Artex.....

[Tim M]

Apart from getting it re-plastered, how does one get rid of a horrible artex effect on a wall. Can it be sanded off with a belt sander? If so is this going to be a horrendously messy and time consuming job?

They really knew how to decorate in the 70's

[codprawn]

I haven't tried removing Artex but I have had to shift plenty of Polytex textured finish. I found the best method was to use a hot air paint stripper and a wide paint scraper. Other people use a steam cleaner.

Polycell now do a product which you can use to skim over the Artex and level it off - personally I would rather get rid of it all.

[Tim M]

I say its artex, it could be something else. It's a plastery textured finish. It's been painted chocolate brown too - classy

[Phil Chitty]

Tim

Be careful if you are thinking of removing the artex as it may contain asbestos.

It was common practice to put loose asbestos fibres into artex befire it was applied to give added strength and flexibility when it was applied.

I would advise either getting it sampled before you remove it or coat it all in PVA and plaster over it.

Not worth the risk in my mind.

[three-rex]

Originally Posted by codprawn

I haven't tried removing Artex but I have had to shift plenty of Polytex textured finish. I found the best method was to use a hot air paint stripper and a wide paint scraper. Other people use a steam cleaner.

Polycell now do a product which you can use to skim over the Artex and level it off - personally I would rather get rid of it all.

I tried some of that over a woodchip ceiling - apart from the lies that are posted on the container re coverage - (mathematically it can only cover 1/2 the area quoted) it was a pig to put on, and didn't cover very well.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Phil Chitty

Tim

Be careful if you are thinking of removing the artex as it may contain asbestos.

It was common practice to put loose asbestos fibres into artex befire it was applied to give added strength and flexibility when it was applied.

I would advise either getting it sampled before you remove it or coat it all in PVA and plaster over it.

Not worth the risk in my mind.

Asbestos is a class 1 carcinogen - as are many other products we use every day.

Also in the list

Petrol
Saw Dust
Fag smoke
Bitumen fumes(hot tar)
alcoholic beverages

The risk from Asbestos is way over rated. Obviously some types of asbestos are a lot worse than others but the majority of stuff people encounter in their houses etc is the much safer version.

Sanding down Artex would not be a good idea but scraping will be quite safe. Just wear a dust mask - breathing in ANY form of dust is not good for you!!!

[Phil Chitty]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Asbestos is a class 1 carcinogen - as are many other products we use every day.

Also in the list

Petrol
Saw Dust
Fag smoke
Bitumen fumes(hot tar)
alcoholic beverages

The risk from Asbestos is way over rated. Obviously some types of asbestos are a lot worse than others but the majority of stuff people encounter in their houses etc is the much safer version.

Sanding down Artex would not be a good idea but scraping will be quite safe. Just wear a dust mask - breathing in ANY form of dust is not good for you!!!

So now you're an expert on Asbestos?
What you have just suggested is dangerous and stupid.
The risk from Asbestos overated? "THE MUCH SAFER VERSION?"
Never heard so much cr*p.
Asbestos kills.FULL STOP.

When you talk about the "safer version" I'm guessing your thinking of crysotile (white asbestos). Most commonly used type of asbestos and can be found in artex (together with Amosite or brown asbestos), asbestos insullating board and asbestos cemment based products such as roofing sheets.
The import and use of crysotile was BANNED in the UK in 1999 because of the cancers it can cause, non of which can be cured. The gestation periods for these cancers can be as little as 10 years or as long as 65 years.

If I had artex in my house I would either have a licenced asbestos contractor come in and remove it under controlled conditions (safe but very expensive) or i'd coat it in water / PVA mix and have it skimmed over with a caltite plaster (safe but cheaper!)

Up to you if you want to take Codprawn's advice Tim but personally I wouldn't have the risk of airbourne asbestod fibres in my house or around my family.

