I am in the process of restoring/remodelling my family room. After removing a false ceiling that had awful fake beams in it lies the origional victorian coving, which i would love to replicate in an area that it is missing from and to a cloaks area that has been knocked into this room, can anyone offer any advice ? i am based in Northants. Thanks
- Thread starter greentree
- Start date
jocelyn plummer
Member
- Messages
- 2,297
- Location
- North Norfolk
Lucky you, what a find!
Have a look at http://www.revivalplaster.co.uk
Based in MidBedfordshire, about 8 miles from Bedford.
Have a look at http://www.revivalplaster.co.uk
Based in MidBedfordshire, about 8 miles from Bedford.
Flyfisher
Member
- Messages
- 10,202
- Location
- Norfolk, UK
Yes, lucky you. I wonder why anyone would go to the trouble of fitting a false ceiling?
hoppy
Member
- Messages
- 45
- Location
- birmingham, west midlands
Not to sure if i'm allowed to do this.... but look at
www.pdsplaster.co.uk
Note to admin: You may want to remove this post as its my company (Sorry for any offence)
www.pdsplaster.co.uk
Note to admin: You may want to remove this post as its my company (Sorry for any offence)
Or if, like most of us, you're counting the pennies, you could have a go at d.i.y.
I've not attempted it myself, but know that there are people here who have, and they make it sound relatively simple. Apparently you make a very accurate profile of the moulding, then apply a thick layer of plaster and drag the profile along it. I think it's called something like 'running in situ'.
I suggest you sit back and wait until someone who knows comes along with proper (ie helpful) information, then have a go, secure in the knowledge that if it all goes pear-shaped instead of coving-shaped, you can scrape it off and call in the experts.
I've not attempted it myself, but know that there are people here who have, and they make it sound relatively simple. Apparently you make a very accurate profile of the moulding, then apply a thick layer of plaster and drag the profile along it. I think it's called something like 'running in situ'.
I suggest you sit back and wait until someone who knows comes along with proper (ie helpful) information, then have a go, secure in the knowledge that if it all goes pear-shaped instead of coving-shaped, you can scrape it off and call in the experts.
hoppy
Member
- Messages
- 45
- Location
- birmingham, west midlands
Moo said:
Matt Green
Member
- Messages
- 671
I don't think Moo was suggesting your advice wasn't proper, just that there might not be much harm in a D.I.Y approach.
As it goes, from having seen various SPAB presentations and seen plaster restorers in action on a couple of occassions, I don't think that in-situ coving repair is something a homeowner wants to attempt if they want a good finish, unless they are willing to put a lot of hours into learning.
And 'greentree' might want to do that. No harm in trying after all.
I suspect that the corners will prove the deciding factor: they are seriously difficult to form in situ. I don't thinks there's much of a problem posting you own company- you're trying to sort out greentree's problem as long as you don't start spamming the group with links as others have done in the past.
It's a 'hand's on' forum though and the posters tend to be educated and sceptical having learned lessons from crfatmen/technicans/tradesmen as their houses take shape. Confronting someone of that mindset with the a stock response of: "Don't touch that love, leave it to the experts" isn't going to go very far, because people who say things like that generally don't like their expertise questioned. Equally, stating the number of years you've been doing something doesn't mean you have nothing left to learn or nothing you can't teach someone else.
Welcome to PPUK, I look forward to learning more about plastering from you.
Matt.
As it goes, from having seen various SPAB presentations and seen plaster restorers in action on a couple of occassions, I don't think that in-situ coving repair is something a homeowner wants to attempt if they want a good finish, unless they are willing to put a lot of hours into learning.
And 'greentree' might want to do that. No harm in trying after all.
I suspect that the corners will prove the deciding factor: they are seriously difficult to form in situ. I don't thinks there's much of a problem posting you own company- you're trying to sort out greentree's problem as long as you don't start spamming the group with links as others have done in the past.
It's a 'hand's on' forum though and the posters tend to be educated and sceptical having learned lessons from crfatmen/technicans/tradesmen as their houses take shape. Confronting someone of that mindset with the a stock response of: "Don't touch that love, leave it to the experts" isn't going to go very far, because people who say things like that generally don't like their expertise questioned. Equally, stating the number of years you've been doing something doesn't mean you have nothing left to learn or nothing you can't teach someone else.
Welcome to PPUK, I look forward to learning more about plastering from you.
Matt.
Matt Green said:
Nails on head come to mind, Matt. Thanks.
I was just offering a suggestion as to a cheaper alternative - honest, guv. Anyone in their right minds would rather pay an expert to do a super job, but sometimes it's a straight question of funds. I stripped the ornate plaster coving in our sitting room and in the process dislodged some really nasty bits of bodged repair; knowing that (lacking Nigel's persistence and talent) I couldn't begin to tackle them myself, I got a couple of quotes......
Ten years on, I've learned to live with the the gaps.
Having spent quite a long time on our various covings, having cleaned, unclogged and done some (very) minor repairs, I would suggest that to get a good result an expert is possibly best. Especially if you have a lot to repair. However, it will be pricey, as someone else has pointed out, if you use a company that specialises in traditional methods/materials.
