Open mitre joints
Cut at the wrong angle or pushed up dry, mitres open as the adhesive cures and as the building moves. Caulk fills them once; they reopen within a year.
Specialist service · Rochdale & the North West
Coving & CornicePeriod Detail,Modern Install
Traditional and contemporary coving, cornicing and ceiling roses fitted with razor-sharp lines — restoring period character or finishing modern interiors with a premium edge.
5-star Google-rated · 40+ years combined experience · Free written quote within 24 hours
40+
Years experience
Period
& modern profiles
Sharp
Mitres & lines
Insured
& guaranteed
Free
Profile consultation
Service overview
Done right, coving & cornice adds 25+ years of value.
Coving and cornicing is the finishing detail that separates a polished interior from a flat one. Done right, it adds character, hides hairline ceiling cracks, and lifts the perceived value of every room. Done badly, it sags, splits at mitres, and looks like a DIY job from the doorway.
What it is
Coving is a curved trim that bridges the wall-to-ceiling junction. Cornicing is a more decorative, larger-profile version often featuring egg-and-dart, dentil or floral mouldings. We install plaster (true period) and lightweight polyurethane options, plus matching ceiling roses.
Who it's for
Homeowners restoring period character, decorators finishing high-end refurbs, landlords adding visible value to premium rentals, and developers specifying a 'lived-in' premium feel on new builds.
When you need it
After plastering and before painting; during a period restoration; when hairline cracks at the wall-ceiling junction need a permanent fix; or whenever the room would benefit from architectural detail.
Why a specialist matters
Mitres, levels and straight lines are the whole job. Coving that wanders off a level line, has open mitre joints, or sags between fixings looks worse than no coving at all.
The cost of getting it wrong
Coving mistakes that won't 'paint out'
These are the issues we're most often called in to redo. None of them are fixable with caulk and paint — they need taking down and re-fitting.
Sagging between fixings
Plaster cornicing is heavy. Without mechanical fixings into the joist line, it sags and pulls away from the ceiling.
Out-of-level runs
Long runs that 'follow the ceiling' instead of being set to a true line look wrong from the doorway — and there's no fix short of taking it down.
Wrong profile for room scale
127mm coving in a 2.4m ceiling looks tight; 90mm in a 3m Victorian ceiling looks lost. We help match profile to scale on survey.
Our process
Five steps, zero surprises.
Same process on every job — domestic, commercial, single-room or full house.
Profile consultation
We bring sample profiles to site and discuss period, scale and budget. Plaster, polyurethane and gypsum options walked through with you.
Survey & measure
Lengths measured, returns and mitres planned, ceiling roses set out from room centre.
Substrate prep & line
Wall and ceiling cleaned where the coving sits, true level lines snapped, fixing positions marked.
Cut, fix & mitre
Lengths cut, mitres mitred on a mitre saw, fixed with system adhesive and mechanical screws into joists for heavy plaster profiles.
Joint fill & finish
Mitres and joints filled with matching jointing compound, sanded flush, ready for paint.
Why MCB
Specific benefits — not vague promises.
Period character restored
The right profile transforms a flat room into one with proper architectural identity.
Hides hairline cracks permanently
Coving bridges the wall-ceiling junction where most hairline cracks appear — solving the problem at source.
Sharp, true mitres
Mitres cut on a mitre saw, fixed with system adhesive, jointed flush — no caulked-up joints that reopen.
Choice of materials
Traditional plaster for period-correct restoration; lightweight polyurethane for fast, cost-effective installs.
Matching ceiling roses
Profile-matched ceiling roses installed centred to the room — proper Victorian/Edwardian detailing where required.
Decoration-ready
Sanded, snagged and ready for decorator within 24 hours of fixing.
In depth
Coving & cornice profiles
Profile choice is half the job. Get it wrong and the room reads cheap regardless of installation quality. Here's how we specify.
Plaster coving and cornicing is the original article — heavy, crisp, paint-friendly, and capable of replicating Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian profiles to museum standard. Plaster is what conservation officers expect on listed property repairs.
Polyurethane coving (often called 'duropolymer') is lightweight, fast to install, won't yellow, and accepts paint as well as plaster. It's our go-to for modern homes, new builds and budget-sensitive refurbs where appearance matters more than period authenticity.
Gypsum 'paper-faced' coving is the most economical option — fine for rental units and developer fit-outs where the profile is simple and the budget is tight.
Profile scale matters as much as material. A 90mm 'C-profile' suits 2.4m ceilings; 127–150mm coving suits 2.7–3.0m ceilings; 175mm+ cornicing belongs on Victorian and Edwardian 3.2m+ ceilings. We bring sample boards so you can see profiles in scale against your own walls before committing.
Residential
Typical 4-room domestic install: 2–4 days plus jointing. Period restorations longer where bespoke profiles are involved.
Commercial
Boutique hotels, restaurants and heritage commercial — profile-matched and snagged to spec, working around fit-out programme.
FAQs
Answers to the questions we hear most.
Not seeing yours? Call 07540 112744 — we answer the phone ourselves.
Ask us anythingRelated services
Often paired with coving & cornice
- PlasteringMirror-smooth walls & ceilings.
- Dry LiningCrisp partition & wall builds.
- Bonding & SkimmingRe-build, re-line, re-skim.
Areas we cover
Coving & Cornice across the North West
- WhitworthLancashire
- RochdaleGreater Manchester
- BuryGreater Manchester
- OldhamGreater Manchester
- BurnleyLancashire
- RawtenstallRossendale Valley
- BacupRossendale Valley
- AccringtonLancashire
- BoltonGreater Manchester
Free, no-obligation quote
Ready for coving & cornice done properly?
Written fixed-price quote within 24 hours. Tidy site, time-served team, 5-year workmanship guarantee.
Fully insured · 5-year guarantee · 24-hour quote turnaround