[Tim M]

Thanks for the advice chaps. Looks like a belt sander isnt such a good idea. I think we'll just paint over it for now, then worry about it later. Replastering it sounds expensive.

[Phil Chitty]

Probably not cheap to re-plaster but if you removed it you'd havet o plaster anyway.

One good reason to apply artex in the first place is to cover an uneven wall.

Good luck!!

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Replastering it sounds expensive.

Maybe not, we had two ceilings done (20x10 ft) for £90 cash each. How big a wall are you doing can't be that much and then you know its done and sorted. Plasterer lives over the road from us, shout if you want his number, old guy really knows his stuff.

Originally Posted by Phil Chitty

One good reason to apply artex in the first place is to cover an uneven wall. Good luck!!

Yep whats it hiding, I would take the old plaster off completely before re-plastering, or it will look like a TV make over and hiding something nasty for future owners.


Pete and Viv

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Asbestos is a class 1 carcinogen - as are many other products we use every day.

Also in the list

Petrol
Saw Dust
Fag smoke
Bitumen fumes(hot tar)
alcoholic beverages

I'm a gonner!! The only one of those that I've not been exposed to in large amounts is fag smoke. I was a materials technician in a quarry (Bitmac production) for the first 8 years of my working life and then ran a surfacing company for pretty much the rest of it. Heck. Had gobfulls of petrol through syphoning it into boats etc. Blimey

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Phil Chitty

So now you're an expert on Asbestos?
What you have just suggested is dangerous and stupid.
The risk from Asbestos overated? "THE MUCH SAFER VERSION?"
Never heard so much cr*p.
Asbestos kills.FULL STOP.

When you talk about the "safer version" I'm guessing your thinking of crysotile (white asbestos). Most commonly used type of asbestos and can be found in artex (together with Amosite or brown asbestos), asbestos insullating board and asbestos cemment based products such as roofing sheets.
The import and use of crysotile was BANNED in the UK in 1999 because of the cancers it can cause, non of which can be cured. The gestation periods for these cancers can be as little as 10 years or as long as 65 years.

If I had artex in my house I would either have a licenced asbestos contractor come in and remove it under controlled conditions (safe but very expensive) or i'd coat it in water / PVA mix and have it skimmed over with a caltite plaster (safe but cheaper!)

Up to you if you want to take Codprawn's advice Tim but personally I wouldn't have the risk of airbourne asbestod fibres in my house or around my family.

No I just don't listen to scaremongering - much of it generated by people who have made a fortune in asbestos removal.

Saying asbestos kills FULL STOP is like saying drinking booze or smoking fags kills FULL STOP......

Asbestos was banned from car brake pads on safety grounds - how many old mechanics do you actually KNOW who have died from asbestos???

I remember allowing mercury to run around in my hand - no wonder it's called quicksilver. These days they wear full white suits and breathing apparatus to handle it!!!

[Phil Chitty]

Originally Posted by codprawn

No I just don't listen to scaremongering - much of it generated by people who have made a fortune in asbestos removal.

Saying asbestos kills FULL STOP is like saying drinking booze or smoking fags kills FULL STOP......

Asbestos was banned from car brake pads on safety grounds - how many old mechanics do you actually KNOW who have died from asbestos???

I remember allowing mercury to run around in my hand - no wonder it's called quicksilver. These days they wear full white suits and breathing apparatus to handle it!!!

Ignorance in the past is not an excuse to leave people exposed to risks to their health now.

Ferodo made the first brake linings with asbestos content in 1896. The ban on the import and use of blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite) asbestos in 1985 removed that risk forever.

Of the nearly 4000 people that died in this country last year of lung cancer and diseases like mesothelioma I would say that a proportion of them were garage mechanics who were exposed in the workplace.

Oh and by the way, the youngest person ever recorded to have died of an asbestos related disease died in October last year. He was 36. It was thought that he contracted mesothelioma from the blue asbestos fibres that stuck to his dads overalls that he wore home from the garage he worked in.

