If cracks are appearing in-between your walls and coving or even worse and the coving is hanging down from the ceiling, then it’s probably time to consider replacing it or at least restore it back to it's former glory. It may seem like a difficult job and perhaps one that should be left to a professional decorator but with a few tips from us and a little willingness and time you could replace the coving throughout your home without the expensive of a tradesman.

Interior coving is a moulding that fits between your wall and ceiling adding a decorative feature to your room design, although in some cases coving may have been used to conceal wiring. Most modern homes have coving typically manufactured from polystyrene usually with a simple design. Older houses may have plaster based coving fitted, that usually has a more decorative and ornate pattern design.

 Replace or Repair

If part of the coving is damaged then nine times out of ten the simplest way of repairing it is by replacing the damaged section with a new piece. Many designs and sizes can easily be found at your local DIY store or even available to buy online. And if your struggling to find a design that matches then you can have coving made to order, some suppliers are even able to take an imprint of the existing coving to ensure a perfect match.

 Remove Coving

If you haven’t yet removed the damaged coving, gently pry it away from the wall and ceiling using a flat edge, usually a metal paint scraper is the ideal tool. Insert it at several points breaking any of the remaining adhesive before prying the coving away from the wall and ceiling.

 Scrape and Fill

Once the damaged section of coving has been removed, scrape any broken plaster and fill any holes using polyfilla or any plaster based filler. Once the filler is dry, sand the surface down to ensure a smooth finish and fixing area.

 Cut and Fix

Cut the new piece of coving to the exact size of the section you are replacing using a sharp knife or fine cut handsaw and fix it into place using coving adhesive. For heavier coving manufactured from plaster you will need to support or use holding pins until the adhesive has set.

 Sanding Down

Once the adhesive has dried, sand down the edges between the old and new sections of coving to ensure a smooth joint. If there are small gaps left between the coving and wall and/or ceiling use a small amount of filler and again allow for the filler to dry before sanding it down and painting.

 Simple Repairs

For coving that’s simply scratched or has slightly broken edges, you may be able to get away with restoring it rather than fitting a replacement section. Try using polyfilla to build up the edges or fill the deep scratches. For larger holes you can try packing them with polystyrene pieces before applying the filler.

 Particularly Tricky

Restoration of coving can be particularly tricky with curved profiles and ornate patterns to recreate. Making sure you have a selection of scrapers, amble time and plenty of sand paper to hand will help replicate the coving and achieve the best results.

 Paint and Finish

Once you’re happy that the coving is restored or replaced an all-over gentle sand down and clean before painting will ensure a smooth and tidy finish. Painting your coving white or a lighter colour than used on the walls will help your hard work standout also lightening up the room.

If decorating your room then read our articles on how to paint behind a radiator and painting interior doors.