How do I paint a textured or artex ceiling?
The asbestos question first, then the roller nap and the wet edge that get paint into the texture without twenty coats.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 5 hr
- Read
- 5 min
- Safety
- restricted
Short answer
If it predates 2000, assume asbestos and never sand or scrape it — painting over it is fine. Use a long-nap roller, around 18 to 20mm, load it heavily, and work in small sections keeping a wet edge. Expect to use far more paint than a flat ceiling.
Textured ceilings take roughly twice the paint of a flat one and punish any attempt to spread it thin. The rest is straightforward, provided you settle the asbestos question first.
Safety
What you'll need
- Long-nap roller, 18 to 20mm, and an extension pole
- Substantially more paint than for a flat ceiling
- Dust sheets, and a work platform or hop-up
Step by step
- Establish the age of the ceiling.Artex and similar textured coatings applied before around 2000 may contain chrysotile asbestos. If the house or the ceiling predates that and you have no evidence otherwise, assume it does.
- Never sand, scrape or steam it.Painting over undisturbed textured coating is generally considered safe. Abrading it releases fibres. This is the one absolute rule in this job.
- Get it tested if you need to do more.Sample testing is inexpensive and definitive. Removal of asbestos-containing textured coating should be done by a licensed contractor, not by you.
- Clean it gently.A soft brush or a vacuum with a brush head, dry and light. Textured ceilings hold a lot of dust in their peaks, and paint over dust fails.
- Deal with stains before painting.Water marks and nicotine bleed straight through emulsion, sometimes after several coats. A stain-blocking primer over the affected area first is the only reliable answer.
- Protect everything below.A long-nap roller on a textured surface throws a fine spray over a wide area. Dust sheets on the whole floor, not just underneath, and cover furniture.
- Work from a stable platform.A hop-up or a decorating platform rather than reaching from a ladder. You are pushing upward with real force, and overreaching from a stepladder is how people fall.
- Choose a long-nap roller.18 to 20mm for pronounced texture. A short-nap roller only touches the peaks and leaves the hollows unpainted, which is why some ceilings seem to need endless coats.
- Cut in the edges first.A brush around the perimeter, working the paint into the texture at the wall junction. A roller cannot reach into the corner of a textured ceiling.
- Load the roller heavily.Much more than on a flat ceiling. Texture has far more surface area, and a lightly loaded roller skips the hollows and leaves a patchy result.
- Work in small sections and keep a wet edge.About a metre square at a time, overlapping into paint that is still wet. Ceilings show lap marks badly, and textured ones dry faster because of the surface area.
- Roll in more than one direction.Across the section, then back at right angles. It pushes paint into the sides of the texture that a single direction misses.
- Do not overwork it.Going back over paint that has started to set drags it out of the texture and leaves a rough patch. Lay it on, spread it, move on.
- Expect two coats and plenty of paint.Budget roughly double the coverage figure on the tin. Trying to make one coat stretch is the main cause of a patchy result.
- Let the first coat dry fully.Textured surfaces hold moisture in the hollows longer than flat ones. Recoating too early lifts the first coat.
- Check the finish from an angle.Look along the ceiling with a light behind you rather than straight up. Missed hollows are invisible from directly below and obvious from the side.
Tips
- Assume pre-2000 texture contains asbestos. Painting over it is fine; sanding or scraping it is not.
- Long-nap roller, heavily loaded. A short nap only paints the peaks.
- Check your work from an angle with the light behind you — missed hollows do not show from below.
Common mistakes
- Sanding or scraping textured coating to smooth it — Coatings applied before around 2000 may contain asbestos, and abrading them releases fibres into the room. It is one of the genuinely dangerous DIY mistakes.
- Using a short-nap roller — It only reaches the high points, leaving the hollows bare. The ceiling looks patchy and no number of additional coats fixes it properly.
If it doesn't work
Patchy after two coats
Cause: Roller nap too short, or paint spread too thin — Fix: Use an 18 to 20mm nap, load it heavily, and roll in two directions.
Brown stains coming back through
Cause: Water or nicotine bleeding — Fix: Stain-blocking primer over the affected area, then repaint. Emulsion alone will not hold it back.
Visible lap marks
Cause: Wet edge lost between sections — Fix: Work smaller sections faster, and do not stop mid-ceiling.
Texture coming away as you roll
Cause: Coating loose or previously water damaged — Fix: Stop. Loose textured coating of unknown age must not be disturbed — get it tested.
Rough dragged patches
Cause: Overworked as the paint set — Fix: Let it dry fully and apply another coat without going back over it.
Questions people ask
Does artex contain asbestos?
It may, if applied before around 2000. Not all did, but you cannot tell by looking. Painting over it undisturbed is generally considered safe; sanding, scraping or drilling it is not.
Can I skim over a textured ceiling instead?
Yes, and plastering over it encapsulates it without disturbance, which is why it is often preferred to removal. Use a plasterer who is aware of the asbestos possibility.
How much paint will I need?
Roughly double what the tin says for a flat surface. The texture has far more surface area, and underestimating is the usual reason ceilings end up patchy.
Can I spray it instead of rolling?
Spraying gives excellent coverage into texture, but it needs thorough masking of the whole room and appropriate respiratory protection. For a single ceiling, rolling is usually more practical.