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If your artex ceiling is looking tired or you just fancy a change, you can try plastering over your artex. You have two options when it comes to plastering over your artex: plasterboard or skimming.

Covering your ceiling with plasterboard is a good option if you suspect the artex may contain asbestos. If done carefully, it doesn’t involve disturbing the artex, reducing the risk of asbestos exposure.

You also have the option to skim over your ceiling. The first steps to this involve removing loose and flaking parts, cutting off stipples and sanding your ceiling down. So, if there’s a chance your artex ceiling may contain asbestos, this isn’t the right solution for you. However, if you’re sure there’s no asbestos in your ceiling, then sanding down and skimming over your ceiling can be a great way to create an attractive result.

It’s worth noting that both putting up plasterboard and skimming plaster can be difficult jobs. Although possible to DIY, you’re likely to get much better results if you hire a professional.

Can You Plaster Over WallPaper?

If you have wallpaper installed on your wall surface and you’re considering plastering the wall, when you put into consideration the stress involved in removing a wallpaper you may want to consider plastering directly over the wallpaper. This is quite understandable as removing a wallpaper can be quite time consuming and tedious, but plastering directly over wallpaper is a mistake that should never be made. Plastering over wallpaper is in no way a viable option due to the fact that it can only turn out disastrous after a couple of weeks or even days in some cases as the plaster will crack and crumble. As a result, you’ll have to firstly scrape off the wallpaper in order to assist the plaster get to be firmly secured to the wall behind.

When you plaster over a wallpaper, this will make the wallpaper wet and it’ll absorb the moisture. And once the plaster does not have moisture, the only result is for it to crack and start to crumble. Hence, plaster and wallpaper is never a good combination.

Asides from cracking and crumbling, anther issue is that the wallpaper will bubble. You can actually key the wallpaper with the help of a knife and it might look secured for some time, however it’ll eventually crumble and you’d have to scrape off the plaster complete to start all over again. The wallpaper will bubble as the plaster can’t be keyed into a wallpaper and the wallpaper will only work as a barrier between the plaster and the wall.

Overall, plaster always needs to slowly dry off as well as a good and proper surface to grip to. No matter the amount of PVA mix you spread on the wallpaper, it will always remain a barrier. So you’d have to remove the wallpaper completely to get a great result.

Also referred to as drywall, plasterboard is a panel that features an inner layer of gypsum and spread between facer as well as backer paper. It is mostly incorporated in the construction of both interior walls and ceilings. Plasterboard can be made to be humidity resistant, fire resistant as well as noise resistant. Due to these reasons and also the fact that it’s very easy to install and very affordable, plasterboard is a very popular choice when it comes to interior walls and ceilings.

One of the major issues that most homeowners face when fitting plasterboard is the thickness required to make the project a long lasting one. But not to worry, we got you covered! If you’re about to install plasterboard for your ceiling and wondering the thickness that’ll be appropriate, then you’ve come to the right place. In general, the standard plasterboard sheet size is 120 cm in width and within the range of 180 cm to 360 cm in height. These sizes are designed to provide the much needed support to the standard stud spacing which is 160 cm. Depending on the manufacturer, plasterboard can be in four different widths.

Now talking about the thickness, there are two standard thicknesses of plasterboard - 9.5 mm and 12.5 mm. The sizes of plasterboard for ceilings are 9.5 mm or 10 mm. Most individuals tend to assume that the thicker the plasterboard the better, but this is absolutely false. A thicker plasterboard will only stick harder to the ceiling which will make it hard to seal joints if required.

Plasterboards are a great noise insulators which can also reduce disturbances from other activities. As a result, for walls, size of plasterboards that’s considered appropriate for walls is 12.5 mm or 13 mm.

What Is Plaster Made Of?

Plaster is one of the most commonly used materials when it comes to building construction. It’s a crucial component that’s incorporated in coating walls, ceilings as well as partitions and it hardens on drying. Plastering is one of the most ancient building materials which has taken over mud to plaster reed or sapling huts so as to serve as a protection against the elements. Here, we’re going to take a look at the multiple compositions of plaster. These components are very important due to the fact that they form a protective coating on whatever they are used on. They work to protect surfaces such as ceiling and underlying walls from scratches or any form of damage.

Plaster comprises a few materials which includes gypsum, lime or cement and all operates in a similar way. Gypsum is made of calcium sulfate dihydrate and it’s the main component of main forms of plaster, sidewalk chalk, blackboard, drywall and more. Meanwhile, lime plaster is made up of sand, water and lime ( mostly non hydraulic hydrated lime). And lastly, cement which is a mix of suitable plaster, portland cement, sand as well as water.

The plaster is usually produced as a dry powder which is mixed thoroughly with water to create a stiff but also a paste that’s workable immediately before it’s applied to the wall or ceiling.

It’s quite easy to confuse a drywall with a plaster but there are some differences. Not only is plaster a much older style of wall construction than dry wall, but it’s also a lot more expensive than installing a drywall. Plaster walls are also able to provide you with a more durable finish when compared to a drywall and it makes for a better quality finish.

