Skirting Calculator
Estimate how much skirting board you need and what it costs in Australia, by linear metres, profile, material and finish.
Measure the perimeter of each room and subtract doorways. Add 10 per cent for cutting waste and mitres.
Primed MDF is the standard and takes paint beautifully, but it swells irreversibly if it gets wet. Do not use standard MDF skirting in bathrooms, laundries or anywhere it can sit in water, including against a slab that has not been damp proofed. Use moisture resistant board or a pre-finished product in wet areas.
💰 Ways to save
- Measure the perimeter of each room, subtract door openings, then add 10 per cent for mitres and cutting waste. Ordering exactly what you measured guarantees a second trip and, on a discontinued or milled profile, a batch that does not quite match. The 10 per cent allowance is cheaper than either.
- Use a stock profile the supplier holds rather than a custom milled one. Standard 68, 92 and 138 millimetre profiles are held in volume and cost a fraction of custom milling, which typically carries a minimum run charge and a lead time of weeks. If you are matching an existing period profile, take a sample offcut to the supplier before assuming it needs custom work.
- Get skirting installed before flooring only if the floor is being fully replaced and the installer knows. The usual sequence is flooring first, then skirting sitting on top, which hides the expansion gap and avoids scribing to an uneven slab. Getting this order wrong is the most common reason skirting has to be removed and refitted.
- If you are painting yourself, buy pre-primed board and paint the lengths before installation, then touch up the nail holes and mitres afterwards. Painting flat lengths on trestles is far quicker than cutting in along a finished floor, and it produces a better result with less masking.
How we estimate this
## Skirting board costs in 2026
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
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Pricing reviewed June 2026. Indicative Australian costs, not a quote.
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Understanding skirtings in Australia
Skirting board costs in 2026
Skirting in Australia in 2026 costs roughly $8 to $25 a lineal metre for the material alone, depending on profile and species, and $25 to $60 a lineal metre supplied and installed. Adding filling, sanding and painting takes it to $35 to $80 a metre. A typical three bedroom house has 90 to 140 lineal metres of skirting, which puts a full replacement at $2,500 to $8,000 supplied, installed and painted. A single room of 15 to 20 metres is commonly $500 to $1,200. Most carpenters apply a minimum charge or half day rate, so very small jobs cost disproportionately more per metre.
Measuring properly
The measurement is straightforward but people get it wrong in predictable ways. Measure the perimeter of each room along the walls, subtract the width of every door opening, and do not subtract for built in wardrobes unless they genuinely run to the floor without skirting. Then add 10 per cent for cutting waste, mitres at external corners and scribes at internal corners. External mitres in particular waste material because a bad cut costs you the length. If the profile is being milled or is a slow moving line, order the full quantity in one batch, since a second run can differ subtly in profile or colour and the difference shows once painted.
Material choices
Primed MDF dominates the market because it is dimensionally stable, has no knots or grain to telegraph through paint, comes pre-primed and is the cheapest option. Its weakness is water, since MDF swells irreversibly and does not recover, which rules out standard MDF in bathrooms, laundries and anywhere it can sit in moisture. Finger jointed pine costs a little more, handles incidental moisture better and holds a fixing well. Solid hardwood is used where the skirting is stained or clear finished rather than painted, and where a period profile in a matching timber is wanted, at roughly double the price. Moisture resistant and pre-finished boards suit wet areas and rental turnovers where speed matters.
Profile and height
Height is largely a proportion question. A 68 millimetre splayed board is the builder standard in project homes and looks correct with a 2.4 metre ceiling. A 92 millimetre bullnose or half splay is the most common upgrade and reads as more substantial without dominating. A 138 millimetre colonial or ogee suits period homes and higher ceilings, and 185 millimetres and above belongs in genuinely tall rooms. The practical caution is that taller boards expose more of the wall and floor, and older Australian houses are rarely straight. A tall board will show every bow in the wall and every dip in the floor, so allow more scribing and filling time in an older home.
Installation, sequencing and wet areas
The standard sequence is flooring first, then skirting fitted on top, which conceals the expansion gap required by timber and floating floors and avoids having to scribe the skirting to an uneven substrate. Fitting skirting first and flooring after works only where the flooring is thin and the gap can be covered by a scotia or quad, which many people dislike aesthetically. Fixing is usually a combination of adhesive and finish nails into studs and bottom plates, with mitres at external corners and scribed joints at internal corners because scribes hold up better than internal mitres when the timber moves. In wet areas, keep the board clear of the floor with a silicone bead rather than sitting it in water.
Removing old skirting
Replacement jobs carry risks that new work does not. Levering old skirting off almost always damages the plaster behind it, particularly where the board was glued, so budget for plaster repair as a matter of course rather than as a contingency. In homes built or renovated before about 1990, the wall sheeting behind the skirting may be asbestos cement rather than plasterboard, especially in wet areas, older extensions and mid century homes. Disturbing it is regulated in every state. If the house is pre-1990 and the sheeting is unidentified, have a sample tested before anyone starts levering, because the cost of doing it properly is far lower than the cost of contaminating the house.
Painting and finishing
Painting is a meaningful share of the total. Filling nail holes, sanding, caulking the top edge against the wall and applying two coats of enamel or water based enamel adds $10 to $25 a lineal metre. The caulk line along the top edge is what separates a professional result from an obvious one, because no wall is perfectly flat and the bead hides the variation. If you are doing it yourself, painting the lengths on trestles before installation and touching up afterwards is quicker and gives a better finish than cutting in along a completed floor. Use a proper trim enamel rather than wall paint, since skirting takes knocks, vacuum cleaners and mop handles for decades.
Frequently asked questions
How much does skirting cost per metre in Australia?
Roughly $8 to $25 a lineal metre for material alone in 2026, $25 to $60 a metre supplied and installed, and $35 to $80 a metre including filling, sanding and painting. A typical three bedroom house has 90 to 140 lineal metres, so a full painted replacement is $2,500 to $8,000.
How do I calculate how much skirting I need?
Measure the perimeter of each room along the walls, subtract every door opening, then add 10 per cent for mitres and cutting waste. Order the full quantity in one batch, because a second run of the same profile can differ subtly in shape or colour and the difference becomes visible once painted.
Can I use MDF skirting in a bathroom?
Not standard MDF. It swells irreversibly when wet and does not recover, so it fails in bathrooms, laundries and anywhere it can sit in moisture. Use a moisture resistant board or a pre-finished product in wet areas, and keep the bottom edge clear of the floor with a silicone bead rather than sitting it in water.
Should skirting go on before or after flooring?
After, in almost all cases. Flooring is laid first and the skirting sits on top, concealing the expansion gap that timber and floating floors require and avoiding scribing to an uneven substrate. Fitting skirting first means covering the gap with a scotia or quad, which many people dislike.
What height skirting should I choose?
Match it to the ceiling. A 68 millimetre splayed board suits a standard 2.4 metre ceiling, 92 millimetres is the common upgrade and reads as more substantial, 138 millimetres suits period homes and higher ceilings, and 185 millimetres and above needs genuinely tall rooms. Taller boards expose more wall and floor imperfection, so allow more scribing time in an older house.
Is there a risk removing old skirting?
Two. Levering old boards off almost always damages the plaster behind, so budget for repair rather than treating it as a contingency. And in homes built or renovated before about 1990, the wall sheeting behind may be asbestos cement rather than plasterboard, particularly in wet areas and older extensions, so have it identified before you start.
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