How To Cut The Ceiling Plinth Correctly

How to cut a skirting board without a miter box When renovating a ceiling, it is not necessary to use a factory miter box. Skirting boards can be joined in different ways and with great precision. You can also make a miter box with your own hands.

Cutting and joining techniques for baguettes

In the picture above, you can see the process of cutting off the curtain rod along the slot of the miter box, but how to trim the ceiling plinth without the miter box? We offer you several options with descriptions, as well as making a template for the simplest miter box yourself. Let’s consider all the methods in order:

How to cut a skirting board without a miter box:

  1. Try on the cornice to the ceiling surface, run the marker line along the ceiling surface;
  2. To the right of the selected corner, press the product against the ceiling, draw another straight line;
  3. At the intersection of straight lines, mark the plinth itself with a dot, then draw the line from the markings on the baguette to its lower corner. Along it you will cut off the required corner on the fillet;
  4. The left corner is marked the same way;
  5. After cutting both skirting boards, press them into a corner and check for precision. If there are gaps, trim the corners again. Remember that the bar does not become shorter than the required length, do not shorten the unmarked part of it until you achieve an exact connection;
  6. After fitting, the fillet is glued or screwed on. The ceiling plinth for stretch ceilings cannot be fixed to the surface of the ceiling material; it cannot be glued only to the plane of the wall.

The method is as follows: how to cut a ceiling plinth without a miter box along the outer corner of the ceiling:

  1. Press the plinth to the right of the corner and draw a 200-300 mm long line along the ceiling with a pencil or marker;
  2. Press the cornice to the left corner, mark up to the first mowing line so that the markers intersect;
  3. On the plank, mark the points at the crossroads of markers and in the corner of the room;
  4. Connect the marked points on the cornice, cut the plinth along the markings with an angle of inclination towards the inside of the plank;
  5. Check the accuracy of the joint in place, trim again if necessary.

Classic moldings are made of wood, but they are difficult to fit exactly without the use of a factory miter box and appropriate cutting tools. Wooden baguettes are formed with a side saw, and in its absence, a carpenter’s hacksaw with a fine tooth, an electric jigsaw or a hacksaw for cutting metal.

Whatever the plinth, if the angle in the room is not 90 0, then it will be difficult to make an accurate cut for joining the planks. In old buildings (stalinka, Khrushchev, and even brezhnevka), the angle in the room can be formed as 88 0 or 93 0 (for a piermer), and it is problematic to cut off such an end according to a template. Then how to properly cut the corner of the skirting board without a miter box, avoiding large discrepancies and without using a complex and expensive tool? Use the presented method.

The figure shows cornices made of materials such as:

  1. Polyurethane (PPU);
  2. Polyfoam (PP);
  3. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC);
  4. Wood.

To form an exact inner corner from the planks, follow these steps in sequence:

  1. Try on a baguette to the corner of the room, for example, on the right;
  2. Draw a fishing line with a pencil along the plinth;
  3. On the left side, do the same operations with the cornice;
  4. The crossing point of the marker lines will be the upper mark, from which it is necessary to cut;
  5. Place the curtain rod in the corner and transfer the crossing point to the plank;
  6. Connect the upper and lower marks on the cornice with a pencil;
  7. Cut the ends along the markings;
  8. For the second plank, the points are repeated in the same sequence.

The following solution is how to cut accurately and how to glue the skirting board without a miter box to the inner corner of the ceiling:

  1. Find out the fillet width;
  2. On the bottom, mark a point at the distance of the width of the plank;
  3. Connect with a diagonal line the point of the upper corner with the point of the lower mowing line, cut the product along this mowing line;
  4. For the second cornice, all points are repeated in the same sequence.

Recommendations for the home master

  1. Experienced builders recommend cutting the planks from the side and trying them on immediately on the ceiling. If irregularities are found, you can trim the baguette in the direction of the product adjoining the ceiling;
  2. After preliminary fitting, the finished cornices are attached to the wall and ceiling. Seams and corner joints are sealed with silicone sealant;
  3. Before cutting wide skirting boards, make a few trial cuts on short skirting boards to help you avoid making mistakes when finishing cutting;
  4. At home, a table pushed against the wall can serve as an accurate miter box:
  5. To mark the inner corner, the length of the bar is counted from the corner;
  6. To mark the outer corner, the baguette should protrude beyond the corner of the room by its own width;
  7. The skirting board should be cut on a flat and hard surface, unmarked surface down;
  8. Ceiling products are glued or screwed after cutting both strips;
  9. Small errors when joining wooden, aluminum or PVC baguettes are removed with a file. The curvature of the foam fillets is leveled with a sharp knife or cutter;
  10. If a small gap still remains, it is masked with Knauf, ABC finishing putty, or white silicone sealant.

