Expert Guide To Traditional Plaster Mouldings
Expert Guide To Traditional Plaster Mouldings
If you want to restore the period charm of your home, knowing and understanding which mouldings and plasterwork to choose to suit the era of the property is essential.
As well as adding to the aesthetic appeal of your home, they help to define the period styles and the status of homes, or even individual rooms. Most mouldings also have practical uses too.
Skirting protects the foot of the wall, and dado rails were originally installed to protect walls from the backs of chairs scraping the wall finishes, Mouldings around doorways, or architraves, also add protection and can turn a mundane opening into a welcoming entrance.
Coving or cornicing mirrors the skirting, and hides joints and cracks between the ceiling and the wall. Ceiling roses and domes tidy the area around the mounting of a light fitting and are generally quite large and circular, placed in the centre of the ceiling.
How to choose mouldings to suit your home
Mouldings can be as ornate or clean as you require, but the key to staying true to the period of your home is to create a balance in the proportions of the mouldings. Large imposing mouldings in a small room will look cluttered, but in a large room, there’s more free reign to be bolder.
It can be worth looking for any signs that might indicate where original mouldings might have been used, for example, finding patched nail holes or parallel lines of paint on the original plaster underneath wallpaper may indicate the position of dado rails.
Georgian
Georgian mouldings can vary considerably. A noticeable feature of this era would be cornices that project as far down a wall as they do across. Wall friezes were also a popular feature. The most ornate mouldings in a home are found in the areas seen by visitors, such as hallways and sitting rooms, as these were designed to impress.
Victorian
From the 1850s ‘fibrous plaster’ (strengthened with hessian fibres) allowed for large, complex cornices to be cast in one piece prior to fitting. Also used were cheap, lightweight papier mâché ornamental mouldings. Cornice was very ornate, featuring flowers, fruit and vines. Ceiling roses were at their height during this period.
Post-WWI
World War I marked the end of decorative plasterwork in most homes, paving the way for starker, simpler lines, often with a simple cornice and perhaps a matching centrepiece.
Art Deco
Bold, chunky designs are typical of Art Deco, and decorative mouldings are no exception. Strong, stepped designs feature heavily in both skirting boards and cornicing, whilst sweeping yet solid curves were also popular. The materials may also reflect trends of the time, with polished black and white finishes being much sought after.
Materials for mouldings
In Victorian times fibrous plaster became the traditional material for producing mouldings, and it is still popular today for its superior appearance and texture. Plaster is perfect for mouldings, as it can be used for both mass-produced and bespoke designs, and can easily be resized and shaped in the production process.
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