Removing Atrex

gt568

Hey dudes

The frau has decided she doesn't like the ceiling artexing in the house we bought in 2015 so wants it gone....it isn't a particularly deep pattern and there is also coving to contend with.

What are my options here, can it be plastered over? Does it need ripping out and the ceiling redone? I've heard it can contain asbestos as well.

Any advice appreciated!

Chrishazle

Daughter and SIL made the same decision, got a plasterer in and plastered over it then emulsion. Had to repaint walls as well as plasterer was a bit messy.

TheCyclingProgrammer

Can be skimmed over if done properly. Deeper patterns might need a light bonding coat first, otherwise they will just knock off any high spots, PVA it and skim it.

The plasterers who did most of our house did an excellent job of covering our artex but I've also seen some pretty shoddy cover ups where the pattern is still visible.

Removal is time consuming and potentially expensive as it would need testing for asbestos first.

FreeBear

I've recently removed stippled artex from a ceiling - Ended up with the whole ceiling coming down, but that was due more to the major cracks and poor state of the ceiling than the artex. What little artex was left (on the walls above picture rail), I used X-Tex.

The X-Tex softened the artex enough that the majority of it came off with judicious use of a scraper - What little remained (embedded in cracks & dings) smoothed over and was barely noticeable. After putting up plasterboards, the whole lot was skimmed.

If I had to do it again, as long as the artex is well attached, and there are no cracks in the ceiling, I'd just skim over. No need to be worried about asbestos doing this, as it would be sealed in for good (or until the ceiling needs to be removed).

Any artex put up before 1992 may contain asbestos, but from about 1985, asbestos was removed from British manufactured artex. Prior to this, asbestos free artex was available from around 1976 - If you have any concerns about asbestos, you can get it tested (expect to pay aounnd £50).

gt568

I'm not massively fussed about the asbestos element per se, I'm most curious about the best way to achieve a good result.

If it just gets skimmed over isn't there a danger the plaster will seperate from the original ceiling over time?

Person_one

gt568 wrote: »

I'm not massively fussed about the asbestos element per se

Hopefully this means you are happy to get it sorted properly and safely by a professional if it turns out it does contain asbestos?

I've just had several artex ceilings skimmed to cover them up. Looks great, wouldn't know they were ever there. A decent plasterer can do it with no bother and not too expensive.

FreeBear

gt568 wrote: »

If it just gets skimmed over isn't there a danger the plaster will seperate from the original ceiling over time?

That really depends on what is behind the artex and how well it is bonded to the ceiling. In my case, the original ceiling was lime plaster & lath with unknown layers of paint and then the artex. I originally started to scrape it off, and it was peeling off quite nicely before the multitude of cracks became apparent. Skimming over this mess would have eventually caused problems...

I would suggest trying to scrape a small area off, and if it comes away easily, then the whole lot would probably need stripping. Don't be tempted to use a wallpaper steamer/stripper as it will pump loads of moisture in to the ceiling and cause other problems.

gt568

Would the coving need to come off for the ceiling to be reskimmed?

ceredigion

gt568 wrote: »

Would the coving need to come off for the ceiling to be reskimmed?

Probably..

ceredigion

gt568 wrote: »

If it just gets skimmed over isn't there a danger the plaster will seperate from the original ceiling over time?

I can bond to the artex with out an issue, it is the artex to whatever is under it that is the concern,

TheCyclingProgrammer

gt568 wrote: »

Would the coving need to come off for the ceiling to be reskimmed?

Depends on how much lip there is on the coving and how deep the artex pattern is. You can usually re-skim a ceiling at least once without losing all of the lip on coving.