How to cut a ceiling plinth without a miter box Docking ceiling fillets without an industrial miter box

Factory miter box. This is an aluminum, plastic or wooden tray with depressions 45 0 or 90 0. Such a device is rarely used at home, so it is not found in everyone. But few also know how to cut a ceiling plinth without a miter box, so we will consider a few simple solutions that will allow you to dock the ceiling plinths in the corners of the room with great accuracy.

When renovating an apartment, installing a new ceiling is often necessary to create a complete design idea. The completed ceiling is decorated with beautiful fillet skirting boards. The baguettes are glued, nailed or screwed along the perimeter of the room, their position is previously marked in the corners at the joints of the walls and ceiling. Ceiling cornices are often rigid and solid strips (although there are elastic silicone ones), so they need to be beautifully docked in the corners of the room with each other, and without a miter box, this is difficult, but possible.

Fillets for framing the corners of the ceiling are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), expanded polystyrene (PPU), polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS), polystyrene (PP), wood or metal:

  1. Foam decorative cornice is fragile, but this does not matter for unloaded ceiling structures. PP skirting boards can have different widths, standard length is 1 meter, bas-relief surface with different patterns;
  2. Expanded polystyrene material is dense, easy to install, the edges of the cornice do not crumble during cutting;
  3. It is most difficult to dock aluminum or wood, it will take great accuracy, which is difficult to achieve without the use of a miter box. It is recommended to cut the corners of such curtain rods with a sheet for metal; to calculate the correct cutting angle, use the methods below.

Products and the nuances of their application:

Parameters and requirements

Polyvinyl chloride is easily crushed, after which it is not restored. When machining requires care and minimal pressure

Cut with a carpenter’s cutter or a hacksaw for metal

The foam plank is fragile and crumbles easily. It is recommended to cut PP plinth with a very sharp cutter or a special tool with an electric nichrome cutter.

Cut with a carpenter’s cutter or a hacksaw for metal, hot wire clamped in clamps

Durable and aesthetic material.

It is cut with an ordinary hand or special tool (end power saw, wood saw with fine teeth, metal blade), the cost of products is higher than PPU, PP OR PVC curtain rods

Working solutions for baguette preparation without miter box

Another option for trimming the plank is to create a kind of structure from thick cardboard and a wooden bar. The first step is to bend the cardboard to the angle you measured in the corner of the room. Then, to the wooden block intended for cutting the corner, press the cardboard and draw the line along which you need to cut the block, this will be your template. To cut the fillet, place the wooden template on top of the plank, and cut the required corner along the block.

Actual offer in the construction market. Kindekor skirting board made of expanded polystyrene, made by extrusion technology. Therefore, the ceiling slats of the Russian company Kindecor do not have the disadvantages of PPU cornices. The cost of cornices is much lower than foam or other analogs.

But in old houses with floating corners, such sets are unlikely to be useful in the kit, you will find only angles at 45 0, 60 0 and 90 0. How to fix the situation? You need to roughly trim the end of the baguette. An angle of approximately 45 0, and then, during several fittings, cut the angle in place to the required value.

When cutting the baguette and shaping the outer corner, use this method:

  1. Press the plinth to the right side of the corner so that the plank protrudes beyond the corner by at least its own width;
  2. Use a pencil to mark the line on the ceiling;
  3. Press the plinth to the left side of the corner so that the plank protrudes beyond the corner by at least its own width;
  4. With a pencil, mark the line on the ceiling, mark the intersection of these two lines;
  5. Copy the markings to the plank, connect the dots with a line, cut the baguette along this mowing line;
  6. Check the evenness of the cuts by applying the prepared baguettes to the outer corner;
  7. Before gluing the ceiling plinth without a miter box, remove any errors (irregularities, chips, gaps, inconsistencies) on the fillet surfaces.

How to make a miter box template yourself

In the absence of a miter box or unwillingness to buy it, it is not necessary to purchase a special tool in order to use it once or twice in the entire history of repairs. You can make a homemade template with the same capabilities, it does not take much time. Take a board, thick paper or cardboard as a blank for an impromptu miter box, and mark the required cuts on them.

