Skimming over Artex ceiling

Annie1960

I've had a quotation for skimming the ceiling in my kitchen. It has been covered in Artex by a previous owner, I'm not sure how long ago.

The ceiling is 20 sq metres, and I've been quoted £37 per m sq, making a total of £740.

Another builder I had around has not supplied his quote yet, but said the first step is to get it tested for asbestos, and then it depends on the results. As the ceilings in all the downstairs, and the landing upstairs, has been covered in this dreadful stuff, I hate to think what the end cost will be.

1. Is the quote for £37 per m sq reasonable?
2. Should I get it tested for asbestos first?
3. If I decided to replace the whole ceiling instead, how much should this cost per m sq?

I'm in Hertfordshire, and everything here seems to be more expensive than elsewhere!

Risteard

The second builder has been responsible, as Artex did indeed contain Asbestos up until around the mid-80s I believe.

So definitely it needs to be checked whether it is an ACM.

roddydogs

If its being skimmed, not removed, why are you worrying about asbestos ?£740 is very high for skimming.

Annie1960

roddydogs wrote: »

If its being skimmed, not removed, why are you worrying about asbestos ?£740 is very high for skimming.

So how much should I expect to pay per sq metre for skimming?

andyhop

Annie1960 wrote: »

So how much should I expect to pay per sq metre for skimming?

£7 - £10 is what the going rate is here

busybee100

I've just had a 12' by 11' room done for £160. The converter says 132 ft2 is 12.26m2. The chap charged by the day though £120 plus £40 materials.

ceredigion

Annie1960 wrote: »

So how much should I expect to pay per sq metre for skimming?

andyhop wrote: »

£7 - £10 is what the going rate is here

You can't really price domestic work by the meter. The smaller the volume ,the more expensive its going to get. Do site work by the meter ,currently about £4.50 a square. However, 2 spreads and a lad would be looking to do about 170 meters a day and unless you`ve got that sort of volume for them to be getting on with day on day , you are not going to get it done for that sort of money. OP reckons 20 square meters over artex ,I would have thought somewhere around the £250 mark. Which allows a little for some prep work to be done the evening before. The £37 a square meter as quoted is just taking the !!!!. That's the sort of figure you'd be looking at to take the old ceiling down and re-board with half inch fireline. After saying that kitchens are always a bit of a pain especially if theres wall units up fairly tight to the ceiling and again being domestic work theres all the sheeting up and stuff to do before you start earning any money.
As for asbestos in the artex ,its not inconceivable, but I personally wouldn't worry about it in the slightest. You will be burying it in plaster anyway. On the scale of dangerous things , its a long way down the list. When I was doing my apprentice we were throwing stuff around without a care in the world 30 years later i'm still here. They reckon artex takes 40 years to kill you , so if you're over 30 now it might be a blessing in disguise.

Risteard

As for Artex taking a long time to kill you, that is generally true of Asbestos exposure and not simply Artex.

That does not mean that it is acceptable to disturb Asbestos without utilising proper procedures - nor is it legal (and rightly so).

redmalc

Just had a bedroom ceiling skimmed in Nottingham 4m x5m £200 all in

Annie1960

Thanks for all the comments.

I'll get some more quotations, then. It seemed ridiculously high to me, I'm glad others agree.

EDIT: By the way, this price was from Wickes kitchen fitters.

LEJC

Annie1960 wrote: »

Thanks for all the comments.


EDIT: By the way, this price was from Wickes kitchen fitters.

The work would probably be contracted out to a local plasterer and not done by the fitters from wickes...they tend to quote for whole jobs that need finishing within a set timescale rather than splitting jobs to reduce costs.

By getting a separate plasterer to quote i would imagine the cost to be much less...
We had a hall staris and landing with walls and ceiling done for £400 not long ago so in terms of coverage its not too much difference