What's Included in the Price
- Supply of cornice in the specified profile (standard cove, decorative stepped, ornate heritage, or custom-matched)
- Cutting, fitting, and fixing at the wall-ceiling junction with cornice cement and fasteners
- Mitring all internal and external corners
- Filling, sanding, and finishing all joins to a paint-ready surface per AS/NZS 2589:2017 Gypsum Linings
- Ceiling roses priced and installed per piece ($250–$470 for decorative plaster roses, plus $80–$150 installation)
Painting is separate. Cornice must be installed first, then filled, sanded, and painted. The reverse order does not work because the filling and sanding at joins and mitres damages any existing paint finish. For rooms with new plasterboard ceilings, cornice installation is typically scheduled after the plasterboard is finished but before painting.
What Affects the Cost
- Profile type. Simple 55mm cove ($3–$4/m supply, $5–$8/m install) is the baseline. Victorian and Edwardian ornate profiles with multiple steps, curves, and details ($15–$40/m supply, $15–$25/m install) cost significantly more due to complex mitres and extra finishing.
- Heritage profile matching. Melbourne's inner suburbs have some of the most elaborate residential cornice profiles in Australia. If your renovation needs to match an existing profile that is no longer in production, a custom mould is made from the original ($200–$500 for mould creation, $40–$80+/m for the run). This adds per-metre cost but gives an exact match.
- Multi-part cornice. Some period homes have cornice assemblies that are actually multiple separate pieces: a main cornice, a frieze, and sometimes a picture rail, creating a layered effect. Each element needs separate installation, which multiplies the per-room cost.
- Square-set or shadowline. Converting from cornice to square-set ($12–$20/m) or shadowline is popular in contemporary Melbourne renovations. The labour for Level 5 finishing at the join is more than standard cornice installation, despite looking simpler.
- Ceiling height. Many Melbourne period homes have ceilings above 3m. This makes cornice work slower due to the working height and the need for scaffolding ($100–$300/day hire).
- Number of rooms. Multiple rooms reduce the per-metre cost. A single room carries a minimum charge ($250–$400).
Simple cove cornice in one room of a modern home sits toward $150. Ornate multi-part cornice across several rooms in a Victorian terrace, with custom profile matching, ceiling roses, old cornice removal, and 3m+ ceilings pushes toward $1,450.
Melbourne-Specific Considerations
Melbourne's cornice work divides into three distinct eras of housing, each with its own profile style, materials, and pricing.
Victorian terraces (Carlton, Fitzroy, Collingwood, South Melbourne, Richmond). These homes from the 1860s to 1900s have the most elaborate plaster cornices in Australia. Multi-part assemblies with egg-and-dart motifs, acanthus leaves, and deep stepped mouldings were hand-run in situ using lime plaster. When renovating, the question is not whether to install cornice but how to match what is already there. If you are extending a living room into a former veranda, or restoring cornice damaged by a roof leak, the new cornice must seamlessly continue the existing profile. Melbourne firms like Vision Ornate Plaster and F Vitale & Sons specialise in heritage mould-making and can reproduce discontinued profiles from a sample section. The cost per metre is significantly higher than off-the-shelf, but the visual result is what makes these homes so desirable.
Edwardian and Federation homes (Hawthorn, Kew, Camberwell, Malvern, Armadale). These homes (1900s to 1920s) tend toward simpler but still decorative profiles with Art Nouveau influences. Curved floral motifs and gentler profiles are common. Many of these profiles are still available from specialist suppliers, making matching more straightforward than for Victorian-era cornice.
Interwar bungalows (Northcote, Coburg, Brunswick, Essendon, Preston). Geometric Art Deco profiles from the 1920s to 1940s are characteristic of this era. Linear stepped designs and angular motifs replaced the organic curves of the Edwardian period. These profiles are commonly available from Gyprock's decorative range or specialist plaster merchants.
Square-set in contemporary work. In modern renovations and extensions, particularly in the inner north (Fitzroy, Brunswick, Collingwood) and inner south (South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor), square-set and shadowline finishes have become the default. A common approach in Melbourne is to keep ornate cornice in the original rooms and use square-set in the new extension, creating a clear distinction between old and new while preserving heritage character.
Heritage overlays. Melbourne's heritage overlays (HO zones) may restrict cornice alterations in contributory buildings. Check with your local council's heritage advisor before removing or modifying original cornices in heritage-listed or overlay properties. Non-compliance can result in remediation orders.
Hiring a Licensed Plasterer in VIC
In Victoria, single-trade plastering work does not require registration with the Victorian Building Authority (VBA). However, quality matters more than licensing thresholds for cornice work. Badly mitred corners and visible join lines are the hallmark of a rushed or inexperienced installer.
Worth checking:
- Photos of completed cornice work, particularly internal and external mitres (corners are where quality shows)
- For heritage matching, confirmed experience with custom profiles and mould-making in Victorian or Edwardian homes
- For square-set or shadowline, demonstrated understanding of Level 5 finishing requirements under AS/NZS 2589
- A written quote specifying the profile type, number of rooms, linear metres, and whether old cornice removal is included
- Public liability insurance
- Membership with the AWCI (Association of Wall and Ceiling Industries) is a positive signal for heritage and specialist work
Melbourne's cornice plasterers range from general tradespeople who install standard Gyprock cove, through to specialists who focus exclusively on heritage restoration. Match the plasterer to the job.
How We Calculate
Estimates are based on current plasterer rates in the Melbourne metropolitan area, adjusted for property age and typical cornice styles in VIC. All prices include GST. Figures cover standard residential cornice installation including supply, fitting, and finishing to a paint-ready surface. Heritage restoration with custom-moulded profiles may exceed these ranges.