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Where Artistry Begins
Real gold, silver and copper leaf laid by hand on walls, ceilings, mouldings, mirrors and lettering, from new work to careful restoration.
Gilding in Bournemouth finds plenty to do. The Victorian town was built on seaside holidays and grand hotels, and gold was part of how it showed off. Zavoré is based in Birmingham, where the Academy is, and our own gilders work across the UK. We lay real metal leaf by hand, so a surface glows like solid metal. Send a photo of what you have in mind and where it is, and we will take it from there.
Think of a large Victorian drawing room on the cliffs with a deep cornice and a ceiling rose above the chandelier. Picking out the mouldings in gold or silver leaf is among the most effective ways to add richness to a period room, and a little goes a long way. The same ideas work in an Edwardian villa, where the plasterwork is lighter and finer.
Hotels and restaurants along the seafront and in the town centre have other needs. A gilded ceiling, an alcove lined in leaf behind a bed, or a mirror regilded to its former glow gives a room occasion. And a gold leaf name on the glass of a shop front or restaurant window is a plain, handsome way to stand out on a busy street.
Gold leaf is real gold beaten until it is thinner than paper, and because gold does not tarnish it keeps its warmth for generations. Silver leaf gives a cooler, brighter shine but darkens if left exposed, so it is sealed to stay bright or left to tone on purpose for an aged look. Copper leaf has a rich, rosy glow. There are also imitation metal leaves, often called Dutch metal, which look similar for less money and are always sealed.
We explain the difference and help you choose for the look, the setting and the budget. In a coastal town, where windows are opened to the sea air, we talk through what will be exposed before settling on a metal.
Water gilding is the traditional method. The surface is built up with layers of gesso and a coloured clay called bole, the leaf is laid on with water, and it can be burnished with a polished stone until it shines like solid metal. It is used for fine frames and furniture.
Oil gilding lays the leaf onto a tacky size. It cannot be burnished to the same mirror shine, but it is tougher and suits walls, ceilings, mouldings, signs and anything handled often. Many projects use both. Which method we choose depends on the object, where it is and how it will be used. Gold leaf is very thin and sits over a size, so the surface beneath needs to be properly prepared.
Photos come first, along with a note of what is to be gilded. We survey before pricing, looking at the substrate, the condition of any existing plaster or gilding, and how the space is used. Bournemouth is some way from our centres, so the work is planned in blocks of days and our gilder stays on the job. Dates are agreed once the design or sample and the price are signed off.
If the cornice or ceiling is listed, or sits in a listed building, consent may be needed before work, and the owner should check with their council. Our gilding installation page explains what we take on, and the main gilding page shows the full range.
Everything we install, we teach. Gilding has its own course, the gilding course, and all our training is listed on the training page. Gold works well with lacquer, with relief and with painted chinoiserie on a leaf ground. See what else we make under decorative work.
Gold is rarely alone in a Bournemouth room. It brings out relief, so look at bas relief in Bournemouth and sculptural plaster in Bournemouth. It makes a rich ground for murals in Bournemouth, and a bright accent in mosaics in Bournemouth. Beside it, a deep gloss wall is lacquered walls in Bournemouth, and the ceiling edge is cornice and coving in Bournemouth. Outdoor schemes may turn to artificial rock in Bournemouth, and textured lime to travertino in Bournemouth. Our decorative finishes specialist in Bournemouth page ties these together, along with Venetian plastering in Bournemouth.
Yes. We gild new mirrors, frames and furniture and carefully restore worn or damaged gilding. Send photos and a note of the damage.
Silver leaf darkens if left exposed, so it is sealed to keep it bright, or allowed to tone on purpose. Gold does not tarnish, and we help you choose for the setting.
Water gilding is built on gesso and bole and can be burnished to a mirror shine. Oil gilding uses a tacky size, is tougher, and suits walls, ceilings, signs and anything handled often.
Yes. Gold leaf lettering on boards and glass suits shop fronts, restaurants, offices and house names.
For a first conversation, ring 07592 929191 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm) or email sales@zavore.co.uk with photos, rough sizes and the postcode. Our sample board shows plaster finishes if you are pairing leaf with a wall.
Order a sample board tinted to your colour, or send photos and rough measurements of the walls in Bournemouth 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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