Can I replace or repair Cornicing In my home?

Plaster mouldings expert Chris reveals how to restore the finishing touches between the walls and ceiling, and what they bring to a room

What’s the difference between coving and cornicing?

Historically cornice refers to a decorative plaster moulding running around a room covering the joint where the ceiling meets the walls. Popular in Georgian times, such mouldings really took off in the Victorian era when improved techniques allowed elaborate cornices to be fabricated off site and delivered and fitted in finished lengths. Coving refers to a moulding that is a simple convex curve.

What are they made from? Quality mouldings are made from Plaster of Paris (Gypsum), reinforced with hessian matting or nowadays glass fibre. Gypsum has been used for hundreds of years. There are now also alternatives available made from plastic or expanded foam.

What do they do for a room? Plaster cornicing, skirting boards, and architraves all hide joints, between the walls and floor, door casings and the ceiling. They have many common elements – the one known to most people will be the ogee curve; which is common in cornicing, skirting and architraves. Fitting cornicing gives a room a complete set of mouldings and brings balance and proportion to it.

Is it repairable or replaceable? Complete new sections of cornice can be made from only a small amount of original cornice, but it is often cheaper to take the remaining cornice down and replace with a similar, newly made period moulding. When repairing aged decorative plasterwork, casting plaster must be used, and you’ll ideally need a skilled craftsman to do it.

Can I fit it in a room without any? A variety of authentic period plaster mouldings are available and suppliers can offer advice on which would be most in keeping with properties of different sizes and eras. Most companies will send out samples for a small charge. Depending on the complexity of your chosen cornicing, it’s quite possible for a practised DIYER to fit it themselves. How-to videos are available on supplier websites, like ours, to guide you through the process. However, intricate mouldings, such as a design of Acanthus leaves, are hard to get right and you’d be better to hire an experienced fitter for a perfect finish.

What sort of price should I pay for cornicing and for fitting it? Plaster cornicing can start from £5 per metre to £15 per metre plus VAT, many of these are original period designs and prices vary according to the size and design of the mouldings. The larger, more expensive cornices are harder to fit so cost more per metre than the smaller ones as there’s more work involved. As a general rule, a skilled fitter will charge you slightly more than the cost of the cornice to fit it.

TIPS FOR FITTING CORNICE AND COVING

Try to use one large piece of cornicing/coving rather than two shorter ones to ensure a neater result. Have 15-20 per cent excess on site in case of plaster breakages.

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