Artex ceiling removal

Irar

Hello I'm trying to find the best way to remove / reboard artex ceilings..

We have just bought a house that has two artex ceilings.. the living room and dining room.
The living room is new I think.. it also looks like it's a false ceiling as it's lower then the other room.. the artex in the dining is a old lat and plaster ceiling but I'm not sure if it's artex or something else.. it looks like water droplets.. and is like thick layers of paint.. I picked a loose patch off.

I'm reallyed tempted to rip them down and reboard.. the only thing that worries me is ive read it can contain asbestos..

tired_dad

5y ago a man put pva and skimmed all house ceilings. Has looked perfect since then. Twas a messy job but removing the ceiling would have been much even worse.

FreeBear

You can get samples tested for asbestos fairly cheaply.

Your three main choices are -

* Chemically strip with X-Tex - Messy, and may need multiple applications.
* Knock the whole lot back and put new plasterboard up - Very, very messy and tonnes of old plaster to dispose of.
* Overboard and skim - if the Artex is well attached, just skimming is an option. Downside is you are screwing plasterboard up and hoping to hit joists.

I was facing a similar dilemma last year (and still am with other rooms). Started to strip the Artex off, found substantial cracks, and ended up taking the whole ceiling down. Took the opportunity to replace & reroute pipes & wiring, seal some draughts, and stick some insulation in between the joists. Filled a one tonne dump bag with old plaster :eek:

Davesnave

If you DIY and do decide to get rid, remember that waste carriers usually ask for plasterboard to be kept separate from other waste.

System

It could be abestos but if you leave it alone then its perfectly safe. Skim it or board over it but i would say get a decent plasterer to do it, they will have seen it many times and know whats the best way to cover it

We've got the water droplets one and i think they just shave down the larger droplets and then skim over the rest

Irar

Well the ceiling in the living room I'm pretty sure is new so I really don't think it will have asbestos.. the one in the dining room I don't think it has aswell.. as I picked a little away.. and couldn't see any signs.. but not 100%. the problem is if we was to do the dining room my plaster friend says it would need to be reboarded and he says it would mean knocking holes though to find the joists.. and if I was to do that I think I might aswell just take it down

Annie1960

I had mine tested and it was not asbestos. The only way to be sure if there is asbestos is to get it tested in a lab. There is a lab in Essex, it's not very expensive.

Mine did not contain any asbestos, so I got a plasterer who put a coat of pva then plastered the ceilings and they look fine.

Irar

What would it cost to get it tested? Roughly?

BOBS

tired_dad wrote: »

5y ago a man put pva and skimmed all house ceilings. Has looked perfect since then. Twas a messy job but removing the ceiling would have been much even worse.

wonder if this would work over the ontrend in 1990's fantail / comb patterned ceillings - which we have in every room of our house !!!

Annie1960

Mine was done here:
http://www.scopesaasl.co.uk/index.html

I got a builder to climb up and take samples, and he sent them off to the lab and sent me the results. I think it cost around £200, with samples from many rooms in the house which put the price up.

If you can climb up and collrct samples yourself it should be cheaper.

There is another lab here:

http://cavendishlaboratories.co.uk/

You could give then a ring to get prices.

FreeBear

BOBS wrote: »

wonder if this would work over the ontrend in 1990's fantail / comb patterned ceillings - which we have in every room of our house !!!

Skimming over Artex will work regardless of the pattern with one proviso - The Artex must be firmly attached to the original ceiling. If, like my ceilings, the Artex can be peeled off, then it will probably fall down once it is skimmed.