How do I get artex or a textured coating tested for asbestos?

Chrysotile asbestos was used as a reinforcing fibre in textured coatings in Britain from the 1960s and was progressively phased out through the 1980s, with the final UK ban in 1999. Stock continued to be used after that. This means the material is common, that neither the pattern nor the appearance tells you anything, and that the honest position is simple: on any textured coating in a property built or decorated before 2000, either test it or treat it as containing asbestos.

Safety

What you'll need

• A UKAS-accredited testing laboratory or an asbestos surveyor
• Disposable gloves
• A plant sprayer with water (optional)
• Two resealable bags (optional)
• A P3 disposable mask (optional)

Step by step

1. Establish the age of the decoration, not just the house.The question is when the coating was applied. A 1930s house artexed in 1985 has 1985 material. If nobody knows, assume pre-2000.
2. Decide who takes the sample.A surveyor takes it correctly, records where it came from, and gives you a report you can hand to a contractor. A DIY kit is cheaper and puts the sampling risk on you. For a single ceiling, the difference in cost is smaller than most people expect, and the surveyor route is the one to prefer.
3. Choose a laboratory that is UKAS-accredited for asbestos identification.This is the point of the exercise. An accredited lab's result is recognised by contractors, by building control and by anyone else who needs to rely on it. A cheap unaccredited test is not.
4. If you are sampling yourself, follow the kit's method exactly.The principles are always the same: wear gloves and a P3 mask, wet the area thoroughly with a fine spray first so nothing becomes airborne, take a small piece from a discreet spot with a tool that cuts rather than abrades, and seal it in two bags. Then wipe the area with a damp cloth and dispose of the cloth with the gloves.
5. Never abrade, sand or drill to get a sample.The sample has to include the full depth of the coating, taken with minimal disturbance. Anything that makes dust is exactly the wrong method and defeats the point of testing.
6. Take one sample per coating, and per area.Different rooms may have been done at different times with different products. A negative result for the hall ceiling is a result for the hall ceiling.
7. Do nothing to the surface while you wait.No scraping, no test patches, no putting a screw in it to see. Results usually come back within a few working days.
8. Read what the result actually says.A result identifies whether asbestos is present and what type. It does not tell you the material is safe to remove yourself, and it does not survey the rest of the property.
9. Act on a negative result with normal caution.Asbestos-free textured coating is still a huge amount of very fine dust and often contains other things you should not breathe. Wet methods, containment and a P3 mask regardless.
10. Act on a positive result by leaving it alone or getting a contractor.Encapsulation — overboarding, or skimming over it — leaves the material undisturbed and is what most people should do. Removal is regulated work. Do not attempt to remove positive material, and do not accept a general builder's assurance that it is fine.

Tips

• If you are planning to overboard or skim over the coating rather than remove it, you still need to know, because fixing through it means drilling into it. Testing informs how those holes are made and by whom.
• Keep the certificate with the house paperwork. It gets asked for by contractors, and by buyers' solicitors when you sell.
• Asbestos in a sound, undisturbed coating that is painted and intact is generally regarded as low risk. The danger is in disturbance, which is why the whole approach is built around not disturbing it.
• A local authority environmental health team or your council's website will often list accredited local laboratories, and some councils operate a sampling service.

Common mistakes

• Judging by the pattern — Swirls, stipples, combed patterns and peaks were all produced with both asbestos-containing and asbestos-free formulations. The pattern says nothing about the content.
• Scraping a bit off to send away — Dry scraping is one of the highest-release actions there is. Damp the area first and cut rather than abrade, or have someone competent do it.
• Testing one room and assuming the whole house — Coatings were applied at different times by different people. Each area needs its own answer.
• Getting a builder to "just take it off carefully" — Removal of asbestos-containing textured coating is regulated work with specific controls and disposal requirements. A general builder doing it informally contaminates the property and cannot dispose of the waste lawfully.

Questions people ask