How To Put Up Coving?
Coving for the home has been around for hundreds of years and dates back to the Victorian times. In those days, coving was only found in rich people’s homes and the upper class while nowadays the majority of houses have coving. Coving is used to neaten up the join between the wall and the ceiling; many people also find it difficult to paint neatly after doing the ceilings so using coving is a good way to hide not so perfect painting and mistakes. It is also good at hiding any small cracks that sometimes appear at the top of the wall joining the ceiling.
The good thing about coving is they come in many different materials (polysterene, plaster, wooden) with the most common being polystyrene because it’s light and easy to fix to the wall. Plaster coving is still widely available though but it can be very heavy and a professional decorator will have to be hired. Cutting coving can be tricky as well so a modern tool has been made where it guides you to cutting at the right angle to make it all fit together better. Polystyrene coving can be done by anyone who can cut neatly as it is lightweight and easy to glue to the wall and ceiling.
Choosing coving for your home
If you have an older style home that still has its original coving, then it is advisable to retain this as it will add to the value of the home. If the coving has deteriorated in time, you can get replicas made at a reasonable cost. If you have an older style home and do not have coving, then a patterned and sophisticated plaster style can be bought. You can also paint it in a contrasting colour to add depth to the room. For more modern homes, polystyrene coving is the best way to go as it’s inexpensive and easy to do it yourself.
If you have a small room, then it is best to use plain narrow coving whilst larger rooms will benefit from broader and patterned coving. Use a bold colour on coving to lift the mood of the room. For instance in a cream room with red furnishings, paint the coving red to make the room look more exciting.
Putting up coving
You will need:
- Pencil
- Glue for coving
- Mitre box for cutting angles
- Fine tooth saw
If you are cutting polystyrene coving, the steps are quite simple:
- Measure the wall
- Using a coving mitre, cut to size and angle
- Then using an adhesive, glue to the wall
- You may have to use nails to adhere in position until the glue dries
Note that sometimes you will have to join up two pieces of coving if the length is not enough to cover a whole portion of the wall. Once the coving has been put up, it should give a more attractive look to your rooms.
