Crack in Artex ceiling

[Janey2013]

Hi,
I’m new to this forum and just hoping someone can ease my mind a little. Our house was built in 1995. I found a crack (about 1mm wide but quite long I’ve added a photo) in our bedroom ceiling about 6 months ago which I think is artex, I’m not overly worried about the crack so much but I found out yesterday that artex can contain asbestos and now I’m a little worried it will have been released into our bedroom for the last 6 months and will be harming our health? We are having the bedroom decorated this month and the decorator didn’t mention any worries about the crack when he gave us a quote. Any advice is greatly received-Thank you

 

[JohnD]

the crack is most likely in the joint between two sheets of the plasterboard that makes the ceiling. The boards would have been 2440mm x 1220mm and if you measure along, you may find other cracks at similar distances. The cracking can be caused by storing excessive weight in the loft, causing the joists to bend, or sometimes poor quality plasterers work.

Artex can be decorated over and does not usually release dust unless disturbed. I don't like it and had my ceilings skimmed flat. The colour of yours suggests brown stain from tobacco smoke, which is not easy to redecorate to a good standard.

You can scrape samples off and send them for testing to find out if yours contain asbestos.

 

[Wayners]

I'm not aware of any asbestos in any of the known brands after 1988 ish. That's artex, suretex, newtex, Wondertex and I could keep going rattling off the brands that were all fibre free. The stipple also tended to be a sharper spikes vs the newer mixes. Often 2000 is the year quoted so it would have to been patterned with a small local manufacturer sill using asbestos or an out of date bag or bags by some years. To fix those cracks I stick strips of plasterboard on the loft side over joint and carefully fill. Just get it tested if that will help you sleep for what it would cost or ask neighbours if they had ceilings artexed at the same time and tested as is very common practice

 

[KenGMac]

As all above, cause, cure Etc.

You are concerned about Asbestos having affected you?

The Artex would have to be cut, drilled, in general worked on to enable Asbestos Fibers [if they exist] to be released.

Artex that contains Asbestos only has a very, very small volume of Asbestos, and this Asbestos is [so called] "White" Asbestos [Chrysotyle]

Attached is a link to a well respected site, Cancer Research UK in the article there is some good information as regards Asbestos dust [if present] and how dangerous or otherwise White Asbestos actually is?

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ab...estos-in-home-has-been-disturbed-not-realised

Ken

 

[MattB83]

I'm much less worried about Artex than I was after reading about the studies that informed the current safety guidance - I'd previously been terrified I was going to die when an electrician brought down a chunk of it on our bed (I wasn't in it at the time). My understanding is that for textured ceilings (the ones which contained asbestos) actually realised tiny amounts of asbestos which were below a 'control limit' and this was when the ceiling was being scraped by hand. This doesn't mean it is safe and I will still do everything I can to avoid exposure - I recently had to replace a pull cord on a skimmed-over-artex ceiling and in wore a mask, cleaned up thoroughly with damp cloths and showered. So my take on it is take every precaution if you're working on it and I would want to repair the crack but I wouldn't lose sleep over the fact that a) it might contain asbestos and b) that it might have released a tiny amount of asbestos into the air.

That's just my take on it. Others may disagree.

For context I was reading this section of the forum as I've noticed a crack in my own ceiling tonight (artex skimmed over). I am frustrated and will fix asap but not too worried about asbestos.