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Plastering is suitable to cover most Artex. If it’s shallow Artex, it may be covered by skimming plaster on top. If the pattern of the Artex is too deep, you may need to use plasterboard to cover it or if you want to remove it entirely, you will need to use a wallpaper steamer.

Can You Plaster Over Artex?

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, you can plaster over Artex. However, you must also note that plastering over Artex may not be the best choice as Artex is porous and as such, you’d have to detach the stripping so as to get a smooth and even coating. In the event whereby your ceilings or walls have Artex on them, you’ll have to smooth the Artex in order to obtain a plaster of solid coat.

✓ Preparing Artex for plastering. First and foremost, you’ll have to detach any bumps before you can plaster over the Artex. Do note that you don’t have to completely remove the Artex, all that’s needed is just enough to get a coat of plaster. Make use of a scraper to get rid of the bumps on various Artex designs like swirl and bark. Once you’re through getting rid of as much bumps as possible, there’s the need to seal the Artex due to the fact that it can absorb the moisture out of the plaster which will cut the time to get a good finish to little or nothing. You can use a PVA and water mix to do the job!

✓ The PVA mix. This is done to seal off the porous Artex in order to stop it from absorbing moisture from your plaster which can make it start to crack and crumble. To do this, simply mix half PVA and half water, then use a brush to paint the mixture over the plastering area. Once done, you can give the plastering surface about two to three coats and wait for the solution to dry off within a hour or two.

Plastering over Artex is not as hard as it seems, but if you lack the confidence to complete the task, simply contact a professional for help.

Artex is a water based decorative surface coating is typically incorporated on both walls and ceilings so as to apply a pattern. During the peak of its popularity in the 1970’s, it was considered the height of fashion when it comes to interior wall designs however its major drawback remains the fact that it usually contains asbestos especially if it was manufactured before the laws governing the use of asbestos was changed in the year 2000. And asbestos, as we know it, can be deadly when disturbed and its fibres are inhaled.

If you have artex installed in your purchased property and you do not know when the artex walls were done, or perhaps you just want to change the aesthetic design of your home into something more modern and to your personal taste, then you may want to remove the existing artex from your property for good. If this is your wish then you’ve come to the right place.

To remove artex from your walls you can choose to do so using the steaming method or through the use of an external product.

Using the steaming method, you should know that it’ll be more labour intensive and time consuming. You need a lot of patience moving your steamer slow and steady because if left on a spot for too long can damage the wall behind the coating. Once the artex has been dampened with the steamer, you can then scrape them off with a handheld scraper.

A faster solution would be to use an external product to remove your artex.  For example, you can use X-Tex which is a water-based coating remover. All you need to do is paint the substance over your artex wall and leave to dry for about 30 to 60 minutes before peeling away the artex.

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.

How Much Do Plasterer’s Charge?

If you’re look to plaster your walls, one of the first things that’ll come to mind is the cost to complete the project so you can set a budget and start planning as soon as possible. However, the amount charged by plasterer, just like other tradesmen, is based on a number of factors. These factors include how urgent the project is, how long it’ll take as well as what materials are needed. Some of the other influencing factors of plastering jobs include the accessibility of the location, the size of the wall to be plastered and also the current condition of the old plaster. Therefore, you can expect a plaster work of multiple rooms with deteriorating old plaster to be more expensive than a simple refresh of a single wall in a relatively good condition.

It’s likely you’d also get the average cost per room reduce when you require the plastering of several rooms. As a result, to get a final price for your plastering work, you’ll have to call in a qualified and experienced tradesman who’ll consider all the unique requirements of your project and provide a suitable quote.

✓ Medium sized room plastering. A medium sized room would be a room that’s roughly between 3.5m by 5m or one that can comfortable accommodate up to 8 individuals. This will cost within the range of £520 to £870.

✓ Small sized room plastering. Small room such as small kitchens, box bedrooms, utility rooms and the likes will require less plaster but more intricacy with the plasterer having to work in tight spaces. This will cost within the range of £215 to £370.

Plasterboard or drywall is simply gypsum plaster covered from both sides by thick paper layers. It’s known to be a highly versatile product used on both interior walls and ceiling as a result of its numerous advantages. This popular material in residential buildings can be designed to be fire resistant, humidity resistant and noise resistant. They have a low impact on the environment, while also being quite easy to repair and perfect to hide stuffs from plain sight. Most home and property owners in the UK have this material installed in their space as despite the multiple benefits, they’re also quite affordable. However, if you’re thinking about installing a plasterboard on your ceiling, one challenge you’re likely to face is determining the appropriate plasterboard thickness to incorporate as this make or mar your entire project. In this post, we’re going to take a look at the right plasterboard thickness for ceiling so as to help you make an informed decision moving forward. Let’s take a look!

Firstly, let’s consider the size of the plasterboard sheet. 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.

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.

Artex simply refers to a surface coating that’s commonly incorporated for interior decorating. Although it’s usually found on ceilings but it can also be used on the walls as well. The surface coating enables the professional plasterer or decorator add both texture as well as patterns to it. Originally, the name “Artex is the trademark of a UK based company known as Artex Ltd. Over time, the Artex name has been used to refer to all textured coatings, although there are other businesses that manufacture and sell identical products.

You can find Artex on ceilings as well as walls of mainly residential properties. In the 70’s and 80’s, it was pretty much a trend to have either your wall or ceiling ( can be both ) covered with Artex. The surface coating can be incorporated to create raised, textured swirls as well as patterns on ceiling and walls. There are a number of different patterns that can be made using Artex and some of these includes the following: Broken leather, swirl, stipple, fan or shell as well as knifed plaster. It can also provide just a bobbly raised uneven patter appearance from top to bottom.

Artex is main put to use by mainly decorators ( mostly plasterers). This is a skilled job as it’s tedious to create uninformed patterns especially if you don’t know how or where to start. Although the skill of Artex is very much a trade that’s dying rapidly now, but it was pretty much in high demand especially in the 70’s and 80’s. Nowadays, homeowners now prefer smooth plastered finishes over Artex, as they can be easily painted or wallpapered.