ARTEX - REMOVING OR PLASTERING
This project is presented by www.ecosolutions.co.uk
Summary: How remove artex from walls or ceilings quickly and safely and with little mess
Removing Artex with a Steamer
Artex is a water-based covering, usually used to decorate ceilings, and generally brought to a textured finish with the use of a brush or comb. Some older artex may contain asbestos and it is extremely unwise to sand down or scrape without seeking the advice of an asbestos specialist as this can potentially damage your health. Contact your local council for help with this.
Once confirmed that the artex is 100% safe and can be removed safely with no risk there are several ways this can be done. Firstly it can be “steamed” off using a wallpaper steamer. This can be a very messy and also very slow process. It cannot be done at speed or with the steam plate left in one area too long…if it is, there is a possibility of damaging the ceiling or wall behind it and also the risk that the artex will liquify and run everywhere.
If done carefully and with some care steaming will enable you to soak and strip without damaging either yourself or the surface you are working on. Place the steamer plate on the surface for several seconds at a time, testing very frequently with a hand held scraper to monitor how soft it is getting and then scraping off once soft enough to do so.
Removing Artex using Eco Solutions X-Tex
One of the quickest and easiest ways that we have found to remove artex is with this amazing product. Simply paint over the artex, on a horizontal or vertical surface, and scrape off when softened. We believe Eco Solutions have a fantastic product here.
X-Tex has been Researched, developed and is manufactured in the UK
X-Tex® allows the removal of textured coatings such as Artex® and Polytex® without causing dust from harmful asbestos fibres. Formulated by Eco Solutions from the most advanced, patented water-based technology using “science not solvents".
Some plaster-type textured coatings (mainly sold before the mid-1980's) may contain harmful asbestos fibres, Minimal VOC content (0.000004%, as certified by independent laboratory detection test)
Product Features
Water-based - "Tough not toxic"- Non Hazardous - Non Toxic - Non Caustic - PH Neutral - No Fumes - No Skin Burns - Non Flammable - Minimal evaporation - Solvent Free - Non Combustible - Product requires no ventilation - Clings 100% to all surfaces - Keeps wet for long periods - No "R" (Risk) or "S" (Safety) phrases
Typical Performance
Textured Coatings such as Artex® takes only 15-30 minutes - Textured Coatings plus 1-2 layers paint up to 1 hour- Multi-layered paint over textured coatings 1 hour to overnight.
The easiest way to remove artex is with this amazing product. Simply paint over the artex, on a horizontal or vertical surface, and scrape off when softened. We believe Eco Solutions have a fantastic product here.
To see how easily X-Tex can be applied and use scroll to the base of this page for a video demonstration
If you would like to purchase X-Tex then please click here
Customer Review
"Miracle"
I really wished I had discovered this product as after having a room skimmed over costing a small fortune I could have saved allot of money with X Tex.
Okay yes it’s messy but what isn’t and it’s sure cleaner than using a steamer! I had to leave this on overnight to soften the paint that was coated over the artex but it did this no problem at all, but after doing a small area first soon realised I had to cover it with plastic film.
This then just came right off with a blade scraper right back to plaster, and after an overnight coating it only took me just under two hours to scrape off all four walls and a ceiling...
I bought a 15 litre from Decorating Direct and to also mention what a great company they are.
Thank you to X-Tex
Plastering Over Artex
Artex can also be plastered over. See our project on (skim plastering) Firstly make absolutely sure that there are no flaking or loose sections of the artex, or indeed ceiling/wall. Then remove all obviously "high spots" of artex, where the stipples hang down. You can do this using a hand scraper or wall scraper and if you want to go the extra step you can also sand it down and get it as flat as possible as this will further aid in the final finish and also the ease in which it can be plastered over. Again, before you do this, please, please ensure that the artex you are working on does not contain any asbestos. If you are unsure, get it checked out before you start!!
