Yes — hybrid flooring needs something at the wall edge to cover the expansion gap, but that doesn’t always mean replacing your skirting boards. The three options are: lift and reinstate the existing skirting over the new floor, leave the skirting in place and run scotia (or quarter round) along the bottom, or fit a flush trim. Which one suits depends on your skirting’s condition, your budget, and how much disruption you want.
Why hybrid flooring needs a wall trim at all
Hybrid planks are a floating floor. They click together with a 5G or 2G locking system and sit on top of the subfloor without being glued or nailed down. That whole field of flooring expands and contracts slightly with temperature swings, so installers leave a 8-12 mm expansion gap at every wall, doorway, and fixed object (like a kitchen island leg or fireplace hearth).
If you don’t cover that gap, two things happen: it looks unfinished, and dust, crumbs, and pet hair fall straight into the void behind the plank. The wall trim — whether that’s skirting, scotia, or a flush profile — is what hides the gap and keeps the edge of the floor looking deliberate. For more on how the click system itself works, see our 5G and 2G click systems guide.
Option 1: Replace the skirting
This is the cleanest finish. The installer removes the existing skirting before laying the floor, lays the hybrid up to the wall with the expansion gap, then refits new (or the original) skirting on top of the floor. The skirting itself covers the gap — no scotia required.
It’s the right call when:
- The existing skirting is tired, painted-over many times, or doesn’t match the new floor.
- You’re already repainting the room, so cutting in fresh skirting fits the schedule.
- You want a tall, modern square-edge profile (e.g. 90 mm or 140 mm pine) instead of an old ogee.
The trade-off is cost and disruption: you’re paying for skirting removal, new skirting supply, install, gap-filling, and a paint touch-up. On a typical three-bedroom home it adds meaningful labour to the install bill.
Option 2: Scotia or quarter round over existing skirting
Scotia is a small concave trim (typically 18 x 18 mm) that runs along the bottom edge of the existing skirting and covers the expansion gap. Quarter round is the same idea but with a 90-degree convex profile. Either one is fixed to the skirting board (not the floor) so the hybrid underneath is still free to move.
Scotia suits when:
- Your existing skirtings are in good condition and you don’t want to repaint.
- You’re on a tighter budget — scotia is cheaper to supply and faster to fit than full skirting replacement.
- You want to avoid plaster damage that comes from prying off old skirting.
The look is busier than a flush skirting finish — you’re adding a visible profile at floor level — but it’s a long-standing trade finish and most buyers don’t notice it after a week. Scotia comes in matching timber-look colours from most hybrid suppliers, so it can blend with the floor or be painted to match the skirting.
Option 3: Flush trim or shadow line
For new builds and full renovations where the plasterer hasn’t finished yet, a flush trim or shadow-line detail is an option. The plasterboard stops short, leaving a recess that the hybrid sits into, with a slim aluminium or timber strip covering the expansion gap. It gives a near-seamless look between floor and wall, no skirting at all.
This is a designer finish and needs coordination between the floor layer, plasterer, and painter. Not really a retrofit option — if your walls and skirtings are already in, stick with Option 1 or 2.
Skirting vs scotia: how to pick
The deciding question is the state of your existing skirting and how much you care about a flush wall-to-floor line.
- Existing skirting is tatty or you’re repainting anyway: replace the skirting. The result looks more considered and you avoid the scotia line entirely.
- Existing skirting is sound and freshly painted: run scotia. Cheaper, quicker, less mess, and the result is honest tradesman finish that no one will fault.
- You’re in a new build or doing the walls too: ask your designer about a shadow-line detail before the plasterer locks in.
A few install details that matter
Whichever trim you go with, these points apply to every hybrid install:
- Don’t pin the trim through the floor. Skirting and scotia must be fixed to the wall or the existing skirting, never down through the hybrid plank. Pin it down and you’ve stopped the floor from floating, which is what causes peaking and gapping later.
- Keep the expansion gap consistent. 8-12 mm at every wall, including behind the trim. Don’t let the installer push planks tight to the wall just because the skirting will hide it — the floor still needs room to move.
- Door architraves get undercut. The plank slides under the architrave with the expansion gap underneath, rather than being scribed around the architrave’s profile. Cleaner finish, less work.
- Match the trim to the room, not just the floor. A timber-look scotia in the same tone as the floor disappears; a contrasting white scotia draws the eye to floor level. Decide which look you’re after before ordering.
Cost and the short answer
Scotia is the cheaper finish and works fine in most retrofits. Replacing the skirting costs more but gives a flusher, more deliberate look — worth it if the existing skirting is past it. We’ve broken the install line items down in the hybrid flooring cost guide, and if you’re still picking the floor itself, our best hybrid flooring brands in Australia rundown covers the ranges we stock across our Sydney and Brisbane showrooms.
Either way, the rule is the same: the hybrid floor floats, the trim covers the gap, and nothing pins the two together. Get those three things right and the floor will sit flat for the life of the warranty.