Replacing skirting with radiator pipes attached to it.

[LancsRick]

Ok, so as per my skirting thread I will be replacing the existing skirtings in the house with some nice oak ones. Currently several parts of the skirting have radiator pipes clipped to them.

What I'm trying to decide is how best to deal with this without causing myself plumbing related issues.

1) Try to ease the pipes away from the wall and chisel/cut the skirting away from the wall to allow me to slide a new piece into place. I'm concerned about whether I'll be able to get the pipes to move enough, and if I can then I might cause issues with the current pipe connection to the radiator itself.

2) Put in place a 1-inch deep section of boxing over the existing pipes and skirting for that length. It'll hide the pipes nicely but will also be an oddity in terms of skirting flow.

I'm leaning towards the second but would welcome thoughts and experiences!

 

[pulleyt]

My personal preference is always to hide pipes (and cables) if possible. Providing it doesn't look entirely odd, of course. I have done this in the past with a short section of skirting in our Kitchen extension and found it perfectly acceptable.

 

[sunnybob]

Its not woodworking, but you can buy hollow plastic skirting especially for heating pipes. Clean and simple to fit, they also give easy access if you have a problem later on.