Remove coving and make good

Strip old coving from the wall-ceiling joint, repair the surface underneath, and leave it smooth and ready to paint.

CV-01Clear and protect the roomMove furniture to the middle of the room or out altogether, and lay dust sheets over the floor and anything left in place. Mask off skirting boards, sockets and light switches near the work area with tape, since scraping and sanding around coving is messy. Have rubble sacks ready for waste as you go, rather than letting debris pile up.

2 each · Dust sheet (cotton twill)

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1 roll · Masking tape 50mm x 50m

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1 pack · Rubble sacks (pack of 10)

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CV-02Identify your wall and ceiling typeCoving sits where the wall meets the ceiling, so you need to know what's behind both surfaces before you start. Tap along the wall and ceiling: solid brick or block sounds dense and solid, while a stud wall or plasterboard ceiling sounds hollow between the studs or joists. Run a stud detector or a magnet along the ceiling near the wall to find joists or fixing lines; on a stud wall, look for a vertical line of screw heads roughly every 400-600mm. A small pilot hole tells you more - timber dust means a wooden stud or joist, fine grey swarf means a metal stud, and a soft crumbly give with horizontal wooden strips means lath and plaster, common in houses built before about 1930. Dot-and-dab plasterboard (common since the 1970s) feels slightly springy and sounds hollow almost everywhere, since the board is stuck to the masonry with adhesive dabs rather than fixed solid.

1 each · Cable, pipe and stud detector

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1 each · Small magnet

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CV-03Score the coving line and check for hidden servicesRun a sharp trimming knife along the top and bottom edge of the coving, cutting through the paint film and old adhesive so it separates cleanly rather than tearing the surface underneath. Cables for wall lights, ceiling roses and alarm sensors often run close to the wall-ceiling junction, so sweep the whole run with a cable detector before you cut or lever anything. Detectors miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, or behind metal-backed plasterboard, so still work as if one could be there: cut shallow, angle the blade away from the wall, and stop if you feel any resistance. If in any doubt, isolate the relevant lighting circuit at the consumer unit before you carry on, and note where your stopcock is (usually under the kitchen sink) in case you later hit a pipe.

1 each · Retractable trimming knife and blades

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CV-04Remove the covingPush a bolster chisel or a wide scraper into the scored line and lever gently, working in short 200-300mm sections rather than trying to take off a whole length at once. Old plaster coving is usually fixed with both nails or screws and a bonding adhesive, so expect more resistance; polystyrene coving usually pulls away from its adhesive with steady pressure alone. On a dot-and-dab wall, lever gently and stop if the plasterboard starts to flex or drum, as too much force can pop a whole dab loose from the masonry behind. On a lath-and-plaster ceiling, work especially slowly - the plaster key holding it to the laths can be brittle, and a firm lever can bring down a much bigger area than you intend.

1 each · Bolster chisel (25mm)

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1 each · Club hammer (1kg)

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1 each · Wide stripping knife (100mm)

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CV-05Strip old adhesive, nails and screw headsScrape off leftover adhesive and any nail or screw heads left in the wall and ceiling. On solid brick or block, a stiff scraper or wire brush and some elbow grease will get most of it off. On plasterboard, whether on timber studs, metal studs or dot-and-dab, scrape gently and stop before you break through the paper face - a torn face just needs more filler, but a deep tear needs a patch. On lath and plaster, remove only what lifts easily; leave anything firmly stuck rather than risk cracking the plaster key behind it.

1 each · Wire brush

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CV-06Patch any damaged plasterboard or plasterIf removal has left a hole bigger than about 50mm, cut it back to a neat square and screw in a plasterboard offcut rather than filling a deep gap with filler alone. Into a timber stud or noggin, use a drywall screw (32-38mm) driven into the centre of the timber; into a metal stud, use a self-drilling metal-stud screw, since an ordinary wood screw or plastic wall plug strips straight through 0.5mm steel. If there's no timber or metal behind the patch, screw into the surrounding sound plasterboard, or fit a short timber noggin between the studs first. Before drilling, check the area again with your detector - if you're working near a wall light or ceiling rose and need to move any wiring, get a registered electrician to do it (in a bathroom near the bath or shower it's notifiable under Part P).

RULES

1 each · Plasterboard offcut (600x600mm, 12.5mm)

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1 box · Drywall screws 32mm (box)

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1 box · Metal stud self-drilling screws 25mm (box)

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1 each · Timber noggin 50x25mm x1m

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1 500ml · PVA bonding agent

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KNOW THE RULES

Moving or altering fixed wiring is a job for a registered electrician; near a bath or shower it is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. Use a registered electrician, or have the work checked and certified.

CV-07Fill the coving line and any cracksRun a bead of flexible decorators' caulk along the wall-ceiling joint where the coving used to sit, smoothing it with a wet finger or a caulk tool for a neat, crack-free line. Fill deeper holes or cracks with multi-purpose filler, building it up in thin layers rather than one thick pass, and press scrim tape into any crack wider than about 3mm before filling over it so it doesn't reopen. Let each layer go off before adding the next - check the tub for drying time, as it varies with depth and room temperature.

2 each · Flexible decorators' caulk (310ml)

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1 roll · Self-adhesive scrim tape (90mm x 20m)

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1 tub · Multi-purpose filler (2kg)

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CV-08Sand smooth and check the finishOnce the filler is fully dry, sand it back with a fine sanding sponge until it's flush with the surrounding wall and ceiling. Wear a dust mask, and shine a torch across the surface at a low angle - this raking light shows up any dips or ridges you've missed. Vacuum the dust off before you paint.

1 each · Fine sanding sponge (120 grit)

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1 pack · Dust mask FFP2 (pack of 5)

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CV-09Prime the repaired areaNew filler and bare plaster are porous and will flash through paint if left untreated, so seal the repaired band with a stabilising primer or a mist coat (emulsion diluted roughly 70:30 with water). Let it dry fully, usually a few hours, before you paint the wall and ceiling in their final colour.

1 each · Stabilising primer or emulsion for mist coat (2.5L)

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1 set · Paintbrush and small roller set

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CV-10Clean up and check the finished jointBag up the old coving, adhesive scrapings and offcuts - broken plaster and plasterboard are heavy, so double-bag rubble sacks to stop them splitting. Vacuum the room thoroughly, including skirting boards and windowsills, since coving removal produces a lot of fine dust. Check the finished wall-ceiling joint in daylight before moving furniture back.

1 pack · Rubble sacks (pack of 10)

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