buying house with artex ceiling - asbestos scare

davilown

Mantis_Toboggan said:

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?

Wear a mask - I’m pretty they’re in good supply at present 🦠 

Niv

Mantis_Toboggan said:

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?

Removing it would create much more mess and fibre release. Not that there would be much fibre release from artex as it was 1-2% white.

user1977

Mantis_Toboggan said:

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?

Presumably you wouldn't be merrily snorting up the dust even if you were sure it didn't have any asbestos in it, right? It's a minuscule risk, people who come down with asbestos-related illnesses are almost wholly those who worked with the stuff, day in and day out, in shipyards and the like - not people who happened to have artex ceilings.

babyblade41

God the amount of houses I've bought with artex everywhere and worse.

I also had my mum die of Mesothilioma which is Asbestos Cancer . 

I've never once  had any tested just skimmed over ... or if they were that bad ,overboard

TripleH

If you are in a confined space when exposed there is a risk.

A family friend sadly passed away from asbestosis caught whilst cabling in a hospital many years ago.

There are also streets in Armley, Leeds nicknamed Asbestos Row (early 2000'sanyway) due to the factory that was located nearby. People live in that area now (forget where) but I know the houses had to be refurbished to make them livable in again.

desthemoaner

Back in the 1960s, my two brothers and I systematically demolished our garage, which was constructed of asbestos panels, both roof and walls. The dust probably blew away before we could inhale it.

The bungalow we're currently buying has vinyl tiles on most of the floors, the kind which were routinely fitted in the 1970s and which may well contain asbestos. Our surveyor told us that best practice is to get specialists in to remove them, but that they'll be fine as long as they're undisturbed and concealed under additional floor coverings.

deejaybee

Regarding getting artex ceiling skimmed- i am gradually getting the ceilings in my flat skimmed ( was built in 2003, so i assume no asbestos issues.... )  the living room was also boarded first as large area.

But my point is - all the ceilings i have done so far have had to be scraped before skimming, as the artex was quite a thick pattern, so wouldnt this be a risk in older properties that may have asbestos in the artex ?  as i cant be the only one whose artex needs scraping before skimmimg.

Makes me think back to my first job after leaving school in the 70s - apprentice at a company that made the tube trains for London, Glasgow, Newcastle, Hong Kong etc.

The older fellas told me that back in the day it looked like it was snowing sometimes in the factory with clouds of asbestos. I do remember that a lot of the old boys didnt last long after retirement....

AdrianC

Even the thickest of artex doesn't need scraping. You can skim over it without.

It'll just lower the ceiling a bit, but only to just below the lowest point of the old texture.

Some houses, that'll be an issue. Some, it won't.

deejaybee

Fair enough - i know that my plasterer dosnt like doing the scraping ,  he always ask me if i am going to do it, so i bring out the dodgy knee excuse or similar :-)

babyblade41

deejaybee said:

Fair enough - i know that my plasterer dosnt like doing the scraping ,  he always ask me if i am going to do it, so i bring out the dodgy knee excuse or similar :-)

Change your plasterer, ours either skims or over boards