometimes have features such as channels for cables.

Disadvantages: Top-quality boards have been machined accurately, which means they have more consistent profiles and smoother edges. While this offers the benefits of cleaner lines and tighter joints, it can make it trickier to achieve a smooth finish without the help of professional installers. 

Environmental Considerations

Advantages: Our quality boards are made from premium uPVC or wood composites that have been produced and sourced sustainably, and are recyclable. This means that you don’t need to worry about your indoor atmosphere being polluted by volatile compounds or your skirting boards contributing to environmental degradation.

Disadvantages: Some premium skirting boards aren’t made from sustainable materials.

Having looked at the advantages and disadvantages of cheap and premium skirting boards, the differences become quite clear. 

Cheaper options might be budget-friendly, basic, and relatively easy to install, but the benefits of better-quality boards far outweigh these advantages. Premium options offer durability, longevity, better finishes, wider choice, lower maintenance costs, and almost no environmental worries. 

Choose Quality Skirting Boards

Skirting boards enhance your living space, protect the edges of your flooring, and contribute to a cleaner, more finished look. Unless you’re constrained by budget, it makes better sense to choose premium products rather than cheaper ones. 

Find top-quality skirting boards in a range of colours, lengths, and heights to suit any room style at Home Improvements.