Was your home either built or decorated in the seventies or eighties? If so, it’s a good chance at least one of your ceilings is an artex ceiling. This is a textured ceiling, usually with a rounded or dimpled pattern. Artex is the name of a product, but the term is used to describe a ceiling made with similar effects.
Although many people keep their artex ceilings, many homeowners remove or cover them, seeing them as less fashionable. To do this, you can plaster over it, take it out completely, or install a faux ceiling. When you need a Plasterer Gloucester, contact https://pureplasterers.co.uk/
Here’s how to work out the best option for you:
Find out if it contains asbestos
Before any work on the ceiling, you must ascertain whether the artex contains asbestos. If you know it was built after 1999, do not worry, it will not contain asbestos. But if it was made before this date, there is a possibility that it might. Asbestos was essential to artex before the British government banned it in 1999.
If you think your ceiling may contain asbestos, you need to get it tested. Make sure you find an accredited professional to do this – that way; you’ll know they are safe and competent.
You don’t have to remove artex ceilings containing asbestos, as they are safe unless disturbed. You could find a way to cover it without damaging it. Scraping or weakening the artex in any way could expose the dangerous asbestos fibres, releasing them into the air, which is very dangerous. So, if you want to work on your artex ceiling and know that it contains asbestos, it is best to get it removed by a licensed professional.
It’s also well worth remembering that if you want to avoid paying a professional to remove the asbestos ceiling, you do not need to. If it’s in good condition and you leave it alone, it should be safe. But you have to accept that the artex ceiling is there to stay.
What can you do if the ceiling doesn’t contain asbestos?
With artex ceilings that don’t contain asbestos, you can decide how best to address it.
- Scrape and skim
If your ceiling is not too thick textured, scrape the pattern that stands out as much as possible. Then cover it with several layers of PVA and skim the plaster layer on top.
- Create a fake ceiling
Another option is to create a false ceiling under the existing one and cover it with plasterboard. It is a good choice if your ceiling is too thick textured to skim over.
- Remove and replace
If skimming is not viable and there is no wish to lower the ceiling height, another method is to pull the artex ceiling out entirely and install something else. It might be more expensive, but it can become a long-term solution.
