Unusual Coving Angles

[keyplayer]

I want to put coving up in a room where a small part of the ceiling slopes down to one wall, as dictated by the roof structure, and therefore two of the internal angles (it's a square room) need to be mitred in two directions, rather than just the usual one rightish angle. I'm hoping I can use my chop saw for this, perhaps with a bevel square, as it will adjust on the two planes, but does anyone have any tips for such a task which will keep my caulking requirements to a minimum? I intend to use a polymer type rather than plaster.

 

[roughcaster]

Hard to visualise Keyp'. Any chance of a pic?

 

[big-all]

just remember you cannot change 2 directions at once and get it fitting propperly
you must change directions one at a time with a few inches inbetween
if thats not possible you will have to compromise with one or more bits not fitting properly

 

[Micilin]

I want to put coving up in a room where a small part of the ceiling slopes down to one wall, as dictated by the roof structure, and therefore two of the internal angles (it's a square room) need to be mitred in two directions, rather than just the usual one rightish angle. I'm hoping I can use my chop saw for this, perhaps with a bevel square, as it will adjust on the two planes, but does anyone have any tips for such a task which will keep my caulking requirements to a minimum? I intend to use a polymer type rather than plaster.

When you say polymer, do you mean polystyrene or similar?

If so, burn a small piece, look at the smoke and fumes and think if this is what you want in your house if there is a fire?

More people have been killed from the smoke of this and ceiling tiles of similar (where there have been fires in places with them), than have died from the fire itself.

If you want to cove , please use your ordinary gypsum type coving, it's cheap and safe and you can fill it.

For unusual angles, use a short offcut , offer it up as close to the joint as you can ( as if it were fixed) and draw a pencil line along each edge. Take down the coving and extend the lines with a rule or doorstop etc

Do the same on the other side, so that teh lines intersect. Now you have the shape and measurements drawn on the ceiling of where your pieces need to be cut.


However - and bear with me in case I am not visualising this properly-

There is no problem with fixing the coving if it is sitting into a 90 degree angle By this I mean where the wall meets ceiling, not wall meets wall in the corner.

If you are having to cut the coving in two planes, this suggests to me that at the next joint the wall /ceiling line is splayed ie not at 90 degrees, so the coving will not sit properly into this , like the angles in a mansard roof or sloping attic room. Can you confirm this either way?

If it is only a small area in the room - can you cove up to it, finishing with an external mitre and then start again from the other side, with a mitre, or better still can you make a small bulkhead to take the coving around it?

 

[keyplayer]

Hard to visualise Keyp'. Any chance of a pic?

Indeed, it's not too clear but the painted part is the ceiling.

Untitled

• keyplayer
• 10 Apr 2010
• 1

just remember you cannot change 2 directions at once and get it fitting propperly

If you are having to cut the coving in two planes, this suggests to me that at the next joint the wall /ceiling line is splayed ie not at 90 degrees, so the coving will not sit properly into this , like the angles in a mansard roof or sloping attic room. Can you confirm this either way?

That's exactly it. It's obvious when you think about it, and thanks to you both I now am! I am now thinking of just terminating the runs against the wall at the 'bottom of the slope' so to speak, and leaving one wall uncoved. Or I may, after carrying out this operation, try to slot a piece in which I have scribed to fit both sides and trim off the overhanging piece from the sloping part horizontal and level. A bit like doing internal skirting board angles if you see what I mean. I suspect this will require some hole filling (right in the corners), but I don't see why this wouldn't work.

Micilin - I take on board your point about materials, I was looking at Easycove, not sure if it's polystyrene or not, it seems much harder than that. But it's probably a similar material. Incidentally, from the picture, you may notice that there is a rolled curve I have to deal with as well. Can the plaster product be dampened and bent to shape around this, or is there a better way to achieve the bends?

 

[2929twin]

On a `bad` corners room we will fit just a 2 foot section each side of the corner, taking as much time to get a tight fit as necc. Then fit the straight length in between the corners. Plaster coving will follow some curvature and the adhesive used as filler for big defects. Use nails under untill adhesive has set off.

 

[keyplayer]

Having now completed this task I can now see what you meant by this:

or better still can you make a small bulkhead to take the coving around it?

which I didn't before, as I was only thinking about the angles going around the corners, and not the fact that the angle was consistent between the wall and ceiling along the whole wall. My misunderstanding, albeit a small one. I have, in the event, just left the end wall uncoved and cut the coving flush with it. And it looks fine.

On a `bad` corners room we will fit just a 2 foot section each side of the corner, taking as much time to get a tight fit as necc. Then fit the straight length in between the corners. Plaster coving will follow some curvature and the adhesive used as filler for big defects. Use nails under untill adhesive has set off.

That's pretty much how I tackled the curves in the ceiling, taking a straight piece up to the curve as far as possible, and then inserting a filler piece between the two. I cut a few notches into the inserts about 90% through from the wall face, leaving the ceiling side face intact, and sprayed them with water allowing them to bend far enough. Then, after bonding into place, just filled the gaps with easifill. Incidentally, I went with the Artex paper backed plaster product, for smoke hazard related peace of mind. Thanks to all for the input.