I want a new laminate floor. Can I avoid removing my skirting boards and still keep the edges nice?

I would like to purchase a new laminate floor to replace my old carpet.

I looked at the options for the trim as I live in a new build with paper thin walls that wouldn’t survive replacing the baseboards.

I don’t like the traditional edge called scotia. What are my other options?

MailOnline Real estate expert Myra Butterworth answers: To the untrained eye, the edges of laminate floors may not seem important. But it is often these finer details that influence the overall look and feel of a room.

After spending money on a new floor, it’s understandable that you don’t want to fall at the last hurdle and end up with a design you never wanted due to an ill-fitting job.

Fortunately, laminate flooring and its furnishings have come a long way in recent years.

There are wooden floors and wood effect floors to suit different budgets. Solid wood is usually the most expensive, engineered wood is in the middle and laminate floors are usually the most budget-friendly.

The improvements made to laminates often mean they look just as good as their solid or engineered wood alternatives, especially when properly installed.

This means, among other things, that you have to make sure that the edges look neat.

If the floor is laid before the skirting boards are installed, they can cover any cuts and holes on the side. If this is not possible, Scotia is a decorative fixing where the floor meets the skirting boards, as shown in the image below.

For Those who are on a budget and may not want to incur the expensive expense of removing baseboards, using Scotia is a good way to seal the expansion joints.

If you pay for more expensive engineered wood, you may also want to pay extra to have the baseboards reinstalled or forgo the product under your baseboards.

You can of course lay the new floor yourself or hire a professional to do the work for you. A professional installer will help you choose the best option. If you do it yourself, it is worth asking your flooring supplier about the options.

We speak to some experts about the different options now available, including DIY master and first-ever Big Brother winner Craig Phillips, along with laminate, wood and luxury vinyl flooring specialists Quick-Step.

DIY master Craig Phillipswho was the very first winner of Big Brother, answers: There are a number of options for beading along the edges.

One option is to remove the old baseboards first. Remember that all floors require a small expansion gap from the finished edge of the floor to the wall.

The new skirting board can be placed over the new floor, bridging the expansion joint.

If you don’t want to remove the skirting boards, you will still need to leave an expansion joint that needs to be covered, which is normally covered with a scotia. The scotia should be attached to the skirting board, not to the floor.

If you don’t want to use a scotia bead, there is an option to cut the baseboard underneath and slide the floor underneath. This would be a more difficult and slower way to install your floor and I would not recommend this method unless you are a good DIY or trade professional.

Lee Thompson of flooring company Quick-Step answers: A few years ago your options would have been quite limited. You would have had to either remove the old baseboard and reinstall it, or use a generic scotia that may not be quite the same color as your floor.

Fortunately, there are still a few options available these days, so you should be able to find something that works and will keep your baseboards in place and the walls free of damage.

But don’t rule out Scotia so easily. You will find that most good laminate floors can be chosen with a sleek scotia to match the wood design.

Not only is it a neat colour, the wood pattern is exactly the same and it can be the smartest way to finish your laminate floor if you can’t replace the skirting boards.

If you really don’t want scotia, you might want to consider something like a multi-purpose profile. These protrude less far from the floor and thus provide a subtle appearance. However, not every laminate floor has these available, especially in a matching pattern, so you may be limited to certain brands.

If you are an experienced do-it-yourselfer and plan to install the floor yourself, you may want to consider undercutting the baseboards.

Depending on how close the bottom of your door is to the carpet, you may need to trim it to fit your new laminate flooring, so why not do the same with the skirting boards? You can then simply slide the floor underneath. If you have your floor professionally installed, they should of course suggest this as an option if possible.

I’m not sure what type of baseboards your house has, but you can also find baseboard covers. These can be height adjustable and most laminate flooring companies should offer these.

They attach to the front of your skirting board and in a white, paintable finish they look impressively stylish. And if you’re painting too, do that before you fix them so you don’t have to be too picky about cutting in as small mistakes will be covered up.