How Much Does Plaster Coving Cost to Fit?

At typical 2026 prices, having plaster coving supplied and fitted in a typical room costs between £600 and £1,700. The price per metre ranges from £25 to £100 for standard plaster profiles, while highly ornate or bespoke designs cost more.

Coving and cornice explained

Coving is a decorative moulding that softens the joint between your wall and ceiling. The terms coving and cornice are often used interchangeably, but there is a clear difference in the trade. Coving is usually a simple C-shaped profile that curves neatly between the two surfaces.

A cornice is a more general term for a moulding that hides the wall and ceiling joint. Cornices are usually made of plaster and feature varied, ornate decoration. You will most commonly find them in period homes, where they add character and detail to high ceilings.

Plaster compared with other coving materials

When you hire a plasterer to fit coving, they will ask which material you want to use. Plaster is the traditional choice that lasts for decades and comes in a wide range of ornate designs. It is the heaviest option, weighing between 1.5kg and 4kg per metre, and usually needs professional fitting to make sure it stays securely on the wall.

Polystyrene is the cheapest and lightest material available. The materials alone cost about £3 to £7 per metre. It is easy to handle but dents easily, so it is best avoided in low rooms where it might take a knock.

Polyurethane is a mid-priced synthetic option that is highly durable and resists moisture. The materials for this also cost about £3 to £7 per metre. Both polystyrene and polyurethane weigh less than 1kg per metre, making them much lighter than plaster and faster to install.

MDF or wood suits basic, straight-edged designs. It offers a clean finish but can warp if it is exposed to moisture, making it unsuitable for certain rooms.

How much coving costs per metre

Plasterers price coving jobs by the metre and by the type of material you choose. Synthetic materials cost less to buy and are faster to put up, which keeps the labour cost down. Plaster requires more skill, heavier lifting and careful jointing, which pushes the price up.

This table shows the typical cost to supply and fit different types of coving per metre.

These are typical published guide prices for 2026 and your local quotes will differ. In London and the South East, fitting labour typically costs 10 to 20 per cent more.

Typical costs for a room

If you are pricing up a whole room, the total will depend on the size of the space and the material you select. A standard square room is straightforward, but a room with chimney breasts, bay windows or alcoves will require more cuts and more time.

This table shows the total cost to supply and fit coving in a typical room.

These are typical published prices for 2026 and your final quote will depend on the exact size and shape of your room.

Bespoke and ornate cornice work

Standard coving comes off the shelf, but bespoke cornice work is a specialist skill. If you live in an older property and want to match an existing damaged cornice, copying the original profile is specialist work, and a damaged section can often be repaired rather than replaced.

This level of fibrous plastering requires extensive training and experience. You can expect to pay around £150 per metre for bespoke or highly ornate cornice work. A full room of bespoke plaster coving will cost between £750 and £3,500 depending on the complexity of the design and the size of the room.

The daily labour rate for bespoke cornicing is between £350 and £800, which is significantly higher than standard fitting.

Extra costs to expect

The price of the coving and the standard fitting labour is only one part of the job. You will often need to budget for preparation and finishing work before the room is complete.

• Removing old coving will cost between £150 and £350, as the plasterer must carefully strip the old material without damaging the wall behind it.
• Plastering preparation costs between £200 and £300, or about £25 per square metre if the wall needs a skim. A skim is a thin finishing coat, a few millimetres thick, applied over sound plaster or plasterboard to create a flat surface.
• Painting a bedroom once the coving is up will add between £300 and £500 to the total.

How long fitting takes

A standard coving installer or plasterer charges between £150 and £300 a day for standard fitting. Some prefer to charge a flat rate of £250 to £350 for a medium room.

A small room usually takes half a day to a day to complete. A medium room will take between one and two days. Large or complex rooms with multiple corners, alcoves or bespoke designs will take two to three days.

If the plasterer needs to remove old coving or skim the walls first, this will add to the timeline. An average room takes one to two days.

Restoring cornices in period homes

Old internal plasterwork is a key feature of period homes and is worth conserving wherever possible. Deterioration frequently looks worse than it is, and repair rather than replacement is commonly possible.

If you are planning to repair a lath and plaster ceiling and its cornice, any underlying structural or damp problems must be dealt with first. Where replacement is justified, it should normally be in the same material. You can read the full SPAB advice on old internal plasterwork for more detail.

If your home is listed, the rules are strict. The Planning Portal confirms that you need listed building consent for any significant works, whether internal or external. This guidance applies to England, and rules in Wales or Scotland may differ. You should always check with your local council if you are unsure.

