To cove or not to cove...

[mansea]

I've recently moved into a new place and some of the rooms have coving and some don't. I actually quite like coving and think it finishes the room off, my partner doesn't want coving.

I think coving is becoming quite old fashioned and is going the way of artex. It doesn't look right with some rooms with and some without, although this would be the cheapest and easiest option!

Would you lot recommend removing the existing coving or adding coving? The finish behind the coving is completely unknown so either I could be lucky or I might have work and expense!! Arrgh... Suggestions please? Then I can blame you lot if it goes wrong

 

[EddieM]

Coving matter of taste of course, but removing existing coving will at best leave a mess, so for an easy life, I'd leave it be, if your partner can bear it.

 

[mansea]

Thanks that would be my preference if it aint broke don't fix. Unfortunately the mrs wants the rooms to match and she also doesn't like coving.

I'll try and leave it as is for now but shell probably wear me down and get her own way in the end

 

[EddieM]

Thanks that would be my preference if it aint broke don't fix. Unfortunately the mrs wants the rooms to match and she also doesn't like coving.

I'll try and leave it as is for now but shell probably wear me down and get her own way in the end

Ok, let your partner know that for the smooth "flawless" look, the rooms will need reskimming, not horrendously expensive TBF.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

A room without coving looks unfinished, the corners look horribly unfinished. Coving makes it much easier to decorate to the coving than without it. I did my entire house downstairs, apart from downstairs toilet and the utility room.

 

[Bargain Bucket]

The modern fashion is not to have coving. I suspect we were all convinced that it it looks better without coving by modern builders who want to cut costs. Anyway, I'm willing to bet that in 20 years time, people will be retrofitting coving in order make their houses more upmarket. Just my opinion of course.

 

[EddieM]

Some people just don't like it, doesn't make that right or wrong.

 

[alan333]

Thanks that would be my preference if it aint broke don't fix. Unfortunately the mrs wants the rooms to match and she also doesn't like coving.

I'll try and leave it as is for now but shell probably wear me down and get her own way in the end

Tell her how much mess it will make when removing it, then tell her she can do it if she wants.

 

[Mottie]

Unfortunately the mrs wants the rooms to match and she also doesn't like coving.

She'd hate our house. We have a mixture of convex and concave plain coving, ornate plaster coving and none at all in the bathroom. When we moved in back in 1990, the previous owner hade made it look like a plaster showroom. Ornate coving everywhere, ornate plaster dado rail throughout, ornate ceiling roses, plaster 'niches' sunk in the wall, plaster 'Adams' style fireplace and 'corbels' appearing to hold up the through lounge support beam! Nearly all gone now

 

[lostinthelight]

Tell her how much mess it will make when removing it, then tell her she can do it if she wants.

Especially if the cove was fitted before ceiling was reskimmed or decorated which will leave a few inches around the perimeter to make good?

 

[leegsi]

We have just removed ours and rooms feel bigger/taller.

I think your eye goes to the lowest point (ie the bottom of the coving) but as said you dont know what your going to find behind it.

Ours was really bad in some rooms so needed skimming.