Coving & Cornice Installation

Our Approach

Cornice installation demands precision, patience, and an intimate understanding of how period buildings behave. We begin by carefully assessing the existing ceiling line and wall surfaces using a long spirit level and laser line, noting every irregularity, bow, and deviation that must be accommodated during fitting — because in a Georgian townhouse, a ceiling that is perfectly level and walls that are perfectly plumb are the exception rather than the rule. For restoration work where original cornicing survives in part, we take silicone rubber moulds or detailed cross-section measurements of surviving profiles and commission bespoke fibrous plaster runs from our specialist partners to match the original precisely in both shape and scale. Where the original profile has been lost entirely, we research the architectural period and style of the property to recommend an appropriate design — egg-and-dart for a grand Georgian room, dentil for a Regency hallway, acanthus leaf for a high Victorian drawing room. New installations are carefully marked out using the ceiling line as the primary reference, with the cornice positioned to create the appearance of level even where the actual structure deviates. Profiles are adhesive-fixed using CT1 construction adhesive and mechanically secured with stainless steel screws into the wall and ceiling where the weight of the profile demands it. Every butt joint and mitred corner is filled with Toupret fine surface filler, caulked with flexible decorator's caulk, and sanded by hand so that the finished cornice reads as a continuous, unbroken line around the room. Once installed, the cornice is primed with Zinsser BIN to seal the plaster and provide a uniform base, then painted as part of the wider decorating scheme.

Materials & Brands

We source our cornice profiles from Britain's leading fibrous plaster manufacturers, companies with histories spanning well over a century of continuous production. Locker & Riley, established in 1888, produces an extensive range of period profiles in fibrous plaster that is virtually identical in composition and appearance to the original Georgian and Victorian cornicing found throughout London's finest properties. Clark & Fenn specialise in bespoke production runs, able to reproduce any profile from a mould or detailed drawing. George Jackson, one of the oldest decorative plasterwork companies in England, offers both stock profiles and custom work of exceptional quality. For simpler installations where budget or practical considerations favour a lighter alternative, we use Orac Decor polyurethane profiles — precision-moulded in Belgium to tolerances that fibrous plaster cannot match, lightweight enough to be adhesive-fixed without mechanical fasteners, and completely indistinguishable from traditional plaster once primed and painted. Adhesives include CT1 unique sealant and construction adhesive for its extraordinary bonding strength and flexibility, and Gripfill for secondary securing. All finishing is carried out with Toupret TX110 fine surface filler for invisible joints and Painter's Mate flexible caulk for the junction between cornice and wall or ceiling, accommodating the micro-movements that all buildings experience through seasonal changes.

Property Considerations

Georgian properties in Mayfair, St James's, and Fitzrovia often feature elaborate egg-and-dart or dentil cornicing with substantial projection from the wall, typically ranging from 150 to 300 millimetres in depth — these large, heavy profiles require careful structural assessment of the ceiling to ensure it can support the additional weight, and mechanical fixing into ceiling joists is usually essential. Victorian homes in Chelsea, Kensington, and Notting Hill may have deeper, more ornate profiles with acanthus leaf detailing, floral swags, and ribbon-and-reed mouldings that require specialist matching when damaged sections must be replaced. Edwardian mansion flats frequently have simpler cove mouldings — often a plain concave profile of 75 to 100 millimetres — that can be replaced with readily available off-the-shelf profiles from Locker & Riley or Orac Decor at modest cost. In listed buildings, any alteration to existing plasterwork, including the removal of later additions or the reinstatement of missing original features, may require listed building consent, and we liaise directly with conservation officers at the relevant local authority to ensure that all proposed work respects the building's significance and complies with statutory requirements. Where original cornicing is to be painted, we can strip back accumulated paint layers using specialist paste strippers to reveal the original crispness of the moulding detail before repainting.

Frequently Asked Questions