Then draw two parallel mowing lines on the template, locate the center on the drawing, and use a school protractor to set any corners. This simple technology gives very accurate results, while you can draw and cut any angle greater or less than 90 0.

The technology for working with a homemade miter box is no different from operations with an industrial product. The baguette should be attached to one of the lines, put the hacksaw at the selected angle, and cut off the workpiece. If you do not plan to spend money on miter box pr

How to cut a ceiling plinth correctly

  • 1 Methods for cutting skirting boards
  • 2 Preparation of seams with an arbitrary angle
  • 3 The final stage of work
  • 4

It is known that in order to obtain a perfect articulation of two corner pieces of the ceiling plinth, it is necessary to correctly arrange the cutting line of each of them. In this article, you can learn how to properly cut a ceiling plinth, as well as familiarize yourself with the devices that are necessary for this.

The final stage of work

Final adjustment of the skirting board

Upon completion of the operations to form the joints, a control check of the fit of the blanks on the cut should be carried out.

In the event that there are gaps in the joint, you will have to make an exact fit by slightly cutting the baseboard or processing the sections with sandpaper.

And finally, we will acquaint you with how to properly cut the ceiling plinth more accurately. Adjustment of the mowing line for joining adjacent sections of the skirting board should be done even before you start marking and cutting its length. When the order of operations is reversed (first the length, and then the angle) and with a failed attempt to design the joint, you risk completely ruining the workpiece.

Methods for cutting skirting boards

How To Cut The Ceiling Plinth Correctly

Cutting technology

There are the following ways to cut the ceiling plinth:

  • Cutting with a miter box.
  • Cutting with a special stencil.
  • Cutting by applying pencil markings.

A miter box is a special device with which you can form an arbitrary angle from those that are in its set of cuts.

Using a miter box

When working with this device, the skirting board must be inserted in exactly the same way as it will be located on the ceiling. While holding the upper part of the workpiece, its lower edge must be pressed against the wall of the fixture and cut in the shape of your choice.

You can use a conventional metal hacksaw to prepare your plastic skirting boards. But when using it, you should not make significant efforts, as this can lead to the formation of chips.

Arbitrary joint preparation

Cutting with a stencil Since the walls in the rooms do not always adjoin one another at 90 degrees, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the technique of preparing an arbitrary cut angle.

This technique is implemented, as a rule, in the following two ways:

  1. Using a cardboard stencil, the halves of which are obtained by cutting it at the angle you need. Using such a stencil as a template, according to which the cuts of the skirting boards are formed, you can get the perfect corner joint.
  2. The second method involves preparing the cutting site using pencil markings and is as follows:
  • Pencil markup method both joining blanks are sawn off at an angle of 90 degrees;
  • One of them is applied to the corner, and then a line is outlined on it for the abutment of the plinth to the ceiling;
  • The same actions are carried out with the second workpiece (on the adjacent wall);
  • The point of intersection of the two lines obtained should be carefully transferred to both blanks;
  • From the marks obtained on the blanks after transferring them from the ceiling, draw an oblique line to the opposite corner of the plinth and get a cutting line.

Preparing the cut line Pay particular attention to the fact that with this method of marking it is necessary to maintain maximum accuracy. The quality of the resulting joint will entirely depend on how accurately you carry out this procedure (and, of course, on the accuracy with which you will shape the cut on the blanks).

In the same sequence, the cutting lines for the outer corner are prepared. But at the same time, there is no need to transfer the intersection of the marking lines to the skirting boards, since in this situation it is the upper mating point of the corner parts of the blanks. In this case, the point of contact with the wall has to be transferred.

For more information on the technique of cutting the ceiling plinth for corners, see the following video:

What and how to cut

Working with skirting boards made from different materials means using different cutting tools. When working with a wooden skirting board, it is more convenient to work with a saw on wood. All others, including plastic ones, made of polystyrene and other polymers, are better cut with a blade for metal. The result is a smoother cut, less burr. Saws are usually used when working with a miter box.

Corner design looks attractive

When working with polystyrene skirting boards, they cut them with a good stationery knife without special devices. Its blade is quite thin and even, the cut is smooth, not wrinkled. If you work with a saw with polyurethane or polystyrene, do not press hard: you can wrinkle.

In general, in order to get used to the tool and material a little, take a piece and practice on it: cut, saw, trim. So there will be fewer problems when working.

