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Where Artistry Begins
Plaster cornice, coving, ceiling roses and panel mouldings, fitted, repaired or made to match. Zavoré is based in Birmingham, and our artisans work in Bath.
Where the wall meets the ceiling is where a Bath room shows its age, and cornice and coving in Bath is often the first thing to go wrong or get lost in an alteration. Zavoré fits new plasterwork, restores damaged period cornice and makes new lengths to match what is already on your ceiling. We are based in Birmingham, where our Academy is, and photographs of the ceiling are the right first step.
The city centre is mostly Georgian, and Georgian cornice is usually restrained and classical, with clean steps and simple enrichment rather than heavy ornament. Victorian work, which fills the villas and terraces on the hillsides and in suburbs such as Widcombe and Oldfield Park, tends to be deeper and richer. Edwardian cornice is often lighter again.
Every house differs, so we look at what is actually overhead before we match, repair or replace anything. Some period cornice was cast in a mould and reinforced with hessian scrim, which is called fibrous plaster, and some was run in place on the ceiling by hand.
Plaster holds a crisp edge, takes paint properly and can be repaired like the rest of the ceiling. Polystyrene coving is cheap and quick, but its detail is soft and it looks wrong in a period room, which matters in a city so concerned with its appearance.
Old cornice is often cracked, missing in places or clogged with decades of paint. We repair damaged runs, rebuild missing sections and clean back over painted detail. We take the profile of the cornice already in the house and make new lengths to match, so a rear extension, a knocked through room or a patched ceiling carries the same line as the rest.
A repair should be blended so you cannot see where old work stops and new begins. Original period plasterwork is worth repairing rather than ripping out, and in a place like Bath most owners agree.
We also fit cornice, ceiling roses and mouldings you have bought yourself. Our cornice and coving page lists the full range, from simple curved coving to panel mouldings, corbels and columns.
Many Bath buildings are listed, and work to original plasterwork may need consent. The owner should check with the council before any cornice is removed or altered, and photos help us talk about what is possible.
Offices in period buildings, hotels, restaurants and shops can all be fitted with plaster mouldings, and a new profile can be drawn for a scheme, from a crisp shadow line to a full classical cornice. A ceiling rose should be sized to the room and the light fitting.
We start with photos, then survey before pricing. Bath is some way from Birmingham, so the job is planned in blocks of days and the team stays on site until the run is finished. Dates are agreed once the profile or sample and the price are signed off. See the cornice and coving installation page.
Mouldings frame everything else we do, so pair them with other finishes using our decorative work pages. Everything we install, we teach, and the training page lists the courses at Birmingham, London and Manchester. For wall colours, use the sample board.
Ceilings bring other trades with them. Gold on the moulding is the work of gilding in Bath, and a painted sky above it belongs to murals in Bath. Walls under a cornice might be lacquered, see lacquered walls in Bath, or sculpted, see sculptural plaster in Bath and bas relief in Bath. Bathrooms below use mosaics in Bath, and garden spaces artificial rock in Bath. A limestone effect is described at travertino in Bath. For a single route into all of it, see our decorative finishes specialist in Bath page and Venetian plastering in Bath.
Yes. We take the profile of the existing cornice and make new lengths to match, so the new and old run on as one.
Yes. Cracked, broken and missing sections can be rebuilt, and over painted detail can be cleaned back so it reads as it was meant to.
For a period house, yes. Plaster keeps finer detail, takes paint well and can be repaired. Polystyrene is lighter and cheaper, but the difference shows in an old room.
Plaster cast in a mould and reinforced with hessian scrim, often with timber laths. Many cast cornices and roses are made this way, while other period cornice was run in place by hand.
You may. The owner should check with the council before removing or altering original plasterwork, and repair is usually kinder than replacement.
You can reach us on 07592 929191, Monday to Saturday between 9am and 6pm, or by email to sales@zavore.co.uk with ceiling photos, room sizes and the postcode. If new paint or plaster tones are on your mind, the sample board is a helpful start.
Order a sample board tinted to your colour, or send photos and rough measurements of the walls in Bath and we will come back to you with the right finish and a clear quote.
For a quote, email photos and measurements of your walls to sales@zavore.co.uk or call 07592 929191, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm.
See every area we cover.
Our main services: Venetian plaster installation, limewash installation, every decorative installation, Venetian plastering courses, the limewash course and our decorative finishes.
We also supply the trade by post, wherever you are. The shop ships tracked across the UK, and the Academy teaches the finishes in Birmingham, London and Manchester.
Providing luxury finishes for the most prestigious addresses in the world
Venetian plaster, limewash, microcement, tadelakt, metallics, sculptural plaster and gold leaf, supplied and installed by our own team, with Venetian plaster taught at our Birmingham studio.
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