If your skirting board is looking a little old and battered, and it's time to consider replacing it, then there are a couple of hints and tips to make this an easy job.

Firstly, remove the old skirting board. Place a bolster at the top edge and hammer it in gently to slowly begin to prise the skirting away from the wall (or, more accurately, the strips of wood which hold it in place). When it starts to come away, insert a wedge and remove the bolster, then move a foot or so along and repeat the process. Where you find it hard to do this, place a thin wood offcut next to the wall, rest the back of a claw hammer against the wood (so as not to damage the wall) and prise the board away with the hammer.

Use a mitre block to cut the new skirting board to the same lengths and angles and then hammer nails at a downward angle into the same supporting pieces of wood as you removed the last from. Use a wood filler paste to cover these nail holes and then paint the board.