With decorative corners

There is one more, simpler way. For skirting boards made of polyurethane or polystyrene, use ready-made, factory decorative corners. They are installed in a corner, strips are glued to them closely. It is very easy to cut them if necessary: ​​by a few millimeters with an ordinary clerical knife.

Examples of finished fillet corners

Using a miter box

If the corners and walls in the room are even, you can use a special miter box carpentry tool. This is a groove in the form of an inverted letter P, in which the mowing line is outlined for cutting at an angle of 90 and 45. The part in which you want to cut is laid inside, the saw is inserted into the guides. The part is held in place, cut at the desired angle.

This is what the miter box looks like. Can be plastic, wood or metal

In the case of skirting boards, not everything is so simple: they must simultaneously adhere to two surfaces, therefore they need to be pressed against one or the other wall of the miter box. When working with ceilings, they are pressed against the side closest to you.

The sequence of actions when finishing the outer corner, you need to make a gash at an angle of 45 degrees. Place the miter box in front of you. Trying on how the plinth will be located, determining which part of it will be attached to the ceiling. In order not to get confused and cut off the ceiling plinth correctly, put the strip that will be located on the right on the right, the one on the left on the left.

How to cut a corner on a ceiling plinth: install it correctly in a miter box

Press the part that is on the ceiling to the bottom of the miter box. The other side is closer to you and raised. Lean it on the wall of the device so that it does not stagger when cutting. That is, the front of the skirting board turns out to be turned away from you. Make the cutting direction as shown below. By folding the two cut pieces together, you get a projecting outer or outer corner.

How to make the outer corner of a skirting board using a chair

First put the cut off parts in place on a dry one, without applying glue. If the geometry of the corner is not so perfect, you can tweak it a little with a knife. It is easier to cover small errors with a special putty.

The situation is very similar with the inner corner of the skirting board. First, you try on which side will be on the ceiling, press this part to the bottom of the miter box, lean the second part on the wall closest to you and make cuts as shown below.

How to make an inner corner of a ceiling plinth using a miter box

And again, first try on without applying glue, if necessary, slightly adjust. Then apply a thin bead of glue to both surfaces that will adhere to the wall or ceiling.

Your own version of how to use the miter box correctly is shown in.

How to make a corner of a ceiling plinth without a miter box

Few people in apartments or houses have angles exactly at 90. Small deviations are easily corrected after fitting. But not always. Then you have to mark everything in place under the ceiling.

You will need a thinly contoured pencil (hard it is not so visible on the ceiling, but leaves quite clear marks near), a small piece of baseboard, a ruler and a good stationery knife if you work with polyurethane (polystyrene) baguettes or a metal saw to work with the rest materials.

Apply the plinth to the corner, draw along the outer edge with a pencil. Apply to the other side of the corner, also mark. You have a cross on the ceiling, the center of which marks the place where the plinths of the ceiling plinth should converge (look at). Having installed a piece of plinth in the corner, which will be glued there and resting it with its end on the wall, transfer the mark to it.

How to make corners on skirting boards without using special tools

Now take a ruler and connect the edge of the skirting board to the marked mark. If you just put the plinth on the table and cut off along the mowing line, the two parts in the corner will still not fold: the inner part will interfere. It can be trimmed later by trying on the ceiling. The second way is to place the piece to be cut on the table with the piece that will be on the ceiling. And cut along the mowing line, but holding the knife at an angle of about 45. You will still need to adjust, but much less (and less chance of error).

Repeat the same operation with the second bar. Put it against the desired wall, rest the butt against the adjacent wall, mark the place where the cross is drawn, draw the line and then cut it off. Correction Carried out dry without applying glue.

You repeat exactly the same steps for the outer (protruding) corner. Now you know another way to make a corner of a ceiling plinth, and without a scissor or other special devices.

How to get the correct angle

Most of the problems when working with skirting boards arise in the design of corners. Since the surface of the products is complex, it will not be possible to simply cut off at the desired angle: it is also necessary to cut so that they dock and preferably without large gaps. There are actually several ways to make the corner of your skirting board perfect (or almost).

What is it made of and what is it called

The very first skirting boards on the ceiling were made of plaster. They were cast in special molds and then installed on the ceiling with mortar. Such figured decorations were called fillets. Today you can rarely see them: they are expensive, and outwardly they are almost indistinguishable from the cheaper options. And the name is almost lost.

