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Posts Tagged ‘Cornice’

A common feature in many older houses is a decorative cornice.  That’s the moulded decorative border that is fitted at the corner where the walls meet the ceiling.

Some of these were moulded in-place by master craftsmen, using plaster of Paris. Others are moulded in lengths and attached to the walls afterwards.

In modern houses, this is also known as coving and is generally a
simple, concave moulding made from plasterboard – moulded gypsum covered in paper.

If you want to install your own coving or cornice, beware! Plasterboard coving is very heavy. It will require at least two people to install it and once fitted, you will need a series of props to hold it in place. Alternatively, battens temporarily nailed or screwed to the wall and ceiling can be used. The holes can be filled later.

Considerably easier alternatives are polystyrene foam and polyurethane mouldings. These are very lightweight and much easier to handle.

The polystyrene ones are available moulded into several decorative patterns, which is ideal for period houses. They can be fitted by one person, using a specially designed adhesive which is strong enough to hold the pieces in place while it sets.
Gaps between the cornice and wall or ceiling can be filled with ordinary filler, as can any gaps between the sections.
Once all the gaps are filled, they can be painted using normal emulsion paint. I found that it needed two or three coats, but once done, it was impossible to tell that they were made of polystyrene.

The polyurethane ones tend to be smooth mouldings similar to the plasterboard ones as they are covered in paper to make it easier to paint using standard emulsion paint.
They are slightly heavier than the polystyrene ones, but come in longer lengths, meaning fewer joins.
Again, these can be attached using an adhesive. Being slightly heavier, they might need a little extra support – a few small masonry nails hammered into the wall under the bottom edge, and a few more into the ceiling will do the trick. Once the adhesive is dry, remove the nails and fill the holes with a standard filler.
Being covered in paper, paint adheres well to these mouldings, although you might need two or three coats.

If your rooms don’t already have cornices or coving, you’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes to the appearance – especially if you have high ceilings and use patterned mouldings.