How to remove coving

Removing coving from an old lath and plaster ceiling is a difficult, messy, and often unpredictable job. The coving is usually fixed with strong adhesive and nailed or pinned into the plaster, which means it rarely comes away cleanly. Instead, it tends to pull chunks of plaster with it, leaving behind uneven edges, cracks, and sometimes even exposing the timber laths. Because old plaster is brittle and delicate, the risk of causing further damage to the ceiling is high, and what starts as a simp