Wood plugs

[salfordpaul]

Hi, I’m fitting mdf Taurus skirting board. I intend to screw. Can I wood plug using mdf ? Or only on real wood ? Many thanks

[fin]

mdf skirt can be fitted with glue and pin also. i often use a decent quality adhesive like sticksall and a nail gun. swift and less filling works needed.

if you are attaching to solid brick and really want mechanical fixings so screws then you could even use a 2 part wood filler and sand it back.

if you go with wood plugs or try to use mdf plugs (ive never tried that i must admit) theyre both going to require some sanding back the same as 2 part filler anyway.

ive fitted many many meters of mdf skirting over the years and i normally just glue and pin it to the wall.

i have in the past also used gun grade expanding foam which does work very well also alongside pins to hold it in place as a temprary measure

[Grendel]

I've used mdf plugs in the past although not very frequently so the answer or the simple answer is yes. That said mdf has a face and it was important to get the face as flush as possible to the face of the skirting. You can't really leave it proud and trim it down as you would a timber plug. I seem to recall that when we did use them there was still the need for sanding and in places filling for the plug to disappear.

[dewaltdisney]

I have never done it, but the problem, as I see it, is the structure of MDF, which comprises of particles bound in a resin and compressed.. The face of the plug needs to be kept as whole as possible when cutting it. The plug cutter will struggle on MDF as you cut in, as the plug cutters do not have saw teeth. When using wood the fibres of the wood hold the plugs shape but MDF is just dust and glue. If you use PVA, it will blow the cut edges and cause a bump. One option would be to glue wooden plugs in, but I would go with the two-part resin filler route if you go this way.

DWD

[Argyll]

MDF plugs won't work I'm afraid. The plugs just crumble.

If the wall is straight just use adhesive. I use adhesive foam and works a treat as it tends to seal better from draughts. However if the wall isn't particularly straight then use mechanical fixings and two part filler as Fin said. Don't use wood filler as I've found it shrinks over time. Two part filler the use in car repairs works fine.

[Grendel]

I'm not sure where the plugs we used came from or who made them . I can remember that they seemed decently made rather than the rougher efforts that might come from someone knocking them out with a plug cutter . But , we still thought they were more trouble than they were worth. The hole size is critical , too tight and the plugs mash up before they are flush which made painting a pain . A slightly looser hole worked with the plug glued in but still sometimes needed a bit of filler. Drill bits needed to be sharp too to avoid damage to the edge which would necessitate the filler again.
In short while it was or is possible it seemed a lot of faff for something that was going to be painted over anyway. Think it was only once or maybe twice we used them and on later jobs it was two pack filler.
Edit
Just had a quick google and it seems they are definitely still available
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That should have been a link to ebay