Decorative coving has been used since the Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilisations. It became popular to have cornicing and coving inside residential homes during the Victorian times.
Cornicing and coving was a design statement. Ornate covings meant you were wealthy and grand and the Victorians loved to show off their homes to visitors.
Today, it is still used to enhance the features of a room but they can also be used to hide pipework and make vast rooms and high ceilings, smaller.
Our guide covers the estimated costs of decorative cornicing and coving, how you can save money on their installation and the best way to find a professional installer.
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How Much Does Decorative Cornicing or Coving Cost?
The table below gives you the average costs of off-the-shelf coving/cornicing installed by a tradesperson and a labourer.
| Type of Coving/Cornice | Price per metre | Price per 20 metre room | Labour costs for a 20 metre room-Tradesperson plus Labourer | Time to Install | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lightweight Polyurethene cornice/coving | £2 to £4 | £40 to £80 | £90 to £125 | Half a day | £130 to £205 |
| Plain plaster conrnice/coving | £8 to £12 | £160 to £240 | £175 to £250 | 1 day | £335 to £490 |
| Ornate plaster cornice/coving | £10 to £15 | £200 to £300 | £175 to £250 | 1 day | £375 to £550 |
| Wide ornate cornnice/coving | £15 to £20 | £300 to £400 | £350 to £500 | 2 days | £650 to £900 |
| Bespoke cornice/coving with wet plaster | £45 to £65 | £900 to £1,300 | Installation included | 3 days | £900 to £1,300 |
As you can see the materials are relatively cheap to buy but the installation is labour intensive and so the costs increase substantially when you have your coving or cornicing installed professionally.
If you need to find a plasterer or a cornice or coving specialist, use HouseholdQuotes!
Fill in the online form and tell us briefly what you need. We’ll then find installers to give you no-obligation quotes.
Click To Get QuotesWhat Affects the Cost of Adding Decorative Cornicing or Coving?
Several different factors will impact the cost of adding decorative cornicing or coving to your property.
Size of the Room
Coving and cornicing are priced per metre. That means you will pay more for a room that’s 25 metres, than one for 20 metres.
As you can see from the table, a room of 20 metres will cost between £130 and £205. If the room was five metres larger then the costs would rise to between £162.50 and £256.25.
Depth of the Coving or Cornice
If you have a high ceiling or you want to hide pipework (for example, you may have a fire sprinkler system installed) you may need a deeper cornice or coving to match the room’s dimensions and hide the pipework.
Wide cornices and covings are more expensive. You can see from the table above that a wide cornice/coving is the most expensive to purchase at between £15 and £20 per metre.
Whether You Have It Painted
If you want your coving or cornicing painted you can expect to pay a painter and decorator between £120 and £180 for a day’s work. A painter’s hourly rate is between £15 and £22, plus the paint.
If You Add a Ceiling Rose
A ceiling rose will also add character to your room. The costs of buying and installing a ceiling rose are between £80 and £1,150.
The price depends on the size and how ornate it is.
If You Have It Professionally Installed
Whether you buy off-the-shelf or have a plasterer make your cornice or coving as a bespoke project will impact costs. Tailor-made coving will be unique and will cost more than buying the cornicing or coving off-the-shelf.
A plasterer will create wet plaster coving for your room according to your design. The cost will depend on the amount you need doing and how ornate you want it done.
You will need to find a plasterer with coving experience.
Plain hand-made coving starts at around £3 per metre and can go up to £21 a metre or more. You must then add the cost of installation.
This could be between £90 and £125 for 20 metres.
Type of Cornicing and Coving
There are:
Plaster
Original cornicing and coving were made out of plaster. Nowadays coving is more commonly made using gypsum.
This is the most expensive option, but if you need to cover an awkward angle, or you want a style you can’t get off-the-shelf then wet plaster installation might be the solution.
Polyurethane
This is a lightweight material that is durable and easy to fit. It is the most common material used for residential cornicing and coving.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene is the cheapest material you can use. It isn’t as strong as polyurethane, but if you want cornicing and coving on a budget this is the material you can use.
How Can I Save Money on Decorative Cornicing or Coving?
If you are competent at DIY and you have someone to help you, you could save labour costs by installing ready-made coving or cornicing yourself. This could save you between £90 and £500.00.
