Artex

[Seeker]

Before I sailed off to the US 30 odd years ago, if you had a ceiling with imperfections you either had it papered or artexed.
Back in the present I am getting a bedroom redecorated and paying someone since I loathe doing it. My fitted wardrobes are being resprayed, wallpaper removed from the walls and from the ceiling which leads me to a potential problem.
Artex. In the past all painters/decorators could artex but apparently the skill seems to have been lost since I've contacted 4 or 5 and none of them can artex (the other 3 or 4 never responded).

Is it toxic? How do people hide imperfect ceilings these days? Are all ceilings now perfect? Is it sold under a different name?

[Adam Ef]

Some Artex had asbestos in it. The less harmful type, but it still put a lot of people off going near it.


I've used a heavy liner paper, or even boarded over bad ceilings in the past.

[Bibio]

plastering. is called a skim coat. if there is already artex there a good plasterer will cover over it. expect to pay between 10-20sqm for plastering.

[redtrummy]

There was a date after Artex should be Asbestos free (as long as it wasn't old stock of course), around the late 90s I believe. It used white asbestos whose fibres are curly so tend not to stick in the lungs like brown or blue. There was some debate at the time as whether to classify it as a dangerous substance or not. Apparently in the hay day of the British motor industry the air in Coventry had more asbestos in it than what is now considered the legal limit. On the lads lounge ceiling we just covered it using the dry wall method, on smaller areas you can use the dry wall compound and skim it over with that, (after removing any spikes.) i did that in his small hall and downstairs toilet. Loads of y tube vids but it is harder than it looks on there.