buying house with artex ceiling - asbestos scare

NameUnavailable

People do skim over it or put plasterboard over it but you shouldn't do that because people in the future won't know there's artex underneath and could be exposed to asbestos if they carried out repairs etc.

You can but a test kit - you chip some off and send it away to be checked.

Davesnave

Robin9 said:

orange86 said:

I think i can get a company local in ledds to take samples and test for me. I want a smooth ceiling so is skimming or plastering the way forward ?

Don't forget the asbestos in the floor tiles, base of sink .....................

....granny's ironing board, the boiler flue, the blocked off opening behind the gas fire....oh, and the neighbour's garage roof that the birds pick at.....

thearchitect

Get it tested.  I did.  Then skimmed over it.

Phil4432

orange86 said:

Hi, im in the process of buying my first house. the living room and upstairs landing has artex ceilings. The house was built in 1997 however i'm concerned about possible asbestos risk. I have a home buyers survey in a couple days but not sure if they would look at the artex ceiling.
Ideally i want the artex removed and a flat ceiling, what are my options?

Same here, I'd actually forgotten about them.  As long as its in good condition, nothing to worry about.  2 cotas of paint, applied very gently.  IF its asbestos, its low content.  If you are doing any major works in the place, getting an old boiler taken out, you may run into high content asbestos and need to get an asbestos survey before commencing work.

However, if your house was built in '97 it shouldn't contain any asbestos.  Get a survey done for your peace of mind.

Chilli6

I'm soon moving into my new place that has artex ceilings and some artex walls (it's like a meringue on the walls!)
I've arranged a plasterer to do the whole place. They said most of their work is going over old artex so many houses will now have covered over ceilings/walls. If myself or a future buyer needs to do repairs then I would just be cautious, knowing asbestos could be underneath. I assume surveys of anywhere pre 90s have the asbestos warning - even with smooth ceilings, as surely they take into account its probably been skimmed over and so any future buyer still needs to be aware? 

AdrianC

Chilli6 said:

I assume surveys of anywhere pre 90s have the asbestos warning

Exactly that.

The surveyor wanders around and looks with their eyes, not their fingers, in the words of everybody's mother.

They do not drill holes in plaster and test the result. They merely flag it as "It might" - because, well, it might...

Want zero risk? Buy a post-millennium house. With different risks.

Competsoph

The 1930s semi i'm buying has some artex ceilings. The surveryor said there may be artex. 
I intend on getting a plasterer in immediately to cover it because it looks hideous. Other than that, I couldn't really give a 10 cents to the fact it may have some low content asbestos. As others have said, and I am now repeating, unless disturbed it isn't really an issue. 

Try to be reassured from the advice you have received!

Slithery

Munsyboy said:

orange86 said:

Hi, im in the process of buying my first house. the living room and upstairs landing has artex ceilings. The house was built in 1997 however i'm concerned about possible asbestos risk. I have a home buyers survey in a couple days but not sure if they would look at the artex ceiling.
Ideally i want the artex removed and a flat ceiling, what are my options?

Hi, Here's a good website which has got some on where and when asbestos was used in artex.

I'm assuming from your username that you are Neil Munro, the company director?
Do you have the required permission to advertise on these forums?

Ch4rlie

I recently moved into an older house and I got a survey from a company near me, they were really helpful and looked at everything that could have had asbestos in it.

They did a survey, tested things and anything that came up positive they removed it for me. Don't risk it and get rid. It's not really worth it. Plastering over it is a bit of a moral conundrum, the next owner may end up disturbing it which wouldn't be good.

Mantis_Toboggan

I know it's safe to just skim over it and not disturb it, but what do you do if you want to install a lamp or something like that? You'd probably need to drill holes, right?