Inside work
Artex Removal in Southport
Getting rid of a textured ceiling without making a health problem out of it. Most artex is skimmed flat or boarded over rather than taken off, and there is a reason for that.
What customers said about this work
I found Anthony to be very reliable - turned up exactly when he said he would. Really pleased with his work which was carried out to a very high standard. Would have no hesitation in hiring him again. Definitely recommend.
MyBuilderTop quality Job done by a real professional. Provided a fully detailed and honest description of the job and a fair quote after taking a look at the ceilings. Work was carried out as when planned, within timeframes and the work skimming over old artex ceilings and replacing part of one ceiling was top quality. The finish was fantastic and the house was left clean. I’d highly recommend 👍🏻👍🏻
MyBuilderAbsolutely delighted with the plastering Anthony has done in our home. He plastered our kitchen & the ceiling which had a nasty artex finish. He is a true perfectionist a quality much to be admired in a plasterer. He was on time, true to his quote & left everything clean & tidy. We are very happy with the work & wouldn’t hesitate in having more jobs done & recommending you him. Thank you Anthony.
MyBuilderArtex Removal and Covering
Three ways to deal with an artex ceiling
Artex is a textured coating, and the pattern is the easy part. What decides the job is what the coating is stuck to and what is in it.
Skimming over is the usual answer. A shallow pattern on a sound ceiling gets knocked back where it is proud, sealed, and skimmed flat in two coats. Nothing is sanded and nothing comes down, which keeps the dust and the risk out of it.
Overboarding is next. Plasterboard is fixed up through the artex into the joists, scrim-taped, then skimmed. It buries the coating completely, it is the right answer on a heavy swirl or a peaked stipple, and it also fixes a ceiling that is sagging. It costs a little more and it drops the ceiling by about half an inch.
Taking it off is the last option, not the first, and on anything pre-2000 it is not something to start with a scraper. See below.
Get a price for an artex ceiling
The bit that matters
Asbestos, said plainly
- Artex made before about 2000 can contain asbestos
It was used as a fibre in textured coatings for decades. The amount is small and it is bound into the material, which is why an intact artex ceiling is not considered a danger to live under. Disturbing it is the problem.
- Which means nothing gets dry-sanded or scraped
Sanding, scraping or breaking it up is exactly what releases fibres. If your house predates 2000 and nobody has tested the ceiling, we will not take a scraper to it, and nor should anyone else.
- A sample test is cheap and it settles it
A UKAS-accredited lab will test a small sample for a modest fee. If it comes back positive and you still want it off, that is licensed removal work by a specialist, not a plastering job.
- Skimming over or boarding over avoids the question
Both encapsulate the coating rather than disturbing it, which is why they are what we recommend on an older ceiling nine times out of ten. This is general information and not a survey: if you want a ruling on your ceiling, get it tested.
What you end up with
After it is done
- A flat ceiling, ready to decorate
Skimmed and troweled up the same as any other ceiling, with the perimeter cut in clean to the walls or to new coving if you are having it.
- The pattern does not come back
A shallow pattern skimmed properly disappears. If it was a deep swirl and the price was for a skim rather than boarding, the high points can ghost through, which is why the heavier patterns get boarded and not skimmed.
- Drying and decorating
Three to seven days as a rough guide before a mist coat, longer on a cold room in winter, and go by the colour of the plaster rather than the date.
What moves the number
What affects the price of an artex ceiling
- Skim over, or board and skim. Boarding is materials plus fixing plus the skim.
- How deep the pattern is. A shallow pattern skims flat; a peaked one does not.
- The size and height of the room. Ceiling area, and whether it needs a tower.
- Whether the ceiling is sound. A sagging or cracked ceiling is boarded, not skimmed.
- Coving. Taking old coving down, or running new, either way it is extra work.
- Clearing and protection. Kitchens and bathrooms take longer to sheet up properly.
No square metre price is published here, because one that ignored all of the above would be a guess with a number attached. You get a written estimate after a look at the actual job.
Frequently asked questions
Questions people ask about artex removal and covering
If the answer you want is not here, ring and ask.
Does my artex contain asbestos?
If the house or the last refurbishment predates about 2000, assume it might until a test says otherwise. A small sample to a UKAS-accredited lab settles it for a modest fee. We are plasterers, not surveyors: we will not tell you it is safe and we will not sand or scrape a ceiling that has not been tested.
Can you just skim over artex?
Often, yes, and it is usually the best answer. The pattern has to be shallow enough and the ceiling has to be sound. Anything proud gets knocked back, the surface is sealed so it does not suck the moisture out of the plaster, then two coats of finish.
Is overboarding better than skimming?
It is better where the pattern is heavy, where the ceiling has movement or cracks, or where you would rather nothing at all was disturbed. It costs a little more and it lowers the ceiling by about the thickness of the board. On a shallow pattern on a sound ceiling it is money you do not need to spend.
How long does an artex ceiling take?
A single room skimmed over is usually a day, sometimes two with the preparation. Boarding and skimming the same room is usually two. Then the drying time before you can paint, which is the part people forget when they book decorators.
Will the ceiling need painting afterwards?
Yes. It comes back flat and pale but it is bare plaster, so it wants a mist coat and then two coats of emulsion. We do not decorate, and we will tell you when the ceiling is ready for whoever does.
Get a price for an artex ceiling
Call or send a photo on WhatsApp. Free written estimate after a look at the job.
About artex ceilings in Southport
Southport has a lot of artex, and it is not a coincidence. Textured coatings were the standard answer to a tired ceiling from the 1970s through to the 1990s, and a town with this much Victorian and inter-war housing had a lot of tired ceilings. Whole streets in Birkdale, Ainsdale and Churchtown had it rolled and swirled over lath and plaster that was already a century old.
That is why the honest answer here is usually to cover it rather than remove it. The coating is stuck to a ceiling that would not survive being scraped anyway, and on a pre-2000 house nobody should be making dust out of it. Skim it flat, or board and skim, and the ceiling looks new without anything being released into the room.
It sits next to skimmingArtex Removal and internal plasteringSkimmingArtex Removal, and we work across Southport, the Sefton coast, Liverpool and West Lancashire.