Smoothing an Artex ceiling

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I have a "stippled" effect Artex celing in my kitchen, I have now spent 2 days and £50 trying to cover this up using "smooth over" products. I first scraped off all the peaks using a paper scrape then sanded as much as I could. The first section of ceiling I then applied B&Q's own Smooth over product. This worked fairly well but I could not get anything like a smooth even finish. My theory was that this coat was filling the texture and another thinner coat would give a me a finish that could be sanded to a reasonable standard. My main concern was how little ceiling I managed to cover with one 6 litre tub! I then bought another tub but of the Polycell variety (thinking it would be better and go further) and moved on to the next section of ceiling. This product is easier to put on as it is thinner, unfortunately this meant it covered less area and the first coat is even worse finish than using the B&Q version.

On the whole I was more staisfied with the B&Q product as it produced a better finish and I could use a plastering float to apply it rather than the stupid Polycell tool (the Polycell product is far to runny to apply with a float)

Now my question is, should I buy another tin of the B&Q stuff and apply a second coat and try to sand it down. Or am I wasting my time and money? I have now read quite a few moans about what a waste of time this stuff is but somebody must have used it successfully? Having started I feel I should finish what I started! :cry:
 
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My experience is that the only way to do this job is serious graft and find a plasterer

I bought a big heavy duty scraper and a sander (remarkably cheap-25 quid in the big DIY barns) and scraped all the peaked bits off and then ran over it with my electric sander with heavy duty paper


I then got a really cheap quote from a professional to re-plaster the ceiling with a smooth skim

Looks lovely-and more importantly the leader of the opposition was as happy as a member of the royal family !
 
2 days and £50 should have been a morning and £100..for a plasterer
 
I use Smoke+ Miraz finest merde de bull coverall paint
 
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Ive just done this, took me ages but did it succesfully with plant sprayer full of soapy water, sprayed artex and then scraped it off. If it been painted may need to scrape surface 1st. Also need to think why its been artexed and what may be underneath. I`d like to meet the bloke that invented artex.......
 
The DIY coverall/smoothall stuff is total crap & just doesn't work :( ; as unfortunately you’ve now found out! You’ve probably already spent nearly as much as it would have cost to get yourself a decent plaster job & that’s without the cost of your time! & the bloke that invented Artex is as total ******** but he's probbaly retired on the proceeds by now ;)
 
Ive just done this, took me ages but did it succesfully with plant sprayer full of soapy water, sprayed artex and then scraped it off. If it been painted may need to scrape surface 1st. Also need to think why its been artexed and what may be underneath. I`d like to meet the bloke that invented artex.......
Have a look @ Google Maps ...Newhaven, E. Sussex..Artex Avenue ;) that`s where it originated
 
Beware Artex type products up to the mid 1980's contained up to 2% asbestos. Sanding this down is a great way to inhale plenty of asbestos fibre.

Best way is to overboard it; skim it and paint it. Only way to get a really smooth finish.

Did hear an assistant in BnQ telling a customer not to use an anglegrinder to remove Artex but to use a 6inch belt sander instead :D
 
Beware Artex type products up to the mid 1980's contained up to 2% asbestos. Sanding this down is a great way to inhale plenty of asbestos fibre.

Best way is to overboard it; skim it and paint it. Only way to get a really smooth finish.

Did hear an assistant in BnQ telling a customer not to use an anglegrinder to remove Artex but to use a 6inch belt sander instead :D


Yes i have to agree with cremeegg here, sanding down the asbestos will do you no favours at all, probably start with a nasty cough and gradually cough up some blood. Ive tried plastering over artex before using all sorts of bonding agents etc and theres never any guarantee this will work to a perfect finish. Now i wont touch it with a barge pole unless i can just board over it and skim. Artex should be outlawed.
 
Hi,

in this scenario with artex, the most straight forward way is to get a plasterer. It's really now worth wasting days / time & money trying to get a professional finish - it won;t happen!

I've been plastering professionally for a few years now, i have seen this so many times.
in the long run it costs the same to get the job done by a qualified tradesman,

This would need to be Scraped (just to take the peaks off) PVA sealed then it should have three coat skim. 1st using a float instead of trowel. to fill the hollows and flatten then two coats a per norm. the last being well trowelled out for a nice smooth finish.

hope this helps.
regards
 
a sad story...

being a P & D my bro in law asks me to sort out his bathroom ceiling... he and my sis 'n law have watched some diy makeover programme and decided to redo their bathroom for xmas. He;s begun.. I look ..70's/80's Artex.. being the consumate professional that we all are.. refuse to touch it.. highlight the issues and give him the number of a plasterer i recommend.

Two weeks later... my bro in law calls... can you help me.. very busy etc but being a good egg and he is my wife's sister's hubby I call over..

oh my God...

like all family members/proud office boys he's ignored advice and tackled whole bathroom himself..

Having scraped artex points with a 'filler knife'.. he's sanded the artex (without a mask) .. failing to get a smooth finish he's then brought a Harris wide super scraper and gouged chunks out all over.. then he's brought some Polycell Smooth Over and patched here and there.. finally having decided it looked not quite like on tv he's brought some more textured ceiling covering and re rolled it. I didn't know whether to laught or cry..

So it ends there you think??? Nope... he's ripped out his bath and toilet.. tiled over existing tiles (white) and filled with blue grout (which now sits proudly all over his new albeit wonky tiles in a fine dried mess). His bath sealant is patchy over existing mouldy sealant. He's stopped tiling at the difficult bits (corners, windows, near pipes, pedestals etc and so has bare walls.) you think I'm ready to stop yet.. oh no..

He's taken up his carpet and tried to lay cheap laminate over his underlay.. it bows and bends wonderfully now.. it's like walking on air.. well a bouncy castle anyway.. but he hasn't got tools to cut it around pedestal, pipework, doorframe etc so it all ends abrubtly and sits up about 2inches.. he's laid it around his new toilet which doesn't quite fit the waste pipe and now leaks (ugh) and is cracked all down one side where he BOLTED.. yes I did say bolted it too tightly..and finally he's screwed a new power shower unit to wall with no thought to plumbing or electrical requirements having... tiled over the only access he had to his water supply..

I'm still grimacing and aching inside now.. Can I sort it out before xmas he says.. he'll buy me a beer for doing it.. :LOL:
Oh dear.. Chris I think... advise him to call a range of people I know as I have no free time till Easter.. tell him to expect his bank balnce to reduce dramatically.. and run.. my wife's sister thinks I'm a basta**, my mother in law pleads for me to help her/him as he's got family coming from overseas for xmas. Me? I'm still running....

TV make over programmes don't you just love em for the inspiration they give...

:p

oh well.. back to tiling that little splashback and painting that wall a second coat..
 

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