Thanks Guys for your help and useful links.
When i bought the house three months ago i thought it was rather strange that the then dining room ceiling had been lowered by around two and a half feet as it made the room dark and strange as all the other ceilings are around 9 feet high. The rather excentric elderly owner told me that he wanted the room to feel a little more intimate whilst he and his wife ate their meals. I left it at that :shock: A few days after moving in i knocked through a panel in the ceiling to have a look and could see some missing plaster and coving, i then pulled the false ceiling down and uncoved the true height of the room and the lovely coving.
I later discovered that part of the wall had had dry rot and had been injected and a fair bit of coving had been hacked off as well as plaster high up. The dry rot has gone - i supose they old couple who had lived in the house 40 years took the easy option many years ago and just put up the false ceiling to cover the mess up caused by the dry rot!
I would love to have a go myself at making the coving but reakon its a specialist job, i will have to save up some more pennies to get it done - cheers to all
When i bought the house three months ago i thought it was rather strange that the then dining room ceiling had been lowered by around two and a half feet as it made the room dark and strange as all the other ceilings are around 9 feet high. The rather excentric elderly owner told me that he wanted the room to feel a little more intimate whilst he and his wife ate their meals. I left it at that :shock: A few days after moving in i knocked through a panel in the ceiling to have a look and could see some missing plaster and coving, i then pulled the false ceiling down and uncoved the true height of the room and the lovely coving.
I later discovered that part of the wall had had dry rot and had been injected and a fair bit of coving had been hacked off as well as plaster high up. The dry rot has gone - i supose they old couple who had lived in the house 40 years took the easy option many years ago and just put up the false ceiling to cover the mess up caused by the dry rot!
I would love to have a go myself at making the coving but reakon its a specialist job, i will have to save up some more pennies to get it done - cheers to all
Matt Green
Member
- Messages
- 671
greentree said:
Sounds like the 'remedial work' caused more damage than the fungus to me.
M.
hoppy
Member
- Messages
- 45
- Location
- birmingham, west midlands
from what i see in your latest pic, thats only a minor repair and would'nt be that expensivegreentree said:
Tom
Member
- Messages
- 1,136
- Location
- Charente, France
Hi Hoppy
I don't want you to think that I'm someone else giving you a bashing but saying 'thats only a minor repair and would'nt be that expensive' is rather subjective. The Queen, for example, may think the repair cost is equivalent to that of some small change in her footman's pocket. Whereas I, who do most of my renovations myself because I can't afford not to, may see it as another mortgage!!!! :shock:
I'd be interested, just out of pure noseyness (sp?), how much a repair like that might be.
Jaqy
I don't want you to think that I'm someone else giving you a bashing but saying 'thats only a minor repair and would'nt be that expensive' is rather subjective. The Queen, for example, may think the repair cost is equivalent to that of some small change in her footman's pocket. Whereas I, who do most of my renovations myself because I can't afford not to, may see it as another mortgage!!!! :shock:
I'd be interested, just out of pure noseyness (sp?), how much a repair like that might be.
Jaqy
hoppy
Member
- Messages
- 45
- Location
- birmingham, west midlands
Jaqy,
I cant post my daily rate, but lets just say its a days work plus travel plus materials.
in the grander sceme of things, not expensive at all
I cant post my daily rate, but lets just say its a days work plus travel plus materials.
in the grander sceme of things, not expensive at all
hoppy
Member
- Messages
- 45
- Location
- birmingham, west midlands
DWB said:
i dont mind the "Bashing" i've got thick skin..
Tom
Member
- Messages
- 1,136
- Location
- Charente, France
Not a real bashing, Hoppy...I'm quite nice, really :lol:
Actually, I'm rather surprised at how short a time you could do that repair in. I have to agree with you that, from my point of view, it wouldn't seem that expensive at all and certainly well worth the effort. I don't have any plasterwork in my house so had no idea of the cost of repairs. Unfortunately, most of the repairs I've had to do have been extremely expensive...which is why it's taken 14 years so far :shock: :lol:
Jaqy
Actually, I'm rather surprised at how short a time you could do that repair in. I have to agree with you that, from my point of view, it wouldn't seem that expensive at all and certainly well worth the effort. I don't have any plasterwork in my house so had no idea of the cost of repairs. Unfortunately, most of the repairs I've had to do have been extremely expensive...which is why it's taken 14 years so far :shock: :lol:
Jaqy
hoppy
Member
- Messages
- 45
- Location
- birmingham, west midlands
Matt Green said:
Matt,
i have no objection to my so called experitse being questioned, i do learn something new every day of my working life, however i think it only fair to point out out a few facts:
1) stating my years of experience was mearly a way of showing i know a "little" bit about my trade
2)i have no objection to people trying to do the work themselves, in fact i would offer all the advise i could to help such people.
3)talk is cheap, anybody can read a book and become an expert... all i was trying to say is... our trade is NOT a diy subject, but good luck yo anybody that tries, bear in mind when you have tried the repair yourself and it fails ie will cost you DOUBLE the original cost for a so called "Expert" to come and put it right.
my advise is free... my time is'nt