Removing Artex from Ceilings

Ben1989

Our previous owner thought it would look good to artex every single ceiling in our house. They also artex'd all the walls in the hallway and landing. It's a shame because we have some nice character features on our 1935 ceilings. 

I want to make a start removing it. I'd like any advice before I start. Is it worth starting or just paying a plasterer to skim them? Does this X-Tex stuff work? Am I likely to pull the ceilings down? 

Note:- Yes, all artex has been tested and is asbestos free.

TIA

FreeBear

I've used the X-Tex stuff. It does work well in softening artex (or at least the stuff I had here). It will also strip paint...

You may well find a multitude of cracks in the plaster - As long as they are historical and not actively moving, open them up, dampen down well, and fill with a fine lime plaster.

With my ceiling, I found some of the cracks were still growing, and the artex was all that was holding some of the plaster up... When a few chunks of plaster ended up on the floor, I decided to take the whole lot down - Got rid of all the artex

Tip - Get yourself a scaffold tower or adjustable platform. Working on a ceiling from a step ladder is a right royal pain in the arris. If you have a lot of work to do around the house (inside & out), a tower is invaluable.

Ben1989

Yes I have noticed some cracks and it does make me nervous. If lumps of plaster come down it turns a cheap improvement job into a full tradesman required affair and sealing up doorways and the whole room etc. 

Ben1989

Would the X-tex exclusively remove the artex and not the plaster? All videos online look like they're from at least 10 years ago.

longwalks1

We had our plasterer board straight over the various hideous ceiling in our 1930’s house, which included artexed and woodchip wallpaper then skim them as normal

we lost about 1” in room height but it isn’t noticeable 

greyteam1959

My vote would be for leaving things alone or you could be looking at a very expensive & messy ceiling replacement.

AskAsk

i am told be careful with these as they can contain asbestos.  i had one in the one bedroom so i got the plasterer to skim over it.  quite simple to do.

onomatopoeia99

AskAsk said:

i am told be careful with these as they can contain asbestos. 

If you read the opening post, it is stated that the artex has been tested and is asbestos free.

FreeBear

Ben1989 said: Would the X-tex exclusively remove the artex and not the plaster? All videos online look like they're from at least 10 years ago.

X-Tex will not damage the plaster. Stipple a good dollop over the artex, leave it for a few hours, and then scrape it off with a paint scraper. Do wear some goggles, and disposable overalls are also a good idea. Once off, wash down with sugar soap and clean warm water.

If you are real lucky, the ceiling may have been painted with distemper - If this is the case, the artex may well peel off without the aid of any stripper (mine did in patches). If you are planning on painting the ceiling, any/all patches of distemper would need to be scrubbed clean as it would stop any fresh paint bonding to the plaster.

If the ceiling is in good condition, do consider painting it with a lime wash - It will fill in any hair line cracks (but not the big ones).

Homer_home

greyteam1959 said:

My vote would be for leaving things alone or you could be looking at a very expensive & messy ceiling replacement.

Why ? Artex ceilings look horrendous and are very old fashioned