The wall or ceiling can then be painted with a coat of PVA adhesive, which can be bought in gallon containers from the builder's merchants or larger DIY stores.
Dilute the PVA at 1 to 1 with water and stir well. Paint this on the ceiling/wall with a large emulsion brush. This can be left to dry, which will only take about an hour. Make sure you have covered the entire surface. Untouched areas will produce plastered areas that will be hard almost as soon as the plaster touches them!
We suggest two coats of this pva solution will give an excellent seal to the ceiling. Artex is very pourus indeed and “skim”plaster goes hard very quickly. The pva will not only help the adhesion of the plaster, but it will dramatically slow down the rate of moisture absorption, giving you more time to “work” the surface.
It is a good idea to wear an old pair of rubber gloves when dealing with plaster. It is not good for your skin! Place dust sheets everywhere and be careful where you stand. If wet plaster gets on your shoes, before you know it the house is covered. If you are attempting a ceiling try and get hold of a couple of milk crates, they are just the right height, and very stable when upturned.
Skim plaster is bought in bags of 25kg (Smaller bags can be bought for patching) and the mixing instructions are on the bag. Mix to a creamy consistency using an electric drill on slow speed and a “paddle” attachment that can be bought at most diy stores. Apply to the ceiling/wall using a hand held board (hawk) and a plasterers trowel. No more than two trowels full should be placed on the hawk, then cut into a small section of this with the trowel held at 90 degrees to the hawk. Tilt the hawk towards you while pushing and “scooping” the trowel and plaster away. Once you have the plaster on the trowel, spread it evenly on the surface. Do not attempt to smooth it at this stage.
Before attempting the above, we suggest you first mix up an eggcup full of skim. Place this on an off cut of some kind that you have prepared with some pva. Spread it out and mark the time it takes to go firm but not hard. This is the point at which skim can be made smooth and the trowel marks will disappear.
Once skim is hard the only way of smoothing it is by sanding. As with all of our projects, the money spent on practice is a tiny amount compared to the amount it takes to put a job right that has gone wrong. “Stop end” beads can be purchased from stores. These are galvanised or stainless beads, which can be fixed to the surface and allow you to divide your plastering area into smaller, more manageable sections. Their flat top gives you an edge to work to and finishes flush with the surface of the plaster. When decorated they are not visible.
Start smoothing where you started skimming, you will have to repeat this procedure over the surface two or three times to get it absolutely smooth. When the plaster gets quite hard, you can spray or flick a brush with some water on the surface, this will give you an extra couple of minutes to work the surface.
Use a half-inch, wet (water), soft paintbrush to define corners and the abutment of the plastered surface to any other. Wipe any mess on non-pourus surfaces with a wet cloth, take up the lumps etc and it will dry to a fine dust. This can be wiped again and will go. Leave any mess on pourus surfaces until the lumps are dry and then pick them off.
The most important things to remember are:
- Do not attempt to put too much plaster on either hawk or trowel.
- Spread the plaster to a ceiling not directly above your face.
- Get a covering on that is uniform in thickness (no more than 5mm) so the whole area goes firm at the same time.
- Do not attempt too large an area at once or mix too great an amount.
- Wash your tools & buckets down regularly and especially between mixes.
- It is impossible to get plaster smooth on its first application to the ceiling. Do not attempt to do this. Get an area covered uniformly and wait until it starts to get firm. Then it can be smoothed.
- Plastering is very hard work indeed. Mostly because of the speed it has to be carried out at & also because it involves a lot of body movement. Please make sure you have divided the room onto manageable areas. You really do only want to do this once.
For an absolute novice we would suggest that a ceiling area of 2m x 2m is the maximum that should be attempted in one go and a wall area of 2.4m x 2.5m. As we have mentioned above, it is always a good idea to practice before you attempt the real things. This can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
For information on how to strip ordinary and non-textured paint, visit our Stripping Paint project.
All project content written and produced by Mike Edwards
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