Decorating after artex...
What can I say, the previous owners in the 70's decided that artex was the way to go. Consequently, every wall and ceiling in our house is covered with the stuff in weird and wonderful patterns and usually a hideous colour too! As this is an old house and an old artex job there is the additional risk of asbestos which makes me very wary about tacking it.
We're not in the position to plaster over not being good enough to do it ourselves or the money to hire someone. To minimise its awfulness I want to re-paint in neutral colours.
My question is mostly about prepping the wall to give the best adhesion.
The wall I'm painting:
- is painted with a deep mid blue silk paint which is pretty glossy
- has low-mid peaks and troughs in the artex
- has been damaged at various points so is spotted with filler
I've sugar soaped so its clean but I am cautious about attempting to sand it to give it a key because of the potential asbestos and because I would only be able to sand the 'peaks'.
- Should I sand anyway?
- If I don't sand, is there any other way to provide a good key for the paint? What about an undercoat of emulsion mixed with pva...? Any other suggestions...?
- Should I use primer or undercoat as there are lots of filled holes and I need a better level of adhesion? Which?
I'm sorry if these seem basic questions, I have tried looking for advice but as always the specifics of each case seems different so your advice and experience would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Fay