Restoration & Refurbishment

Best way to fill trenches / holes before replacing skirting

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 3.35 PM

Hi there, You can see photos of the issue here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=12goDAE5KJk4uUP7DlS2A4YyeDkgUIN4D We've just had crystalline damp proof injections done throughout the ground floor of our terraced period house. It involved ripping out our kitchen units and skirting boards, and stripping the walls back to the brickwork. Once the work had been done, they rendered then plastered the interior walls but only down to the previous skirting board height. Subsequently we now have mini trenches - exposed 2-3 inch gaps / ditches along the bottom of wall where it should join the floor but cement has come away (previously covered by skirting). The holes go down quite deep below the floor in some parts (I tried pushing a fork down & didn't touch the bottom). So my questions are: 1. Is it normal to have big holes / gaps behind skirting where the wall fails to join the wall? 2. We were told the new skirting boards would simply cover it but should it not be filled first & if so with what? The key concern is that we previously had mice entering the property prior to work commencing so we're not sure if just covering holes with skirting is adequate? 3. My handyman has purchased plaster to fill it with but are we not supposed to use cement first - especially if the hole is deep? And will this affect the damp proofing in any way? All advice appreciated as to best practice to replace the skirting / fill holes. Many thanks, Esther