We have now prepared our wall and ceiling areas and we are familiar with cutting mitres and joining the coving. Lets start to put our new coving skills together and start to fit the coving.

Adhesive - Mix your coving adhesive in a clean bucket with clean water following the manufacturers instructions. If mixed properly the adhesive should normally set within 1 to 2 hours so don't mix up more than you can use within that time.
If the surface areas are porous where you are adding the coving then it can be dampened just prior to adding the coving.
Apply the adhesive, no less than 3mm, right along the two surfaces of the coving that will be in contact with the wall and ceiling.

Fitting - Push firmly and evenly into position between your guide lines and remove any excess adhesive. A finger is the best way! then wipe off any residual adhesive with a damp sponge. The excess can be used to fill in any gaps in the corners or joints. To avoid accidentally knocking the coving you can tap in some nails directly beneath the coving to hold in into position while the adhesive sets, then remove them.


Here are some additional tips to help you

If your trying coving for the first time then buy an extra length and practice cutting your internal and external mitres.
Start fitting your coving at external corners like chimney breasts so you get good mitred finishes. External corners catch the eye more than internal corners which can be easily filled if your slightly out.
With an off cut of your coving, mitre both ends and use this to position up against the coving you are fitting to check the mitres as you go along.

We have looked at the best way to join two lengths of coving and a tool that helps you completely lose the join is our trusted friend the caulking tool. Apply some adhesive along the join and run the caulking tool along it to force the adhesive into any gaps and remove any excess at the same time. Once dry you can gently sandpaper the join and once painted you'll never know it's there.