Artex in celling diadnosed as asbestos

pennysweets · 7 April 2011 at 1:28PM

I hope someone out there can advise me please.

I wanted to remove the artex in the celling so i scrapped the dimples to get a smooth finish, but half way through something told me that this wasnt right so i checked up on the internet to find that asbestos was used in artex. I stopped immeditaley. Most of the dimples fell onto a dust sheet i had. I wrapped this up and disposed of it. I hoover the rest up using a normal houshold hoover (i know now I shouldnt have done this) and used a wet rag on everything in the facinity.

Problem is i walked through other parts of the house later that day.

As all this happened over the weekend it was Monday before i could contact anyone. I've managed to get the artex tested and the result has come back saying thatthere is asbestos.

I don't know what to do now as i was advised to clean everything and use a specialist hoover, but everywhere seems to have stopped the practice of hiring these hovvers especially where asbestos is concerned.

What would be the best way of cleaning? Would i need to take everything out of the living room, cleaning each item as they are taken out and put into storage, wipe all the surfaces that are left and probably rip up the carpet if a hoover can't be used.

No-one seems to be giving firm advise.

Once all the cleaning in the lounge has finished, does the rest of the house need to be cleaned?

as i won't be able to continue scrapping, what is the best way of removing what is left? Do i simply plaster over or remove the plasterboards altogether.

Any advise would be gratly appreciated.

Thanks

ginvzt · 7 April 2011 at 1:51PM

Not all Artex ceilings contain Asbestos. How do you know that your particular ceiling has Asbestos?

anotherbaldrick · 7 April 2011 at 2:25PM

ginvzt wrote: »

Not all Artex ceilings contain Asbestos. How do you know that your particular ceiling has Asbestos?

HE HAD IT TESTED !!:think:
It is suggested you remove it with a wallpaper steamer.

http://www.removing-asbestos.com/asbestos-artex/dealing-with-asbestos-artex-removal/

dave82_2 · 7 April 2011 at 2:27PM

Think the OP has had it tested.

"I've managed to get the artex tested and the result has come back saying thatthere is asbestos."

woodbutcher_2 · 7 April 2011 at 2:47PM

Had all my artexed ceilings (every one in the house) skimmed over.My mate who did the job moaned like hell because thay have to put a lot of plaster on them to cover it,especially if it's a deep pattern,but they look great now after a lick of paint.

If you want to save some cash,you can steam off the artex and hopefully the ceiling below will be sound and ready to prepare and paint but it is one hell of a messy job and can take a while if you are not used to weilding a scraper.

phill99 · 7 April 2011 at 4:53PM

woodbutcher wrote: »

Had all my artexed ceilings (every one in the house) skimmed over.My mate who did the job moaned like hell because thay have to put a lot of plaster on them to cover it,especially if it's a deep pattern,but they look great now after a lick of paint.

If you want to save some cash,you can steam off the artex and hopefully the ceiling below will be sound and ready to prepare and paint but it is one hell of a messy job and can take a while if you are not used to weilding a scraper.

Why don't you read the WHOLE post and comment on it, rather than commenting about a question you THINK is being asked.

OP:There is an element of paranoia here. The asbestos in artex is a very minimal amount and its is also the safest of the 3 types of asbestos. The chances of you or any one in your house becoming ill as a result is Nil. You have greater chances of becoming ill from the additives in the foodstuffs you eat and the airborne chemicals in the atmosphere.

anotherbaldrick · 7 April 2011 at 5:03PM

With the greatest regard to phill99 don't dry scrape it , not worth the risk . I had a good friend go through Mesothelioma and his contact with the asbestos that caused it was minimal.
I dry scraped an Artex ceiling many years back before the problem became widely known, I am still here but count myself lucky.

phill99 · 7 April 2011 at 5:06PM

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

With the greatest regard to phill99 don't dry scrape it , not worth the risk . I had a good friend go through Mesothelioma and his contact with the asbestos that caused it was minimal.

But that is the kind of comment that gets people paranoid.

Not all asbestos is the same. And I'm happy to bet that your friend didn't get asbestosis from white asbestos. It would have been blue or brown.

This is where a little knowledge is a very dangerous thing.

pennysweets · 7 April 2011 at 5:07PM

Thanks everybody.

Maybe i am being a bit over cautious but i have a 4 year old and a 6 month old in the house (not there at present) so hence my paranoia with the whole affair.

anotherbaldrick · 7 April 2011 at 5:25PM

phill99 wrote: »

But that is the kind of comment that gets people paranoid.

Not all asbestos is the same. And I'm happy to bet that your friend didn't get asbestosis from white asbestos. It would have been blue or brown.

This is where a little knowledge is a very dangerous thing.

Please do not take any notice of what is being said here, White asbestos may not be as dangerous as Blue or Brown but medical advice is that there is NO minimum level of exposure below which risk is not present. Not my opinion this is the official consideration of the health professionals. Consider who you want to believe.

Niv · 7 April 2011 at 5:39PM

Not all asbestos is the same, on that phil is completly correct.

There are six types of fiberous asbestos and three common types. The common names of the common types is known by many (whilte, blue and brown). Brown is bay far the worst. This si due to teh nature of the fibre, basically it is easier to inhale.

Bear in mind that inhaling asbestos is generally based on a 'clean' fibre (I.e not attached to anything) so in the case of artex you have a number of factors to take into account, these are:
*The type of asbestos present - typically only white, highly unlikely to be either blue or brown (I have never come accorsthose in that sort of product)
* The percentage of asbestos in the product - artex has one of the lowest percentage presetn of any asbestos product, about 1%
* The cleanliness of the fibre - artex is basically a plaster product often painted, very hard to release fibres in the air.

Now I am not condoning complacency at all, however if you undertake a risk assessment of this product you would walk away more scared of the paper and pen you used to write it!

Dont drill it and breaathe in the dust. Personally I wouldnt dry scrap it. I would wear a mask and a paper suit and spray it as I scrap.

In the OP case, dont panic, you said your were knocking off the 'dimples' so the chances of fibres being able to be inhaled is truely minimal.

Dont forget until relatively recently car brake pads contained asbestos so there would have been fibres released into the air from worn brake pads. I dont see wide spread asbestos os and other asbestos related conditions affecting whole populations due to this practice. Try and keep this in perspective and not get alarmist.

Niv

Artex in celling diadnosed as asbestos

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free