Artex Ceiling: Overboard or Skim?

paperclap

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum (and forums in general really), so forgive me if I've posted this in the wrong section!

My partner and I have just purchased our first home (hoorah!). It's a 1955 bungalow. It needs some renovating, but it's not terrible. As part of the renovation, we're looking to cover up the artex ceiling. As it's a 1955 build, no doubt it contains a small percentage of asbestos.

Now, the big question: do we overboard or skim?

My father and grandfather have differing opinions. Both were in the trade, but now both retired.

My father also owns a 1950s bungalow. When he renovated his place, he battened the ceiling, then overboarded, then taped and skimmed the joins, etc.

My grandfather also owns a 1950s bungalow, but has never renovated (loves artex!). But, he would recommend simply skimming the whole thing, as "you're already skimming most of the plasterboard anyway".

We've a few cracks running along some of the current plasterboard joins (presumably the tape is just giving way). In the living room, some of the plasterboard is sagging ever so slightly. My father suggested to screw and tighten any sagging boards, prior to overboading, etc.

I'm no plasterer, but definitely think I could overboard and plaster joins myself. But, not so sure I could plaster entire ceilings and get a good, straight finish! So naturally, swaying toward overboarding. But, also aware of losing that 12.5mm ceiling height (perhaps negligible once done?).

What's a "better finish"? Should I worry about the additional weight on the joists? Any thoughts?

Thank you in advance!

Swasterix

For me, it depends on the depth of the texture on the ceiling. Our ceilings were artex, most being a swirl pattern with a fairly shallow texture so it was easier for our plasterer to skim it. Looks perfect now. However the bathroom had an incredibly deep texture “drip” sort of texture, so we decided to overboard and skim. 

If you’re worried about the asbestos aspect, then skimming would be preferable as you don’t have to drill into it. Although if the texture is very deep it may need scraping to remove some of the texture, so there’s a possible exposure there. 

Guess you’re probably best finding a decent plasterer and asking his opinion. 

FreeBear

The only way to know for sure if the Artex does contain asbestos is to get it tested.

If the ceiling is indeed plasterboard (I would have expected lath & lime plaster in a property of that age), then a few extra screws wouldn't go amiss. Tape the cracks, then skim.

Jeepers_Creepers

A 15mm ceiling height drop would be unnoticeable. I presume there's no coving or anything else that would be affected?

Your father's solution of first battening (why?) would increase the drop by at least a further inch - potentially noticeable, but not unless you were used to what was there before. (1955 bungalow - does that not have higher than usual ceilings anyway?)

How to sort? If the existing boards are sagging to any degree, I'd suggest that would likely rule out a straight re-skim.

Why is it sagging? Lack of noggins above? Water damage? Something else that caused it to pull away from its fixings?

IF you can pull it fully back up and IF you can be confident it's all solid and secure, then there's no reason I can think of why it should not just be skimmed over. Blue Grit can be used to prime the surface, and it'll be a half-day's work for a plasterer.

If you fancy doing the work yourself, then I guess you'd first have to ensure that the old boards are reattached - removing any sag - before then over-boarding, taping and filling. I don't think you'll find that much fun, and sanding down the joints afterwards could be a bit of a 'mare unless you have done this before and know what to expect. A ceiling - especially with a light source at one end - can be unforgiving.

What would I do? IF I could get any sag taken care off and IF I could be certain the existing ceiling is then secure, I'd do that job and then get a plasterer in to skim.

If I had any doubt as to the ceiling's solidity, I think I'd bite t'bullet and take it all down (messy but satisfying...) and re-board afresh. Then get a plasterer to skim... (I have done quite a bit of skimming in the past, but - man - it's the main job I take my hat off to pros for.)

FreeBear

Jeepers_Creepers said: Your father's solution of first battening (why?) would increase the drop by at least a further inch

And if battens are going up, it makes sense to infill between them with a layer of Celotex/Kingspan - Might as well make use of the space, and extra insulation is always worth having.

paperclap

Thank you so much for all your replies. I really appreciate it!

I've attached photographs of all rooms for reference.

My father battening
I think it was to ensure a straight and even finish of the new plasterboards? But, in hindsight... why not simply correct and straighten the current ones?

Pattern
Thankfully, all the ceilings are straight or swirl patterns. The depth isn't all that much either. There's a very, very small area of the dotted effect, to the sides of the loft hatch (I guess the plasterer couldn't quite get the pattern in that area, ha).

Coving
There is coving in two of the rooms, but we're taking those both down. But now you mention it, the loft hatch does have architrave around it, which may affect things.

Cracks / Sagging
There are a few hairline cracks in a few rooms, but the major cracks are in the living room (mostly along one line), which is also connected to the sagging board(s). The cracks and sagging board(s) are above our wood burner (previously a gas fire), so this may have something to do with it? Maybe, over time, it has dried the plaster and warped the boards? I don't think its down to any water damage. Could be warped / distorted joists, but not much we can do about that, as it's simply an old property. Lack of noggins... I'm not sure on that one.

Bathroom / Kitchen
We'd initially planned to do these two ceilings at a later date, because of the following. In the bathroom, there are tiles that go all the way to the ceiling... so I thought this may be an issue. In the kitchen, there is wiring (boxed in) that goes into the loft space, etc. But, maybe they're not an issue, and can be skimmed up to the tile or box, so the tile or box essentially sits behind the new plaster? Or, box could be removed and sawn off a tad.

Size
All in all, all the ceilings add up to around 60 square meters. How much do you think that would set us back if we had a plasterer in to do it all?

Again, thank you so, so much.

tired_dad

we had that. 9y ago a chap came, PVA's and skimmed. Painted white. Its been perfect. 

Swasterix

Yep- I’d just have that skimmed personally. Plasterer should be able to deal with any sagging boards. Can’t comment on price I’m afraid, can vary a lot by area so you’re best off just getting 3-4 quotes. 

Jeepers_Creepers

Sorry for not replying sooner - I zoned out looking at your pics. :-(  

(Lawd, I hate Artex too...)

Just get at least a couple of local recommended plasterers round to view and quote. They will have a good idea of any issues with the current ceiling and what may - or may not - be required to sort it.

This is all standard everyday stuff for a plasterer. No idea on price.

koalakoala

Just had all ceilings skimmed on a property twice that size. We were £3500 for a really good tradesman, could have had slightly cheaper.  

MovingForwards

Got to admit, your artex style would annoy me. I quite like the one on some of my ceilings, reminds me of Christmas cake icing 😂