Some may be unfamiliar with the idea of a cornice or corning within a home or property building regarding how best it would affect the functionality or visuals of a room, whether it be living rooms, hallways, bathrooms or a reception hall.
Coving or skirting boards is the name of the plain mould that many plasterers and home designers use to decorate, install and bridge the joints of a wall and ceiling; they also include architraves used to outline the doors of a property. It is often a way to create uniformity concerning the room’s dimensions.
A cornice is a similar product, yet it tends to be more decorative, providing patterns carved explicitly into the mouldings with varying drops and projections that add character to what would be a standard border.
The main difference between the two is the dimensions/foot sizes and the level of detail. Coving is simpler and tends to be made into a more traditional quarter-circle shape. A cornice is typically designed in a more ornate fashion and, due to its immense detailing, is less level or uniform in its dimensions.
Cornices can be used to decorate the room; one of the most significant and widespread examples includes the installation of ceiling roses, particularly ones above light fittings, which add an elegant element to any home.
Choosing a fitting coving that suits your home and complements its overall aesthetic and dimensions can be challenging. There are so many factors to consider that you may miss or forget, which could lead to complications during the fitting and installation process. Here are a few of our top tips for choosing the best coving for you and your home or property:
Period coving is created using plaster, and many coving specialists across the country design, make and fit gorgeous coves that perfectly fit homes of a more Victorian, Edwardian or Georgian layout. We do not recommend DIY in this circumstance; period coving is far more detailed and requires highly skilled professionals to ensure it perfectly fits with high-quality adhesive.
Cornices are incredibly heavy, requiring careful, precise cuts and screwing into each of the different walls. DIYers who enjoy hands-on work or painting around a property or home should stick to lightweight, plainer coving, or Gyproc coving designs, as these are much more straightforward.
Plain coving can be found in plaster or polystyrene materials, yet polystyrene tends to be more easily damaged. So while it may be easier to apply polystyrene coving, we suggest you play safe with plaster for a longer lifespan.
You will require the skills and talents of a local plasterer to fit your coving correctly; however, ensure you’re choosing the right professionals as some builders and plasterers are not experienced enough to carry out the job. Fitting paper-faced coving with the recommended adhesive and panel pins that you can successfully find in your everyday DIY stores can be a relatively simple task.
Yet, fibrous plaster coving is an aspect that requires far more skill and attention to detail. You’ll want to search for a tradesman that specialises explicitly in plaster cove fitting, and they are colloquially referred to as a Fibre Hand. Be sure to ask lots of questions when choosing your coving installer, ensuring they know the job you want them to perform and quote.
Contractually, they cannot do your fibrous plaster fitting for the same price as other coving such as Knauf or Gyproc. Generally, if you find your fitting quote is less than the overall cost of the coving, your workmen likely do not understand the job you require from them, and it may be best to look elsewhere.
When providing a coving for your house, you want to ensure you pick something that suits the rest of your home’s interior and complements the room perfectly. Many styles and patterns are available on the UK market to fit all household themes and designs.
For those with a more traditional period or Victorian-style home with grand high ceilings, we would encourage you to opt for something with an elegant swan neck design with ornate decoration. Choose something multifunctional and allow you to transform your interior to match the exterior’s grandeur. Many of these patterns and designs feature leaves and beaded detailing along the edges to offer a more glamourous and opulent appearance to fill out the corners of ceiling heights over 3 metres.
Suppose your home is more Georgian or Edwardian; we recommend a style that is more traditional yet has simplistic elements. Opt for something that further suits the big rooms and deep bay windows to enhance the essential aspects of your traditional or modern properties or home and restore its authenticity.
Alternatively, suppose you own a more modern or new-build property. In that case, there are plenty of beautiful designs to choose from that will add a nice touch to the interior and suit your smaller rooms and ceiling without overcrowding them.
With a touch of decoration and luxury, the coving can enhance your modern interior and bring it to life in ways you never imagined. Many modern designs are pretty simplistic to offer a sleek wall-to-ceiling finish; however, many companies and coving manufacturers across the UK are now designing coving that has a running LED light across the back or along the centre. These create a downwards or upwards lighting effect that changes the room’s ambience, which is subtle but incredibly unique.
If you struggle to decide which coving style best suits your home, you can contact your local plasterers and ask them for advice. They can do a visit to your modern or period property, or you may wish to send them photographs of your home interior via email, and there you can further discuss what would look best. Your local plasterers may offer you a free quote for their services to help you put up the coving.
