Artex removal, reboarding, replastering

ames252

We are buying a 1930s house in London that currently has artex ceilings in living room and dining room over a 36 metre square space. We've been advised that the artex may contain asbestos.

Can anyone offer any advice on roughly how much it should cost to remove the artex safely and then replaster the ceilings (and potentially reboard and replace the lathes if the removal has damaged them)?

Thanks

A.Penny.Saved

Having it removed professionally will probably cost quite a lot. Artex varies in asbestos content and later varieties are not dangerous and can be dealt with without too many issues.

I have artex in many rooms and I hate the stuff! It's vile and disgusting and a damn nuisance. I had a go removing it using a wallpaper stripper and it took ages. I now have some artex remover called X-Tex, Bio Strip is another make, which I intend trying to remove the remainder of the Artex. There are wood panels above the doors so plastering isn't really suitable to cover it.

I have a Draeger Xplorer full face mask just to be on the safe side and disposable overalls and foot protection.

ilikewatch

Personally I would recommend carefully removing a sample of the Artex and sending it off to be analysed first - whether or not it contains asbestos could make a real difference to the cost of the job. There are various companies that offer postal testing for a small fee - have a search on the forum as they have been discussed before.

What is the current state of the artex? is it damaged or do you just want to remove it for aesthetic reasons?
What is the state of the decor and the floor generally?
Will you be living in the house when the work is done?

If there is asbestos and you want it removing, then I don't have a clue on the cost, otherwise you have several options:

• Skim straight over the artex - not sure if this is best practice but I've seen it done and it looked fine and stayed up.
• Overboard the artex and skim - works best if you have high ceilings and can lose a couple of inches.
• Try to remove the artex and replaster over the existing lathes - I've tried this, but it hasn't worked and I've always ended up pulling down the ceilings.
• Pull the whole lot down and reboard then skim - this is a very dirty, but rewarding job. The actual pulling down of the old ceiling and reboarding isn't a particularly skilled job. I'm a complete amateur and managed to remove and reboard a 32 square meter ceiling with the help of 1 friend in about 12 hours (not including the time taken carting about 70 rubble sacks to the tip!) Total cost was roughly £240 (plasterboard + screws £80, rubble sacks + dust sheets £10, skimming materials + labour £150).

EDIT - if removing the ceilings completely it gives you a great opportunity to add electrics/pipework etc in the void above.

ames252

Thanks for the advice. We were going to get tests done but we were told we'd need to get at least 6 samples done for the two ceilings and it would cost about 140 pounds and wouldn't be totally conclusive so we were wondering whether to cut our losses and just pay for the safe removal instead.

That's why I wanted to get an idea of the price - I've been quotes £1500 for removing the artex safely (in case it has asbestos in it) but don't have any quotes for the replastering and reboarding etc yet.

The artex is not damaged I don't think and the house is in good condition in general - we just don't like the look of the artex and also don't want asbestos in the house if it does contain it.

We haven't completed on the house yet so just after ideas at this stage. I think as you say we may be faced with pulling the whole lot down and starting again as the removal of the artex may well damage the boards and lathes. It just sounds like a big job so was wondering what it would cost to get it done professionally (not sure we're up for doing it ourselves at the moment!).

Thanks!

NewtoDIY

ames252 wrote: »

We were going to get tests done but we were told we'd need to get at least 6 samples done for the two ceilings and it would cost about 140 pounds and wouldn't be totally conclusive so we were wondering whether to cut our losses and just pay for the safe removal instead.
!

I paid about 180 pounds for ten samples - 1 per room. We had ten ceilings with one which was clearly suspect and needed to be repaired or removed. Out of the ten, only this ceiling came back as containing white asbestos. The quotes I got for removing ranged from expensive to ridiculous. One firm thought that as it was a lath-plaster ceiling it would all have to come down. Two out of the three firms explained to me what they would do to remove the artex and in the end, we used X-tex ourselves taking all precautions.

First thing is to get the ceiling(s) tested. An while you do this, think of any other surfaces that might contain asbestos such as underneath old sinks, or possibly in the cellar if you have one etc.

nickj_2

just get a plasterer to skim over it

ed110220

nickj wrote: »

just get a plasterer to skim over it

I think the problem is that if it's too rough the sharp bits get in the way of the skimming and prevent a good finish (a bit like screws/nails etc sticking out of plasterboard waiting to be skimmed). That's why provided it's not asbestos it's often best to scrape it off first.

Leif

I find these people sell strippers that are more effective than the ones you get on the high street:

http://www.stripperspaintremovers.com/I_want_to_remove.htm

ed110220

Leif wrote: »

I find these people sell strippers that are more effective than the ones you get on the high street:

http://www.stripperspaintremovers.com/I_want_to_remove.htm

I haven't used their artex remover, but I have used another of their paint strippers for stripping textured paint off exterior masonry and found they were very helpful and reliable.

nickj_2

ed110220 wrote: »

I think the problem is that if it's too rough the sharp bits get in the way of the skimming and prevent a good finish (a bit like screws/nails etc sticking out of plasterboard waiting to be skimmed). That's why provided it's not asbestos it's often best to scrape it off first.

i've painted loads of ceiling that have been artexed and then skimmed , i've yet to have a customer who has had the artex removed

cyclonebri1

I would simply board over and skim, it's easier than trying to skim direct, or at least I find it to be.;)