To find a tradesperson with the right skills, you can look for members of the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) trade body. They run a Heritage, Fibrous and GRG Plastering working group for members who carry out new and remedial work to heritage plaster ceilings.

Coving in bathrooms and kitchens

Bathrooms and kitchens experience high levels of humidity, which limits your choice of coving materials. MDF and wood can warp easily when exposed to moisture, making them a poor choice for a steamy room.

Moisture-resistant polyurethane and PVC coving handle steam without warping. Because of this, a bathroom or kitchen costs no more to cove than any other room.

Traditional plaster coving can be used, but it only suits well-ventilated rooms where it can be properly sealed with a suitable paint. If your bathroom lacks an extractor fan, synthetic coving is the safer option.

What goes wrong with coving jobs

Fitting coving might seem straightforward, but poor preparation leads to problems you will see every day. A common issue is skimming or applying adhesive over loose, damp or unsealed painted surfaces. When the background is not prepared properly, the new coat or the coving itself cracks or peels away from the wall.

Quotes that omit essential parts of the job also cause disputes. A cheap initial price might not include the preparation work, removing the old coving, dealing with the ceiling or the cost of waste removal.

You should also avoid cash-only deals with nothing in writing. These leave you with no proof of what was agreed if the finish is wavy or the joints are highly visible.

Rules, qualifications and asbestos

Plastering is not a licensed trade in the UK. There is no legal register for plasterers like the one required for gas engineers, so evidence of past work matters much more than certificates. You might see traders advertising a CSCS card, but this is simply a health and safety pass for construction sites, not proof of quality on domestic work. If you want reassurance, look for tradespeople backed by TrustMark, which is the government-endorsed quality scheme.

If you need to remove or cover an artex ceiling before fitting coving, you must be aware of asbestos. The Health and Safety Executive says that textured coatings may contain asbestos in any building built or refurbished before 2000. Work on these ceilings does not normally need a licensed contractor, but it must be done by people trained to work safely with asbestos. You should never sand, scrape or drill suspect coatings, and you must tell your tradesperson about them before work starts.

Any trader who takes away your old coving and plaster bags must be a registered waste carrier. This register is public, so you can check their details online.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all work must be done with reasonable care and skill. If your coving is poorly fitted, you can ask the trader to put it right or seek a partial or full refund.

Questions to ask before you book

When you gather quotes for coving installation, you need to know exactly what is included. Ask the plasterer these questions before you agree to the work.

• Which exact material and profile are you quoting for?
• Does the price include the removal and disposal of my old coving?
• Is making good the wall and ceiling included in the total?
• Are you going to paint the coving once it is fitted, or do I need a decorator?
• Who will be responsible for matching the existing cornice if we need bespoke sections?

Common questions

What is fibrous plastering?

Fibrous plastering is a traditional method of casting decorative mouldings like cornices and ceiling roses. The plaster is traditionally reinforced with hessian, which makes it strong enough to hold deep, ornate designs. It is specialist work that costs more than fitting standard off-the-shelf coving.

Can you fit coving in a bathroom?

You can fit coving in a bathroom, but you must choose a material that handles moisture. Polyurethane and PVC are ideal because they resist steam and will not warp. Plaster coving can be used if the room is well-ventilated and the plaster is properly sealed, while MDF should be avoided completely.

How do you match an old cornice?

Matching an old cornice is specialist work for a plasterer with heritage experience, who copies the existing profile so new lengths match the old. FIS has a heritage and fibrous plastering working group whose members do this work. Bespoke cornicing labour typically costs £350 to £800 a day.

Does fitting coving create much mess?

Fitting new synthetic coving is a relatively clean job, but removing old plaster coving will create a lot of dust and heavy debris. If your walls need skimming to prepare them for the new mouldings, you will have the usual wet plaster and mixing dust to deal with.

Next steps before you hire

Getting a fair price and a good finish requires a bit of research. Citizens Advice suggests getting written quotes from at least three traders before you make a decision. A quote is a fixed price, whereas an estimate is just a rough guess.

Make sure your quotes and contracts cover these essential points.

• A fixed total price with a clear breakdown of the work and materials.
• Confirmation of whether VAT is included in the final figure.
• A written contract covering timings, tidying up, materials and payment terms.
• A deposit of no more than 25 per cent of the total price.
• An agreement to pay by card where possible for better protection.

You might be able to cancel within 14 days of agreeing the contract. Ask to see two or three recent examples of similar work and check that the plasterer has public liability insurance. When you are ready to start gathering quotes, you can find a plasterer near you to discuss your options and get an accurate price for your room.