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How to sand skirting boards

Updated: 21 October 2026

Sanding skirting in a lived-in room is a corner problem and a dust problem before it is a power problem. You are working at floor level, next to paint you hope to keep, with a mitre in the corner and an architrave a metre away. A round random-orbit pad will not sit in that corner. The seven handheld tools are listed on the [edge sander comparison](/hub/sanders/edge-sander). Peter F. used stored amazon.co.uk prices and review counts, written up on 19 October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Sanding skirting in a lived-in room is a corner problem and a dust problem before it is a power problem.

Our top picks

RYOBI Ryobi ONE+ corner palm

Best overall

RYOBI Ryobi ONE+ corner palm
9.0/10about £44.99
View offer
HYCHIKA HYCHIKA 130 W detail

Rank 2

HYCHIKA HYCHIKA 130 W detail
8.8/10about £25.01
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BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER Mouse 55 W

Rank 3

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER Mouse 55 W
8.8/10about £24.28
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On this page
  1. 1.What to carry into the room
  2. 2.Inside corners and architrave mitres
  3. 3.Dust in a house that is still being lived in
  4. 4.Where this job ends

What to carry into the room

Leave the Milescraft 1621 downstairs. It sands two square board edges, and a skirting profile will not sit in that V. Take a pointed pad. The lightest powered option is the BLACK+DECKER Mouse, 55 W at £24.28 (4.4 from 68), with one report of a failure straight away, so treat it as a trim tool. The HYCHIKA 130 W at £25.01 (4.4 from 536) adds a dust box. Reviews like it on stairs and skirting, and they mention dust leaving the bag. The 200 W HYCHIKA is faster than nibs need. The KATSU at £16.99 draws complaints about dust in the motor. If you already own 18V ONE+, the Ryobi palm at £44.99 is light on door frames, with weak dust pickup and heat on long runs. Who should buy which listing is on best edge sander.

Inside corners and architrave mitres

Mask the carpet. Between coats, a decorator rule of thumb is around 240 grit, barely loaded, to knock nibs off the film. Start on a straight length, away from the mitre, and keep the sheet on the moulding. At the inside corner, use the tip and shorten the stroke. On an architrave mitre, the point works the joint and the heel stays off the flat beside it. A 200 W tool dishes that flat quickly. The 55 W BLACK+DECKER gives you more time to stop. Sanding back to bare wood leaves a line the next coat will not hide. Vacuum the mitre before the next brush. Keeping an edge square is on how to sand wood edges.
RYOBI Ryobi ONE+ corner palm

Testsieger

RYOBI Ryobi ONE+ corner palm
9.0/10about £44.99
View offer

Dust in a house that is still being lived in

Fit the bag, and expect leakage. HSE’s eight-hour limits are 3 mg/m³ for hardwood and mixtures, and 5 mg/m³ for softwood. Otherwise wear FFP3 or a P3 half-mask, an assigned protection factor of at least 20. Close the door and vacuum. Corded tools here expect 230 V and a BS 1363 plug. Stop for suspected lead paint. Pause when the Ryobi housing heats, and change a sheet when the hook grip goes. Wider trade-offs are on the edge sander buying guide.

Where this job ends

This method is for corners, profiles and a light sand between coats. A stationary belt edge sander, from about £978 including VAT, is a different machine. If the architrave is twisted or the mitre is open, a carpenter is the next call. For de-nibbing a sound coat, the BLACK+DECKER or the 130 W HYCHIKA, an FFP3 mask, and a vacuum are enough.

Common questions

What sander should I use on skirting boards?
Use a mouse or detail sander with a pointed pad, not a manual V-groove and not a round random-orbit pad. In this set the BLACK+DECKER 55 W Mouse at £24.28 suits light between-coat work, and the HYCHIKA 130 W at £25.01 adds a dust box with a larger review sample. The Milescraft 1621 is for square panel edges. It will not follow a skirting profile.
Can I sand an architrave mitre with the same tool?
Yes. The tip of a mouse pad or a delta plate on the Bosch PSM 200 AES reaches the mitre if you keep the stroke short and the heel of the pad off the flat. A 55 W tool is easier to control there than a 200 W detail sander. Mask or guard the wall, because a rolled pad leaves a scuff that shows in daylight.
What grit should I use between coats on skirting?
A decorator rule of thumb is a fine sheet, often around 240 grit, with light pressure to knock nibs off the paint film. You are not cutting back to bare timber. A 150 grit disc, such as the one included with the Milescraft, is coarser and belongs on a raw board edge. Sanding through the coat on an arris leaves a line the next coat will flash.
Is a dust bag enough in a bedroom or landing?
A bag or box reduces the pile and still lets dust escape. UK reviews say so for the HYCHIKA collectors, and the Ryobi’s pickup is a known weak point. Wear an FFP3 mask or a P3 half-mask, which HSE treats as an assigned protection factor of at least 20 for wood dust. FFP2 is not that standard. Vacuum the floor and the profile, and keep the room closed until you have.
The Ryobi is cordless. Is that better for skirtings?
Only if you already have an 18V ONE+ battery. The palm sander is £44.99 as a bare tool, rated 4.5 from 715 reviews, and it is light on door frames. Reviews also cite weak dust pickup and heat on long runs. A corded BLACK+DECKER or HYCHIKA plugs into a UK 13 A socket and avoids the battery cost. Pause when the Ryobi housing warms up.
When should a decorator stop and call someone else?
Stop if you suspect lead paint in older joinery and use a licensed contractor. Call a carpenter if the mitres are open, the architrave is twisted, or the run needs replacing rather than de-nibbing. A mouse sander will not correct a bad joint, and a workshop belt sander is the wrong machine to bring into a lived-in room.

Related pages

Mouse sander vs manual edge tool

Edge sander

Best edge sander: Ryobi top pick, Milescraft value

Edge sander buying guide: jig, mouse or cordless palm

How to sand a wood edge without rounding the arris

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk listing figures.

  1. HSE — wood dust (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. HSE — hand-held powered sanders WD7 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. HSE — woodworking FAQs (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. HSE — cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Festool ES-ETS 125 REQ-Plus (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Excel Machine Tools — edge sanders (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. amazon.co.uk listings for these seven ASINs (retrieved 21.10.2026)