Removing Artex

[Jerry.]

Does anyone have any tips / suggestion for removing Aertex coating from plasterboard ceilings, or is the only option replacement of the ceiling ?

[ski]

I have just spent £1000 having the walls and ceilings in 4 rooms, hall stairs and landing plastered over artex because in a previous house it was a nightmare trying to remove the artex. It was money well spent

[Alex Veitch]

You can get it off with a steamer. Bear in mind that it is extremely hard work, you are most likely to need a skim anyway, and that you need to keep it wet as old Artex can contain asbestos fibres. Unless it is a very small space where the slightest reduction in room size is an issue, I would simply plaster over it. Or move.

[Mary Fisher]

I'm not being argumentative - but why did you want to remove the Artex?

Mary

[Mark S.]

Don't spend two minutes thinking about steaming it off, it takes hours and makes a mess of the plaster under the artex anyway. Get a scraper and some blades and have a go at just hacking it off. It will need replastering anyway. :-)

Mark S.

[Jerry.]

The reason I would like to, IMO it looks hideous (I much prefer 'smooth' ceilings with coving)...

[Mary Fisher]

There's no coving in our bathroom and the ceiling plaster was cracking. It was easiest to Artex it. A son in law who's a talented and qualified plasterer refused to do it, protesting that it would only last six weeks in a bathroom. So Spouse did it.

That was at least fifteen years ago.

I only see it when I'm lying in the bath and rarely then, I look at the sky through the window or the sculpture immediately above me. The Artex isn't a feature.

Mind you, it does tend to acquire cobwebs, I suppose everything does after fifteen years. And the feather duster catches on the spikes. But the sweeping brush did a grand job.

How many people really, truly and honestly look at a ceiling in an ordinary house?

Except when they're lying in the bath or bed of course. I don't spend much time with my eyes open in either.

Mary

[Martin Angove]

Some Artex just can't be ignored. Like that in the house we've just bought. Spiky Artex on stair walls, guaranteeing scratches and scrapes when carrying things upstairs, two-inch thick Artex "archway" into the kitchen, and an Artex ceiling which looks like icing on a badly-done Christmas cake in the lounge. The ceilings aren't that high that they're out of eyeline either.

Luckily the stairs (and hall and landing) stuff appears to be on top of the original plaster/coaldust so it can be hacked off and replastered.

Gimme a day or so and I'll dig up a few photos if you like...

Hwyl!

M.

[al]

I've got nice looking (from afar) ceiling tiles that actually are some sort of cheap foam type substance and a fire hazard apparently (according to survey, and easy to believe smoke from them would be less than pleasant!). Is this Artex? I've heard of aertex shirts, but not Artex ceilings ....

a

[Andy Dingley]

Steamer. Messy job, but it's easy, mindless work. It's even easier on a ceiling, as gravity shifts much of it.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[al]

Ahh ... do you mean that stuff that looks like badly spread cold butter?

a

[Steve]

Nope, think of a really bad polyfilla job, applied to an entire ceiling.

Steve

[Steve]

Steve

[Lobster]

Interesting - the plasterer I recently had round for a look-see refused even to countenance plastering over the stuff; said it would all fall off. So we've been busy with steamer and scraper.... :-(

David

[Mary Fisher]

I must admit that does sound silly ...

OK. but remove the bee.

Mary

[R P McMurphy]

same here...im im ripping it all down walls and ceilings alike and starting afresh...costs money but i cant stand the diy job that was done on my new house...plus the 50 year old boards are sagging slighly anyway.

steve

[Alex Veitch]

Completely different - you can't cut yourself on butter...

[BillR]

No yours are polystrene tiles. Pray you don't have a fire because the effect is like naplam...

[al]

I presume they're glued on or have a self-adhesive backing. I do plan to take them down at some stage for just that reason regarding fire danger. Hard to believe it's legal to sell them here!?

Anyone taken these off before? I have visions of little bits coming off at a time and never being able to get it all off and smooth enough to paint!

a

[Mary Fisher]

It depends on how they've been stuck. If it's only in five points each (corners and centre) it's not too bad. If the putter-up was thorough and didn't want them to come down so put adhesive all over the back they won't come down - without a LOT of effort. This latter was recommended to avoid the napalm effect.

Mary