Plastering over artex paint

annieb1981

Hi everyone,
We have started to get quotes in to get our single story extension. There is an original wall of the house that had been coated in artex paint but since a window and new back door has been put in there is only about half a gable amount of this painted surface left.

My question is, can you plaster over artex paint and have it all patched in to give a smooth finish, or is it good practice to remove that layer of original painted plaster. We have had 2 quotes, one plasterer said he can patch it in no problem while the other said it HAS to be removed as it could bolster in winter if patched in and obviously  there is a big difference in price even though its only a small area that needs removed.

Any advice welcomed.

roddydogs

Artex isnt paint  and this is one of those questions that usually get a 50/50 response. I had mine done with unibond over the artex, quite sucessful.

annieb1981

roddydogs said:

Artex isnt paint  and this is one of those questions that usually get a 50/50 response. I had mine done with unibond over the artex, quite sucessful.

I think the first plasterer mentioned coating it in something like this. It's just theres such a big difference in the price between the 2. I'm debating going for a 3rd now to see. Theres a massive patch when part of the wall was built up having previously been a window. So the 2nd plasterer seemed concerned that patching this in as well as covering the artex wouldn't combine well. Just to add this is all external plastering. Incase that makes a difference.

fenwick458

whats external plastering? it's outside?

babyblade41

I think you have pebbledash, not artex

annieb1981

babyblade41 said:

I think you have pebbledash, not artex

3 plasterers have said it's artex. The rest of the house is a pebble dash but this is an area the previous owner DIYd.

babyblade41

I'm not sure how artex would be put on an external wall or maybe I have totally mis understood ..artex isn't used outside 

fenwick458

pictures would help. not heard of artex being used outside, but i've seen the same effect created using sand & cement render, and then painted over before.
If it's outside it's a 100% NO from me about just going over it, no matter what fancy bonding primer you use it's only going to be sticking it to the paint or artex or whatever it is

FreeBear

fenwick458 said: If it's outside it's a 100% NO from me about just going over it, no matter what fancy bonding primer you use it's only going to be sticking it to the paint or artex or whatever it is

Yup. Artex is only good for interior use where it will remain dry. Outside, it is subject to damp & rain which will affect the bond to the substrate and it will eventually peel off - One way to remove artex from interior surfaces is with a steamer. The heat softens the stuff whilst the water breaks the bond with the substrate - No amount of sealer/primer (and PVA isn't any good for exterior use) will last in the long term.

annieb1981

Maybe we have been misinformed. Will try and upload a photo. It's been on the wall for guts of 15 years and no peeling or anything, does this mean its therefore not artex then. So confused what to do now. Photo is where an old window was built up.

fenwick458

firstly that looks very hard to remove, will explain why the quote for removal first would be high. it's thin, which means it won't come off in sizeable chunks, and also a lot more skill is required not to just destroy the wall if it's soft concrete blocks.
for those reasons, it's no uncommon to just go over that, but you could scratch up the surface with a grinder to ensure a good key.
I think it's called tyrolean that finish