How to get rid of Airtex/Artex ceilings

Ellechim

Hi there - have posted this on the construction thread as well - haven't been on the boards in a while so apologies to those of you who saw the question elsewhere.

To cut a long story short - how do you get rid of airtex/artex ceilings - you know the ones where they are all stippled or have designs in them?

Its a house of about 1800 sqft in a country town which we've been trying to rent or sell for about 18 mths - it may be that giving it a makeover will help with teh sale (at this stage we'd try anything dependent on cost, etc).

What's the best way to get rid of it, and what kind of cost should I be looking at?

Would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

M

Hotblack Desiato

For a large area the best thing is to skim over it.

We had it in a box room, the texture was really deep and horrible looking, too deep to skim over. Tried a steam stripper but it made no real impression on it. Eventually got it off with a heat gun on high heat, keeping window and door closed to retain the heat in the room. The thicker areas peeled off, in areas where the stuff was thin it took a lot of scraping to get all traces off. Painted the ceiling as normal and it looks great now, it was in good condition so we've no idea why the previous owners put that sh*te on the ceiling.

Some varieties of older artex contain small amounts of asbestos :eek:

Ellechim

Thanks Ninja.

Unfortunately that kind of thing was all the rage in the eighties. That's when this house (it was my family home) was extended and the next door neighbour is a plasterer so the whole house got done with it. I doubt very much that there's asbestos in it but I will have to check with that plasterer now I guess. Bit tricky now asking the neighbour to undo it! Their house is covered with it too!

I never could understand the attraction of it either and I think now it's putting people off. There is not one ceiling in this whole house without it and it's a four bed detached. Quite depressing really. Fads do come and go........I posted on the construction site the same question and the suggestion was the easiest thing is to plasterboard over it.

Anyway, thanks for the advice - I wouldn't be doing the job myself - would be getting someone to so am trying to find the quickest/easiest/cheapest way out of it and the plasterboard option may well be it........

M

RKQ

I posted this on the Construction forum and am posting here for health & safety reasons:-

Care must be taken as some Artex was based on asbestos and any dust could be very dangerous. DO NOT TRY TO SAND IT OFF!!!

Wetting Artex can help remove it without making dust.
You could try X-Tex to remove it. Paste on and leave overnight. http://www.gogreen.cellande.co.uk/sh...osolutions.php
Removing it will be messy!

It might be best to plasterslab over the ceiling. Then tape the joints between the slaps, then fill the joints, sand and paint. Cheap and safe.

The dust from Asbestos can cause cancer, proper mask / breathing aparatus, disposable paper suit / head gear etc. Proper care must be taken.

Ellechim

Thanks RKQ - my Dad had asbestosism in his lungs from working on building sites and died of lung cancer so I'm well aware of the risks of it - it is a terrible thing. thanks for being so helpful.

newmills

Hi,

I can pm you the name and number of a friend of mine who does the plasterboarding and taping and jointing. This sort of job is bread and butter to him.

Ellechim

Thanks newmills - the house is actually in Cavan - wouldn't want to waste his time - what area is he in? Rgds M