Should I use polystyrene or plaster coving?

[Taylor B]

Me and my fiancé have just bought a house and we're thinking about some DIY improvements. A friend of ours suggested putting up coving in the lounge but I started looking into it and I'm just so confused.

I've watched a million videos on how to actually put it up and that. But how do I know what kind of coving to buy?? Can someone tell me the main differences like pros and cons of plaster and polystyrene coving? Cheers.

 

[alan333]

Go for plaster coving or, better still, actual proper plaster cornice. The polystyrene stuff looks like cheap polystyrene (and gives off deadly fumes if your house goes on fire).

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Pro's of real plaster coving: Cheaper for large and attractive profiles; more profiles to choose from.
Con's: Kinda heavy, you really need two people to put it up.

Pro's of polystyrene/gyproc coving: Cheaper if you just want a small or plain profile like B&Q or screwfix sell; much easier to install.

I disagree with Alan that it looks cheap -I don't think you can tell the difference once painted. It's all just white.

So the question is: what sort of style/size do you need, and how confident would you be working with heavy plaster?

 

[OwainDIYer]

Polystyrene coving is awful - it has a very obvious polystyrene texture finish and is easily dented.

You can get a polymer coving which is lighter than plaster or gyproc but has a better finish than p'styrene.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Polystyrene coving is awful - it has a very obvious polystyrene texture finish and is easily dented.

Hmm, I can't recall seeing coving like that. The stuff I've seen must have been either paper covered, or ten feet up where you can't tell polystyrene from white emulsion!

 

[OwainDIYer]

or ten feet up where you can't tell polystyrene from white emulsion!

I could tell polystyrene more than ten feet up. I could see the installer's thumb-dents all along it.

Incidentally, 3-metre lengths of 40mm plastic waste pipe makes a fantasic prop when fitting coving single-handedly.