Skirting and border profiles

More than just your average skirting tile: Our skirting profiles do more than simply protect your walls – they can also be used as colour accents, decorative lighting.

Narrow trim, striking appearance.

Whenever anyone thinks of skirting, the classic skirting tiles, wooden or plastic strips usually come to mind. But did you know that you can also use skirting profiles to design the floor to wall transition? They are much more than just protective and decorative trimmings; thanks to clever additional functions, they can become an elemental part of your interior design. Whether illuminated, colour-coated or custom-printed, find out more about our border profiles and the three main reasons for using them.

Living room with sitting area, window front, dark large-format tiles and illuminated baseboards — Skirting profile with design appeal: Schlüter-DESIGNBASE-QD was combined with LED lighting in this living room to create accent lighting at the floor to wall transition as well as between the wall tiles.

External wall corner with tiling in a wood finish and matching skirting with the same pattern — A flowing transition thanks to MyDesign: These profiles were custom printed to echo the wood decor of the wall tiles and blend easily into the bathroom design.

Floor with brushed aluminium skirting around a white column and along a white wall — Classic, robust, care-free: The timeless aluminium skirting profiles were chosen primarily for functional reasons and to protect the wall transitions throughout the congested commercial space.

Three good reasons for skirting profiles

Reliable protection

against moisture and cleaning water
against scratches and knocks caused by furniture or cleaning equipment
against dirt

Enhanced living comfort

Lighting accents for a welcoming atmosphere, interior design, stairs or orientation lighting

Versatile design element

Accentuating the visual impact of a room with material, height and shape
Accents with colours or lighting
Seamless transitions with custom printing

#1 Protection for walls and floors

But the most important thing first: Any type of skirting – whether made of wood or plastic, tiled or profiled – protects your walls and floors. And this can be accomplished in several ways:

Protection against mechanical damage: Skirting profiles effectively protect the lower areas of your walls against knocks or scratches from furniture, vacuuming or toys.
Protection against dirt: Skirting profiles cover the transition from the floor covering to the wall and thus protect both the wall and the expansion joint in that area against dirt.
Protection against moisture: Moisture can cause substantial damage to a building and it can penetrate particularly easily through joints, cracks and gaps. This makes it all the more important that these areas are properly waterproofed so that mould cannot form and expensive repairs are prevented. Skirting profiles that are fitted with a sealing lip ensure that the important edge joint between the floor and wall is effectively sealed against splashing water.
Soundproofing: These sealing lips can also help minimise noise and are therefore the perfect addition to sound insulation.

Why is the edge joint at the junction with the wall so important?

Although it may not be evident from the outside, there is always a lot going on in a floor construction! Changes in moisture content or temperature cause screed and concrete to constantly move, expand or contract. These processes can only go smoothly if expansion joints compensate for the movements in the structure: These joints buffer the changes in shape and ensure that the laid material can "move" freely. Expansion joints are therefore factored into the design of a building component or floor covering, as well as where they meet the wall. The edge joints at the floor to wall transition are also expansion joints and are absolutely necessary. Border or skirting profiles are used to protect them and prevent moisture from entering.

#2 Comfort for your home

Compared to traditional skirting boards, skirting profiles have more to offer: They are ideal for integrating lighting and increasing comfort in your own four walls.

Unexpected and elegant: Integrated LED lighting

A skirting profile with a corresponding holder for LED technology can also serve as an illuminated profile and conjure up evocative lighting. Our Schlüter-DESIGNBASE-QD, for example, can be combined with a lighting strip – available in either atmospheric warm white or functional neutral white. A plastic diffuser lens is attached above this to finish it off, ensuring homogeneous light distribution and glare-free illumination. Whether it's for skirting or border profiles, highlighting individual living areas, marking passages and steps, or simply to set the mood, the choices are endless. The modern combination of skirting and integrated LED technology is a truly versatile product that combines aesthetic, practical and safety-related functions.

#3 Design and aesthetics

First and foremost, skirting boards meet a functional purpose and provide a clean, seamless and professional transition from floor to wall. They often cover up unattractive cut edges on the floor covering – without them, the floor would simply seem unfinished. Despite this, they influence the feel and character of a room and can evoke specific emotions depending on their type and appearance.

For example, the choice of material as well as the height and type of the skirting board can have a huge impact on the look of the room. High, classic boards can emphasise the old-world charm of classic buildings, while simple, flat profiles emphasise modern elegance. Boards with shadow gaps provide a visual separation between adjacent surfaces and a floating, minimalist appearance.

Even the choice of colour plays a role: It can ensure that the skirting boards blend in as subtly as possible with the floor or wall to complete the overall look. Purposeful contrasts can also be used to accentuate certain areas of the room.

Last but not least, the lighting of the skirting boards also plays a role and helps create a warm, inviting atmosphere. In addition, skilful accent lighting can make the rooms appear larger or intentionally highlight certain areas and pieces of furniture.

Inspiration: Skirting profiles as design objects

Skirting boards re-imagined: Schlüter-DESIGNBASE profiles offer not only a high-quality, durable skirting board solution, but also a design element that makes your rooms look even better. Whether illuminated, colour-coated or even individually printed – there are practically no limits to your design ideas.