Cornice and coving in Derby

Cornice and coving in Derby is mostly a question of matching the house you have. Zavoré fits new plaster cornice, coving, ceiling roses, panel mouldings, corbels and columns, repairs damaged period runs, and makes new lengths to match the cornice already on your ceiling. We are based in Birmingham, where the Academy is, and our own artisans work across the UK. Photos of the ceiling and the room sizes are enough to start.

What the ceilings of Derby are like

Derby grew in waves, and each wave left its own ceilings. Georgian rooms, such as those in the townhouses along Friar Gate, tend to have restrained, classical cornice. Victorian houses, from the villas around the Arboretum to the terraces of Normanton and Pear Tree, are often deeper and richer, with ornament and a ceiling rose. Edwardian work is often lighter again. Interwar semis in Chaddesden, Littleover and Allestree usually have a plainer curved coving.

No two houses match, so we study the ceiling you really have before deciding to mend, copy or replace anything. Original period plasterwork is worth keeping, and a repair done well should disappear into the rest of the room.

Repairs, matches and new work

• Repair of cracked or broken runs, rebuilding of lost sections, and cleaning back thick layers of old paint until the ornament reads again.
• Matching an existing profile, so an extension or a room opened up for open plan living continues the cornice of the original house.
• Ceiling roses chosen to suit the room and the light that hangs from them.
• Panel mouldings to give a plain wall the look of a classical panelled room.
• Corbels, brackets and columns for arches, alcoves and fireplaces.
• A bespoke profile drawn for your scheme, anything from a slim modern shadow gap to a full classical cornice.

Selling ready made roses and coving is not something we do at the moment. Fitting, restoring and matching them is, and that includes pieces you bought yourself. Our page on plaster cornice and coving has the full range.

Plaster, not polystyrene

Foam and polystyrene coving goes up quickly and costs little, yet the ornament is blurred and it sits uneasily in an old room. Plaster keeps a sharp arris, accepts paint well and can be mended later, so it is the proper material for period homes. If a building is listed, the owner should check with the council about consent before any work.

The term fibrous plaster comes up often. It means plaster cast in a mould with hessian scrim and sometimes timber laths inside, which produces a light but strong piece. Plenty of old cornices and roses were made like this, though some cornice was instead run along the ceiling by hand.

Where cornice works in the city

At home, think of a Victorian front room, a stairwell, a hall, a dining room or a new extension that must match the old house. In business, offices in period buildings, hotels, restaurants and shops in the city centre can all be finished or restored in plaster.

How a cornice job in Derby runs

Begin with pictures of the cornice and the dimensions of the room. Small questions can often be answered from those alone. If we visit, we record the profile and check the ceiling for cracks, movement and anything that needs attention before plasterwork goes on, and we are honest when it does. New lengths are made to the old shape and blended into the run.

Derby is some way from our centres, so the work is planned in blocks of days so the team stays on the job. Dates follow once the design and price are signed off. Our cornice and coving installation page covers the process in more detail.

Learning plasterwork

Everything we install, we teach. Courses run at our training centres in Birmingham, London and Manchester, and the training page lists them. For finishes that go with cornice, see our wider decorative work.

More decorative work in Derby

Cornice is where many schemes begin. You can pick it out in gold under gilding in Derby, set a mural beneath it with murals in Derby, or pair it with deep gloss walls from lacquered walls in Derby. Wall panels belong with sculptural plaster in Derby and bas relief in Derby.

We also cover mosaics in Derby, artificial rock in Derby and travertino in Derby. Walls under a restored ceiling can be finished by Venetian plastering in Derby, and a wider introduction to our work is on the page for a decorative finishes specialist in Derby.

Questions about cornice and coving in Derby

Can you copy the cornice in my front room?

Yes. We record the profile of what is already there and make fresh lengths in the same shape, so the new section continues the old without a visible change.

Can a damaged cornice be repaired instead of replaced?

Usually. Cracks can be filled, broken parts rebuilt, missing sections remade and heavy paint cleaned back. We see the ceiling first and then say what we would do.

Is plaster better than foam coving in an older house?

In a period room, yes. Plaster gives finer detail and a better paint finish, and it can be mended. Foam is lighter and cheaper, but the difference is easy to see.

What is the difference between cornice and coving?

People use them interchangeably. Coving tends to describe a simple curve, and cornice a richer moulding with steps, beads and ornament, as in older houses. We make and fit both.

You can reach us on 07592 929191 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm) or at sales@zavore.co.uk, ideally with photos, rough sizes and the postcode. If you are choosing a wall finish to go below it, the sample board is a good first step.