Codders I'm not going to have an argument with you as to the risks related to exposure to asbestos because they've all been had before by people who know a damn sight more about it. Thats why we have legislation in place like the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. They are put in place to protect workers in this country from the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres.

If you want to know the real story rather than your misguided "opinions" go here - www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/

[Hugh Jardon]

Originally Posted by codprawn

No I just don't listen to scaremongering - much of it generated by people who have made a fortune in asbestos removal.

Saying asbestos kills FULL STOP is like saying drinking booze or smoking fags kills FULL STOP......

mmm thats what it says on the packet i think

Originally Posted by codprawn

Asbestos was banned from car brake pads on safety grounds - how many old mechanics do you actually KNOW who have died from asbestos???......

none they ahve all popped their clogs

Originally Posted by codprawn

I remember allowing mercury to run around in my hand - no wonder it's called quicksilver. These days they wear full white suits and breathing apparatus to handle it!!!

we wait in eager anticipation!!! shit so did i!

[Limey Linda]

Forget the Asbestos risk. Not applicable, doubt it has any in the first place, if you use a wallpaper steamer ( rent it) and a wide scraper. Have done it many times. Comes off very quickly , but cover the floor with poly. sheet first. Roll it it up and dump it.
T.

[Phil Chitty]

Originally Posted by Limey Linda

Forget the Asbestos risk. Not applicable, doubt it has any in the first place, if you use a wallpaper steamer ( rent it) and a wide scraper. Have done it many times. Comes off very quickly , but cover the floor with poly. sheet first. Roll it it up and dump it.
T.

Linda

Your comments surprise me especially with the current levels of publicity in the US concerning respiritory diseases suffered by those caught up in 9/11.

Here is a link to the Environment Agency Website.

http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/processes/367829/

They deal with asbestos waste as it is listed within the European Waste Catalogue.
They specifically list "Certain textured coating, decorative plasters and paints, for example ‘Artex’ type finishes and cornices."

[codprawn]

How many people I wonder have drilled holes through their Artex to put up new light fittings etc - how many have scraped it off - how many have knocked down walls etc???

Wonder if B+Q will be sued for all the people who are dropping down dead all over the country???

Obviously asbestos is nasty stuff BUT I still think there is a massive over reaction to it!!!

[Hugh Jardon]

phil you are quite right to share with folks the dangers as you have done

once people are informed they can then make their own decisions regarding their health

when in the RAFwe used to use all sorts of dodgy chemicals in the coure of work, folks used to wander around the hanger sniffing glue cos it smelt good. then when the powers that b became aware of the dangers of mek, trich, aromatic napthers, glues etc then knowledge was shared and procedures changed etc


we used to use trich in hand sprayers to clean down oil leaks with our rag spanners, that has long long since stopped due to the hazzards it presented. however that stopped after i left so hopefully i wont cash in my chips too early.

codders...stick to fixing pcs!

[Phil Chitty]

Originally Posted by codprawn

How many people I wonder have drilled holes through their Artex to put up new light fittings etc - how many have scraped it off - how many have knocked down walls etc???

Wonder if B+Q will be sued for all the people who are dropping down dead all over the country???

Obviously asbestos is nasty stuff BUT I still think there is a massive over reaction to it!!!

I would say that there are countless people out there who have drilled holes in artex, scraped it off walls or removed it in some other way. All of those people have potentially been exposed to something that could do them harm without realising it.

The son of a work collegue of mine spent 3 days core drilling holes in a school in Surrey last year before they noticed the asbestos stickers.
Thats negligence with the potential to kill.

I don't see how you can say there is a massive over reaction to something that has the potential to kill you.

Thats no different to saying there is a massive over reaction to the dangers of smoking.

(Oooops, opened up another argument there then!)

[GED]

Originally Posted by codprawn

The risk from Asbestos is way over rated.

TELL MY DEAD DAD THAT!!!!!!