If you need a plasterer to create your cornicing and coving HouseholdQuotes can help you. Fill in the online form and tell us briefly what you need.
We’ll then find plasterers in your area to give you no-obligation quotes, fast.
Click To Get QuotesWhat’s Involved in Fitting Cornicing or Coving?
If you’re hoping to DIY fitting cornicing or coving, then we’ve laid out the steps below.
Firstly follow the manufacturer’s instructions to measure from the edges of the wall where the coving will be installed. The manufacturer’s instructions will tell you how many centimetres you need to measure down from the ceiling and out from the wall.
Take a pencil and mark each metre as you go round the room.
Join up the marks using a straight-edged carpenter’s ruler or a spirit level.
Clean the walls to get rid of any dust and, using a Stanley knife, gently score the walls where the coving will be glued.
Next, you need to cut your coving to fit the corners. Rectangular shaped rooms will only have internal corners, but L-shaped rooms or rooms with chimney breasts or alcoves will also have external corners.
Cutting the corners will be easier if you use a mitre box.
Now cut the coving with a panel saw and check it fits by placing it up on the wall.
If the coving fits, you can now apply adhesive to the coving along both edges.
Use plenty of adhesive. It doesn’t matter if the glue squeezes out from underneath the coving when it is in place.
Fix the coving in place by pushing gently along the length of the coving and take away any extra adhesive with a damp sponge
Take the next piece and repeat the process of fixing each piece to the mitre joint. Mitre joints are less noticeable than butt joints which is why many installers cut the corner pieces this way.
Repeat this process until you have installed all the coving around the room.
Wait 24 hours before decorating.
How Do I Find and Hire an Installer for My Coving or Cornicing Installation?
Start by asking family, friends and work colleagues. They might be able to recommend someone who has done a similar plastering or installation job.
If you prefer to use the internet then HouseholdQuotes can help. Simply fill in the online form and tell us briefly what you need.
We’ll then find local plasterers or installers to give you no-obligation quotes, quickly.
Click To Get QuotesEnsuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
Always get quotes in writing and make sure each quote is the same. If you have different items on each quote it will make comparing them much more difficult.
Here are some questions we suggest you ask. The answers you get will give you a good idea about the tradesperson and their company.
- Have you got customer feedback and photographs of any work you’ve done in the past? The tradesperson may have a portfolio to show you, or they may direct you to their website. Websites often have case studies, photographs, and customer testimonials.
- What experience do you have? It’s always useful to know if they are a well-established company or they are just starting. You might find that a newer company is slightly cheaper, or you may prefer to pay more for their experience.
- Are you a member of any trade associations? Trade associations will only grant membership to tradespeople with a good work record. They should also have a high standard of workmanship. A plasterer could be a member of the Federation of Master Builders.
- Do you have insurance? Is your public liability insurance up to date? Public liability insurance is vital for all tradespeople. It protects them and you from any claims for injury or damage should an accident occur during the installation of your cornices or covings.
Final Checklist
Use the checklist below to help guide you to take the best steps for hiring a professional to install your cornices or covings:
- Do some research on the internet and look at the designs and styles you would like for your room
- If you are planning to install your coving or cornicing yourself, buy all the materials you’ll need to do the job
- If you decide you would prefer a professional to install your coving or cornicing, then get some quotes (HouseholdQuotes can help you with this).
- Compare quotes
Click To Get QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
What’s the Difference Between Cornicing, Coving and Mouldings?
Decorative mouldings include cornice and coving, but they also include ceiling roses, door architraves, dado rails, picture rails, skirting boards and panels.
They are not necessarily made with plaster or polyurethane. They can be made with PVC and wood.
Can I Paint the Coving Before I Fix It on the Wall?
Can I Install Coving on a Curved Wall?
How Do I Know How Much Coving to Order?
For example, if the perimeter of your room is 19.5 meters in total, by adding 10% (1.95), you will have a figure of 21.45 meters. Round this up to give you 22 meters.
What’s the Best Paint to Use on Coving?
Are Mouldings Fireproof?
If you are concerned, you can use flame retardant paint.
Should I Use Plaster or Polyurethane for My Cornices and Covings?
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