Hi there,
The skirting boards or the beading cover the expansion gap (10 mm), which is required with wood floor installation on the perimeter. Either of them will do the job. However, not all of us would accept beadings at all.
Please see below what beading looks like:
- Oak Quadrant Beading
- Oak Scotia Beading
- White MDF Scotia Beading
If your main concerns are not to increase the amount of work required for changing your floors, you can consider either beading or replacement of skirting boards with the same height or higher.
If there is damage on the wall it will be close to the line of the current skirting height. Having the skirting boards installed over the new flooring will put their line of height higher and cover any damage if such was caused. Some colour silicon filling is applied after the installation.
Usually, the fitters will advise if taking out and fitting back skirtings is an acceptable option. This is based on the size, age and straightness of the walls. Sometimes few extra meters may be required and they may require repainting afterwards.
Hope that helps.