How do I deal with an artex ceiling safely?

Artex and similar textured coatings were widely used in UK homes from the 1960s to the 1990s, and older formulations contained chrysotile asbestos as a reinforcing fibre. You cannot tell by looking.

Safety

What you'll need

• A sample test kit or a UKAS lab
• Plasterboard and long screws, for overboarding
• A joist detector
• Bonding agent and finish plaster, for skimming
• A textured coating remover, only if tested clear
• P3 mask and disposable coveralls

Step by step

1. Establish the age.Textured coatings applied before 2000 should be assumed to contain asbestos until tested. The ban on chrysotile in the UK came in in 1999, and stock was used after that.
2. Get a sample tested.A UKAS-accredited laboratory, using a sample taken by a competent person or a kit that provides the safe sampling method. It costs very little and it decides everything that follows.
3. Do not disturb it while you decide.Sanding, scraping, drilling and steaming all release fibres if they are present. Leave it alone until you have the result.
4. Understand the options.Three: cover it with plasterboard, skim over it with plaster, or remove it. The first two leave the material in place and are the safe options either way.
5. Consider overboarding first.9.5mm plasterboard screwed through the artex into the joists, then taped or skimmed. It encapsulates the coating completely and gives a fresh flat surface.
6. Locate the joists carefully for overboarding.Every screw has to reach a joist. Mark the joist lines on the walls before you start so you can find them once the board is up.
7. Skim over it if the texture is shallow.A bonding agent over the artex, then two coats of finish plaster. This works well on lightly textured surfaces and needs a plasterer for a good result.
8. Knock the high points down first — only if tested clear.Heavily peaked artex needs the peaks removing before skimming. This is abrasive work and must not be done on untested or positive material.
9. Use a non-abrasive remover if you are removing it.Where a test has confirmed it is asbestos-free, a proprietary textured coating remover softens the material so it can be scraped wet, which keeps dust down.
10. Never dry sand it.Even asbestos-free artex produces a great deal of fine dust. Wet methods, containment and a P3 mask regardless.
11. Use a licensed contractor for positive material.Removal of asbestos-containing textured coating is regulated work. It is not expensive relative to the risk and it comes with proper disposal.
12. Consider just painting it.A well-applied paint job on textured ceiling is a legitimate outcome and disturbs nothing at all.

Alternatives

• Overboard with plasterboard: 9.5mm board screwed through into the joists, then taped or skimmed. Encapsulates the coating, needs no disturbance, and gives a genuinely flat surface. Adds about 12mm to the ceiling height.
• Skim over it: Bonding agent then two coats of finish plaster. Fast and adds minimal thickness, but only suits shallow textures and needs a plasterer.
• Remove with a chemical softener: Only where testing has confirmed it is asbestos-free. Wet scraping keeps dust down, but it is slow, extremely messy, and often reveals a poor surface below.
• Leave it and paint it: The zero-disturbance option. Modern textured ceilings can look perfectly acceptable painted, and it costs a fraction of the alternatives.

Questions people ask