Ceiling coving around pipe box?

[Gareth]

I'm being introduced to the delights of a mitre box when trying to install ceiling coving. To me the task of installing coving is like the Crypton Factor.

If I had a perfectly square room it would be easy.

But in the corner from ceiling to floor there is a pipe box (pipe coming through ceiling and feeding a radiator).

The pipe box protrudes about 3 to 4 inches from the wall and is about 4 inches square.

How would fit coving around the box? Or would I just cut the coving flat to meet the box corners and not even bother trying to hide the box with coving?

I figure that the worst case scenario is that I completely c*ck up the whole exercise and end up wasting about £20 maximum which, for a failed DIY job, is pretty good.

[fred]

In article , Gareth writes

I'd say don't hide the box, it's an intrusion into the room so you don't want to integrate it into being a feature. If you don't like the look if it once it's done then you can change it later and could make a scribed joint to mate in with the existing coving (giving you the opportunity to learn a new covey, mitrey finishing skill :-).

[The Medway Handyman]

Me too.

Ha ha ha! They only exist on TV shows! :-)

It will look neater if you do, but its tricky because the box is unlikely to be even remotely square

I have one of these

which works a treat. You use an adjustable square to fit the angle & then use that to set the jig.

Alas its £40. If you have a whole house to do it could be worth it, or use it & E Bay it afterwards.

[Derek G.]

We had a decorator fix coving for us, and we too had a pipe box.

He fixed the coving by just taking it up to the box and starting it again at the other side.

SWMBO was unimpressed with the general standard of finish, uneven made good gaps in joints etc. but I just about got her placated by saying how very difficult it was to get a good result on a wavy wall and uneven bumpy cieling.

She was perfecly happy until she went to pay his bill. When she went in to his house to sign the cheque she observed his coving was absolutely perfect and pristine with no visible joins at all.

Derek G.

[Owain]

His wife probably got fed up waiting and got someone else in ...

Owain