Welcome to The Victorian Emporium advice
General Advice on Victorian living
Welcome to the General Advice area of The Victorian Emporium. Here you can view and read all of our advice articles on their various subjects.
What is Dado and how to use it
Discover and understand how to use dado correctly in your interior, be it a traditional wooden rail, wallpaper or Lincrusta panel, the Dado is key visual element to a space, modern or period.
What is Dado and how to use it
Discover and understand how to use Dado correctly in your interior, be it a traditional wooden rail, wallpaper or Lincrusta panel, the Dado is key visual element to a space, modern or period.
Can you use Imperial Size bricks when building a new cavity
We occasionally get asked how to incorporate imperial size bricks into a cavity wall build, sometimes because bricklayers tell their customers that this will pose a ‘nightmare’ for them. Buildings which incorporate any other size of bricks than standard metric…
Can you use imperial size bricks with metric blocks when building a new cavity wall?
We occasionally get asked how to incorporate imperial size bricks into a cavity wall build, sometimes because bricklayers tell their customers that this will pose a ‘nightmare’ for them. Buildings which incorporate any other size of bricks than standard metric and standard metric blocks can present a new challenge for inexperienced bricklayers or those who are very set in their ways. Our response is always that it really is quite simple…
How and Why to Use Technical Wallpaper
We look into how to hang lining paper and other technical wallpaper and their uses. All technical wallpapers can be used to resolve issues such as rough and uneven plasterwork, cracks and crumbling plaster.
How and Why to Use Technical Lining Wallpapers
Technical Wallpaper is wallpaper that has a function other than to decorate a wall. Technical wallpaper may be required to address or hide an issue such as crumbling or uneven plasterwork, cold and damp walls or to add an additional level of comfort or safety to walls such as making them more fireproof. Technical wallpapers are hung on a bare wall underneath the final wall decoration ie the decorative wallpaper or paint.
How to paint a cast iron radiator
This guide shows you how to prepare your newly purchased cast iron radiator for painting or if you have an old cast iron radiator in your house that has flaking or old paint that you would like to restore.
How to paint a cast iron radiator
You can purchase your cast iron radiators from The Victorian Emporium painted or primed. If you purchase your radiator primed in order to save money or because you are undecided about the paint colour you require at the time of ordering your radiators, you can paint the radiator yourself by following our simple steps.
Where would you use wooden architrave mouldings in your home?
We look at how how architrave is used on doorways and windows which can otherwise look unfinished without architrave
Where would you use wooden architrave mouldings in your home?
Architrave is one of the most widely used wooden mouldings. It is used in almost all buildings, period or less old, residential or commercial. Architrave is used to surround an opening in a wall, most commonly a doorway or window but it can be used to surround other areas too.
Ways to make the most of Victorian wooden coving
It is important to fully understand the function of different mouldings in order to make the most of these items which can really enhance the interior and exterior of your house if used cleverly. Coving is used to top or finish a wall or plane off and is often…
Ways to make the most of Victorian wooden coving
It is important to fully understand the function of different mouldings in order to make the most of these items which can really enhance the interior and exterior of your house if used cleverly. Coving is used to top or finish a wall or plane off and is often a method of hiding the structure of this area ie a less than perfect join between wall and ceiling or fixings at the very top of a piece of furniture. We are often asked by…
Product Support for Architects and Design Professionals
We have launched a product specification service aimed at architects and designers. We work with a wide range of professionals, including architects, who will typically specify for the building contractors, a ‘shopping list’ of products to be included in the…
Product Specification Support for Architects and Design Professionals
What is Specify? We help and work with a wide range of design professionals including architects and designers to help them find heritage products. CALL TO FIND HOW WE CAN HELP Specify is free to use. We help find the right heritage products for the project, era and budget. We have expert knowledge and contacts at the tips of our fingers. We find and advise on a diverse range of products and information such as suitable…
How can wooden picture rails add a decorative element to any
Picture rail mouldings are not present in every period house and every room. Old houses with low ceilings would not have originally had picture rails as a picture rail requires a ceiling to be tall. The function of picture rail is to divide up and give a…
How can wooden picture rails add a decorative element to any home?
Picture rail mouldings are not present in every period house and every room. Old houses with low ceilings would not have originally had picture rails as a picture rail requires a ceiling to be tall. The function of picture rail is to divide up and give a structure to plain walls; it also allows the hanging of paintings on these walls without the need for damage to be made to plastered wall surfaces in the form of nails or screws. In the…
Choosing the right style of Victorian architrave mouldings
When selecting which wooden mouldings, such as Victorian architraves, to use in your home there are a series of questions to ask in order to make the correct choice for your renovation. If you have existing architrave in the house you will probably wish to…
Choosing the right style of Victorian architrave mouldings for my home
When selecting which wooden mouldings, such as Victorian architraves, to use in your home there are a series of questions to ask in order to make the correct choice for your renovation. If you have existing architrave in the house you will probably wish to match this as closely as possible but sometimes it can be difficult to find a good match because the information you have when trying to find the match is not easily available. From…
How to buy bricks to extend your Victorian house
When carrying out an extension on a period house, there are many things to consider. However, a fundamental consideration if you wish your extension to seamlessly mesh with your existing house is the size, colour and texture of the bricks you use. You need to…
How to buy bricks to extend your Victorian house
When carrying out an extension on a period house, there are many things to consider. However, a fundamental consideration if you wish your extension to seamlessly mesh with your existing house is the size, colour and texture of the bricks you use. You need to make sure they are as close to the original bricks as possible and that new bricks have gone through an ageing process to match the appearance of your older, more worn ones. How to…