repairing victorian interior plasterwork

JuneBow

I have just moved into a victorian terraced house, and in common with many of them some of the original features have been removed and some are damaged.
I would like to repair some of the coving and cornices as well as some rather nice plasterwork around the doors.
I know that there are specialist firms who will take mouldings of the coving and cornices and use that to repair them.
However, how easy is it to do it yourself?
I think someone told me once that you take latex moulds and fill with plaster of paris but it was ages ago someone told me this and I cannot remember the details.
I was thinking about taking mouldings from something like home made playdough or perhaps clay and using that as a mould to repair by filling it with plaster of paris.
Can anyone offer any advice or direct me to a website or book that may be able to help.

ormus

there are two ways of doing it.
one way is to make moulds, as you say. and pour plaster of paris into them.
the other way is to use a guide rail screwed onto the wall, and use a template to spread the plaster along any gaps in the moulding/s.
to make the moulding template, make a cardboard one first then transfer it to a plywood or metal one.

the guide rail is a simple 1x1 wood or similar. you could make two of em. one above and one below the moulding.




not a great piccy, but gives you the general idea.

Doozergirl

If you'd ever tried to plaster even a flat wall, you'd leave this one to the experts

ormus

i didnt say it was easy!
patching small areas is not a very big deal though.

i wouldnt like to do a whole room! or a wall!

tubbee2

I did this - about 20 years ago we bought a Victorian house previously divided into bedsits and flats and when we took the partitioning away there were gaps in the cornice, picture rail and dados where the very efficient builders had divided the rooms up. I used plasticine to take a mould of and then filed the plaster model bit down. I can't remember what I used to stick it in place, but I do remember it was a pain the rear to do, and although I originally intended great things I lost the enthusiasm and paid a joiner to make new stretches up. If you want to do it, take your time and only do a small area at a time. Good luck
tb

JuneBow

Thanks for these replies.
The plasterwork has flowers and other patterns in it, so the moulding template would not work.
I think it may be plastercine I would have to use.
I was going to try playdough, which I could make myself, but would that be too soft?
Can you get, say a liquid latex to use as some of the mouldings, particularly around the door arches are quite big and I may need industrial quantities of plastercine?

Errata

Liquid latex for moulds here http://www.tomps.com/shop/-c-1_3.html

JuneBow

Errata wrote: »

Liquid latex for moulds here http://www.tomps.com/shop/-c-1_3.html

Exacttly what I want. Thank you.