Mould on artex ceiling....

WelshGlyndwr

This is mould on an artex ceiling, does this mean the artex has been disturbed and needs to be removed?

ThisIsWeird

Wow! That's distinctive!
The artex - which is just a plaster coat which has been given a decorative finish - has not been disturbed. It's almost certainly just that there's no insulation above that sloping area, and condensation has formed there over some time, long enough for mould to grow.
So, likely to be two issues - the first is lack of insulation - these surfaces are bludy cold - and the other is too much moisture being created in your home.
The unaffected strips will likely be timber rafters, so provide a decent level of insulation to the back of the plasterboard. The mouldy bits will just be bare p'board. 
Is there an accessible attic above that room? Possibly you can slide some insulation down these slopes, but that won't be easy, and you mustn't block the ventilating airflow; a decent gap needs to be left between the insulation and the roof.
But also look at you living conditions - are you, for example, drying clothes indoors? Not extracting cooking and washing 'steam'. Not ventilating your home enough?
I'd suggest, get up into that loft, and investigate. Lots of good photos, please, and come back

Northern_Wanderer

If that is artex, it may contain asbestos, so if you are trying to clean it be careful not to break any bits off. You may wish to consider testing it to check if it contains asbestos.

WelshGlyndwr

Thank you for your reply, yes, we do dry clothes in that room and their is a dryer without a condenser pointing outside. 

That is a good to know you think its not disturbed. So to reverse this and get rid of the black mould, could we put a dehumidifier in the room and it might go away? Also to stop drying clothes in the room.

I don't want to wipe away the mould because it may disturb the asbestos, could you use a solution to get rid of it?

Theirs not easy access to the loft but i could try and 

WelshGlyndwr

Northern_Wanderer said:

If that is artex, it may contain asbestos, so if you are trying to clean it be careful not to break any bits off. You may wish to consider testing it to check if it contains asbestos.

it does contain asbestos hence why i have not cleaned it off, is their another way to get rid of it?

Northern_Wanderer

The mold will not disapear on it's own as it is growing into the ceiling materials. It will have to be killed/ cleaned off then painted, or the affected plasterboard cut out (warning re asbestos). There are some mould killing cleaners and mold reisitant paints. In addition, you need to remove the root cause of the condensation/ mould or the mould will just come back.

WelshGlyndwr

yes it does contain asbestos. Therefore using mould cleaner might disturb it? I suppose using a dehumidifier wont get rid of the mould on its own? 

Northern_Wanderer

WelshGlyndwr said:

Northern_Wanderer said:

If that is artex, it may contain asbestos, so if you are trying to clean it be careful not to break any bits off. You may wish to consider testing it to check if it contains asbestos.

it does contain asbestos hence why i have not cleaned it off, is their another way to get rid of it?

If it's not sharp jaggy artex then wiping to clean most likely is fine. Maybe test wipe a small area? Wiping doesn't always remove mould as it grows roots into the materials.

Northern_Wanderer

WelshGlyndwr said:

yes it does contain asbestos. Therefore using mould cleaner might disturb it? I suppose using a dehumidifier wont get rid of the mould on its own? 

A dehumidifer will not remove mould

WelshGlyndwr

Northern_Wanderer said:

WelshGlyndwr said:

yes it does contain asbestos. Therefore using mould cleaner might disturb it? I suppose using a dehumidifier wont get rid of the mould on its own? 

A dehumidifer will not remove mould

yes you are right but will anti mould spray disturb the artex?

Emmia

WelshGlyndwr said:

Northern_Wanderer said:

WelshGlyndwr said:

yes it does contain asbestos. Therefore using mould cleaner might disturb it? I suppose using a dehumidifier wont get rid of the mould on its own? 

A dehumidifer will not remove mould

yes you are right but will anti mould spray disturb the artex?

The artex has presumably been painted many times sealing it up.

I wouldn't spray (it will go everywhere) instead I'd spray a bleach based product (the astonish mould killer is great) onto a clean dishwashing sponge and wipe before leaving it to dry.

I'd then repaint with a mould resistant paint (Zinsser Permawhite would be my recommendation).

But you also need to look at the cause of the condensation - so more insulation above that ceiling is needed too.