The most popular ceiling skirting boards are made of polyurethane or polystyrene. They are inexpensive, look great, easy to install, have a wide range of profiles and patterns. The width can be from 5 mm to 250 mm. They are used in almost any room, decorated in any style. An exception is wooden houses with a suitable interior. Wood products are most often used here; the style dictates its own terms.

There is also a similar plastic finish. It is mainly installed in bathrooms. But even in damp rooms, you can safely mount polyurethane strips, they are not afraid of dampness.

You need to cut the ceiling plinth in the corners of any material in one of the ways described below. The only exception is plastic skirting boards: you can arrange such a corner only using ready-made corners.

Selection of tools for cutting ceiling skirting boards

To properly and accurately cut the skirting board, you need to use a suitable cutting tool. It is chosen depending on the material from which the fillets are made:

  • Styrofoam. It is characterized by low strength and is relatively inexpensive, and therefore foam models are becoming more and more popular. Their strength does not particularly affect the performance, since usually the ceiling plinth is not subjected to mechanical stress. A regular utility knife is suitable for cutting.

Extruded polystyrene foam. A cheap material with a density several times higher than that of foam. Because of this, cutting it is a little more difficult, and therefore a sharp and thin knife is used for this purpose.

  • Wood. Such skirting boards are more difficult to process, although they have many advantages (environmental friendliness, durability). They cost more
    especially if made of hardwood. Before cutting a wood skirting board, stock up on a hacksaw.
  • In addition to the tool for direct cutting of the baguette, you will need a miter box. This is a special device made of wood, plastic or metal in the form of a box with notches on the sides. A hacksaw or knife can be inserted into it at the desired angle. Thus, the cutting angle is as accurate as possible.
    1. We knock three planks of 5015 cm with a long edge into the shape of a three-sided, rectangular box. Please note that an angle of 90 degrees must be respected between the side rails and the transverse board.
    2. Using a protractor, mark an angle of 45 degrees on the bars. Instead of a protractor, you can use a school square. In it, one angle is 90 degrees, and the other two are 45 degrees.

    3. Before cutting the corners, mark the vertical direction with a simple pencil.

    Features of cutting ceiling plinths in a miter box

    It is necessary to work with this device with extreme care so as not to blunt the tool and not leave cuts in unnecessary places. In the process, we adhere to the following instructions:

    • We fix the baguette in the miter box in the same way as it is planned to place it on the wall. The side that will be pressed against the ceiling on the miter box should rest against the sidewall.

    We insert a cutting tool (hacksaw or knife) into the required gap and cut the fillet.

    • We process the joint of the ceiling plinth and apply it to the wall to check the correctness. The foam molding can be corrected with a sharp knife if the roughness of the end is about 2 mm. The wooden skirting board can be simply sanded with sandpaper. For ease of use, it can be glued to a wooden block.

    Method for cutting a ceiling plinth without a miter box

    To neatly dock fillets in the inner corners, you can do without a miter box.

    We carry out the work in the following order:

    • We apply the end part of the baguette to the sheet of paper and outline the outline of the convex side. It is more convenient to use a small section of the baseboard (if any).

    Cut out the resulting template.

    We transfer the contour to the surface of the baguette with a simple pencil.

    Cut along the drawn curve.

    For fitting, we apply one plinth tightly with the end part to the wall, and then the second.

    • If there are small gaps, then they can be processed with a clerical knife or subsequently sealed with a sealant.

    Skirting board cutting technology

    For efficient and high-quality work, you need to choose a tool in accordance with the material of the baseboard and choose a cutting method. If you have a miter box, then there will be no particular difficulties in the process. If it is not there, then two options are possible: cut according to a template and measurements on the ceiling, or make this tool yourself.

    Technique for cutting ceiling skirting boards

    This method can be used if your corners are even and you want to trim the baguette exactly 45 degrees. To do this, before cutting the ceiling plinth in the corners, you need to draw a miter box on thick paper. Draw two parallel mowing lines and mark the angles at the desired degrees using a protractor.

    We place the fillet in this case in the same way as on a traditional miter box. Please note that you need to cut the skirting board holding the tool in a strictly vertical position.

    How to cut a ceiling plinth

    One of the most difficult steps in installing skirting boards is cutting them correctly. Only by correctly joining the individual elements at the outer and inner corners will you get the desired result. Fillets will look aesthetically pleasing and neat if you cut them off at the right angle and seal the cracks. A special tool (miter box) is used to accomplish this task. And if it is not, then other devices will help.