Fitting the mould
Feb 03, 2022
4 minutes
Feature Roger Hunt, author of Old House Handbook
From simple cornices to elaborate ceiling roses, original plaster mouldings provide interiors with embellishment, proportion and decoration. They also serve a practical function, concealing unsightly junctions, such as between ceilings and walls.
Cornices were once run in situ using a ‘running mould’, with decorative elements added using plaster ‘enrichments’. Patented in 1856, fibrous plaster revolutionised the way mouldings were made by allowing the formation of complex pre-cast shapes and the mass-production of decorative elements. Stronger and lighter than solid plaster, fibrous plaster consists of plaster of Paris reinforced with layers of
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