Best Way to Fit a Decorative Ceiling Rose

As a child I remember the beautiful ceiling rose and cornice work in the living room of our terraced Victorian house. I used to lie on the floor on my back gazing up at it for ages, making different shapes and faces in it. I used to do the same thing at the park looking up at the clouds in the sky. If it appears that I spent long periods of my childhood lying on my back, I’ve certainly had to make up for it, as I’ve got older.

Whether or not it’s because of my childhood surroundings that my favorite period of construction is Victorian I’ll never know, but it certainly was a period of exquisite ceiling decoration. Some were subtly understated whilst others were wildly flamboyant. The cornice is decorative ornate plasterwork created to disguise the join between the walls and the ceiling. The ceiling rose was designed to enhance the beautiful central light (often a chandelier) and made to match the detail of the cornice. Victorians in particular designed their cornice work to appear more on the ceiling and less on the wall.

Now I’m not suggesting that you be a Victorian, but a plain ceiling can look extremely spartan. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for the modern look too, but why not take up the challenge and fit a modern style ceiling rose – it doesn’t even have to be made of plaster. But, I must admit, I still have a hankering after those Victorian ceiling roses!

There are plenty of plaster ceiling roses to choose from. Plastic and polystyrene types are also widely available from DIY stores and good decorating shops. But if you want something special, you will have to go to a fibrous plaster specialist. As you all know, size is important!

You may well manage to fix a small or medium-sized ceiling rose on your own or with the help of a partner, but for a large ‘all singing and dancing’ one, I suggest you get all your friends round, or leave it to the experts.

Fitting a New Ceiling Rose

Assuming you have no central light in place, the first thing to do is find the center of the ceiling. This is achieved by using two lines of string each stretched diagonally from corner to corner of the ceiling. The point where the strings cross each other will be the center. Where there is already a light fitting, remember to turn the power supply OFF and remove the fitting first. Make sure you have set up a safe platform to work from.

Offer up the new ceiling rose (also centerd) and draw around the edge with a pencil onto the ceiling.

For a lightweight rose such as the one shown in the photographs, apply a coat of PVA adhesive and water to both the ceiling (remove any ceiling paper first) and the back of the rose to seal the surfaces. Apply plaster or tile adhesive to the back of the rose and press into place. Wipe off any excess plaster or adhesive. Have someone hold the rose in place and then pull the lighting flex through the center of the rose. Use wire strippers to cut back the cable and strip the wires ready for wiring into the light fitting. Fill over any screwheads with filler and leave to dry. Paint to finish.

If you are attaching a heavy rose, use a joist detector to locate the joists within the proximity of the rose. Take the straight edge and pencil and draw two center lines on the ceiling andtransfer corresponding lines onto the rose. Carefully drill two pilot holes, then a light countersink and have two long brass screws ready for fixing.