The fact is several buildings contain artex as well as other textured coating on walls and ceilings which are all likely to contain asbestos. However, artex itself is not the main threat here but the potentially deadly harmful fibres that’s contained in it. In this post, we’re going to look at whether or not artex truly contains the deadly abestos.

The short and simply answer to this question is yes, artex can definitely contain asbestos, however not all artex will contain asbestos. The main reason asbestos was a popular construction material is because it was not only cheap and strong but also because it was very durable and long lasting. It was used in numerous construction materials ( which includes artex ) before it was finally banned in the year 1999. unfortunately during the time when artex was very popular in the 60’s, 70’s as well as 80’s, asbestos was still very much in use during the period. And as a result, a lot of the artex incorporated during that period will contain the deadly asbestos fibres. However, this does not only apply to artex, but also other textured coatings containing asbestos were incorporated in construction until 1999 when asbestos was formerly banned in the UK. These asbestos containing materials are often used on walls as well as ceilings of residential properties.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to know an asbestos containing artex just by looking at it. In order to determine whether or not an artex contains the deadly asbestos fibres, it’ll have to be sampled and tested in a laboratory. What’s more? While several artex contains asbestos, asbestos free artex was available from the 1970s. However, since it’s impossible to determine using the naked eye, all artex installed before the ban will be assumed to contain asbestos.

Can You Plaster Over Tiles?

Yes, it’s absolutely possible to plaster over tiles but just because is possible doesn’t mean you should. Plastering over tiles is an option but it’s not recommended by experts due to several reasons. A good example is the fact that a tiled environment is in no way a suitable environment that can serve as a good bonding surface for a plaster. For the success of a plastering project, there’s the need for the surface to be able to bond to the PVA base coat. Due to fact that most tiles are slippery in nature and also lack of the ability to be able to absorb moisture, the PVA base coat layer will not be able to bond to the tiled surface, which will ultimately make for a weak surface upon the application of the plaster. Consequently, the plaster will easily flake and fall from the wall.

The inability to drill into the tiled wall surface after plastering is one of the major disadvantages that also arises when you decide to plaster over tiled surfaces. Most tiled surfaces are found in kitchens and bathrooms which are going to need appliances such as sinks, lavatories, kitchen counters and lots more. These appliances are designed to be installed on solid surfaces which would not be an easy task to carry out on tiles knowing there would definitely be great cracks or damages.

The best tip you’ll get if you’re considering to plaster on a tiled surface, is that detaching tiles from a surface can easily be done with a hammer and chisel, and that would save you a host of problems later in the future. However, if you still wish to plaster on your tiled walls, then you best bet would be to get a Blue Grit bonding agent. It works better than PVA and only needs one coat.

Installing a plasterboard to a ceiling is not the easiest of tasks, and even though it can be done by one person, it’s usually a lot easier when done by two people. If you’re an experienced DIYer, this task becomes a lot easier to undertake, with both confidence and patience needed to ensure a successful outcome. If you lack these essential attributes, we’d strongly recommend you call in a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’re going to take you through the processes involved to plasterboard your ceiling. Let’s take a look!

✓ Take a measurement of your ceiling. Knowing the length and width of your room is crucial here. You have nothing to worry about if it’s not a perfect square as that’ll only mean more cutting.

✓ Make the necessary plasterboard cuts. Cut the plasterboard sheet with a utility knife in accordance to ceiling space measured.

✓ Remove existing plaster. Once done, examine the trusses and beams to ensure they’re still in a great condition before you proceed. Also, make sure there’s no loose plaster that can compromise your new installation.

✓ Apply construction adhesive. For a better fit, you’d have to apply adhesive along the beams while also avoiding the edges as this could affect your screw placement.

✓ Start in a level corner. You have to start the installation from the most level corner.

✓ Work along the outside edges. Secure it using a screw along the outside edge. This will make your plasterboard held to your ceiling perfectly. It won’t bend or break as your proceed with the installation.

✓ Complete the installation. Install the plasterboard on your entire ceiling and complete the installation by taping the seams and plastering for a smooth surface.

Artex is a water based surface coating which is used to decorate both ceilings and walls with a textured finish. Back in the 1970’s, artex happens to be very popular when the swirling or spiky effects it creates  were considered to be the best of fashion when it comes to interior designs. However, in today’s world, an artex ceiling is not only considered outdated but also a pain to clean and repair.

If you have an artex ceiling in your residential property and looking for a way to get it off, then you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’re going to show you how its done without much stress.

To get started you’d need to get the following tools and material which includes: safety goggles, dust mask and rubber gloves, plastic sheeting, canvas drop cloth ( carpet) or rosin paper (hard floor) and step ladder

Prepare the room. Start this by moving all furniture out of the room or stack the furniture at the centre of the room and cover using plastic sheets. Once done, cover all non-removable items with plastic sheets and lay down a canvas drop cloth for carpet floors and rosin paper for hard floors

• Put on your safety gear
• Use a utility knife or joint knife to slowly chip away at the texture and create a smooth surface.
• Mix joint compound in a bucket as per the instructions on the package
• Skim the surface with a thin layer of joint compound to smooth it out using a taping knife, then leave to dry overnight before you proceed
• Lightly sand the surface smooth with the help of a 220-grit sanding block
• Use a damp cloth to wipe the surface clean prior to painting.