Plaster over artex?

[ChedderAndChive]

My lounge has an artex ceiling, is it a good idea to plaster over it? If so what kind of prep work would need to be done? The artex is in good sound condition but its just not my taste.

Thanks in advance.

 

[stevethespreader]

what pattern is it? generally the high spots if any will have to be scraped off, then prepped with either pva or bonding agent then skimmed, if the pattern is thick the plasterer may see the need to give it a coat of bonding first, now after telling you all this there is a bloke on this forum who i will not name will rather rip your whole ceiling out put it in a skip and will have you go to the expense of putting new boards up the choice is yours 2 options which one do you fancy?

 

[Hixxy02]

Personally I would board over your existing ceiling and plaster no point takin old stuff down if it's gonna cost ya. I would never plaster over artex on a ceiling not worth the whole lot coming down, believe me seen it happen. Not by me might I add.

If you are determined to skim it then scrap all the high spots off and then seal it with a bonding agent like wickes bonding agent.

 

[ChedderAndChive]

The artex is in a wave pattern and uniform all over. I don't really want to take the ceiling down however as has been said I don't want it coming down one night when im watching the telly, so boarding over may be an option but i think id prefer to plaster straight onto the artex. decisions decisions.

 

[Micilin]

Personally I would board over your existing ceiling and plaster no point takin old stuff down if it's gonna cost ya. I would never plaster over artex on a ceiling not worth the whole lot coming down, believe me seen it happen. Not by me might I add.

If you are determined to skim it then scrap all the high spots off and then seal it with a bonding agent like wickes bonding agent.

The reason artex comes off is that it has not been sealed up properly the day before it's plastered. Sealing it up the same day is not advisable.

It is also an idea to check any joints as old tapes are sometime liable to come loose. If there is a bubble or crack, then see if you can pull the tapes off (This is usually because he wrong paper tape was used , the jointing gear was knocked back after going too stiff) Then you'll have to scrim the joints , having used a bonding agent

If everything is sound, ideally used WBA or Bondit (as Steve says) if using PVA or SBR make sure you give it a good seal the day before, then plaster onto a tacky coat applied just beforehand

Edit, if you use bondit or WBA you can see that it has been done properly

 

[ChedderAndChive]

OK Thanks so just to reiterate a good coat of Bondit or WBA the day before and then another just before the plaster. Another question, what plaster is advisable for this? was thinking multi.

 

[joe-90]

If you have never plastered before - don't even think about plastering a ceiling. Artex is much nice than a total bodge.

 

[stevethespreader]

OK Thanks so just to reiterate a good coat of Bondit or WBA the day before and then another just before the plaster. Another question, what plaster is advisable for this? was thinking multi.

no if using bond it apply bond it the the day b4 as it requires 24 hours to dry then skim the next day with no additional coats same with wba but wba can be applied the same day as it takes only a couple of hours to dry, michilin was saying if you use pva or sbr give it a coat the day b4 then once again just b4 skim on the tacky coat, just as an aside i haven't had a failure yet on artex (TOUCHWOOD), a decision has to be made if you think its sound and good to go for it, if not then either over board or take artex off i overboarded my own ceiling the other day where it was abused by the sparky on a rewire, and the artex was flaking off so overboard it was

 

[Micilin]

OK Thanks so just to reiterate a good coat of Bondit or WBA the day before and then another just before the plaster. Another question, what plaster is advisable for this? was thinking multi.

no if using bond it apply bond it the the day b4 as it requires 24 hours to dry then skim the next day with no additional coats same with wba but wba can be applied the same day as it takes only a couple of hours to dry, michilin was saying if you use pva or sbr give it a coat the day b4 then once again just b4 skim on the tacky coat, just as an aside i haven't had a failure yet on artex (TOUCHWOOD), a decision has to be made if you think its sound and good to go for it, if not then either over board or take artex off i overboarded my own ceiling the other day where it was abused by the sparky on a rewire, and the artex was flaking off so overboard it was

Yes . One coat of the WBA or Bondit

 

[noseall]

What the guys have said all makes sense.

However....

I have seen skim separate almost cleanly from a pva prepared ceiling and will never prep with just plain old pva again.

If folks are thinking of doing any electrical work within the floor space, i will, without hesitation, advise to remove the ceiling. The same applies if there is any severe water damage or bowing.

The best prep by far (in my opinion) are the textured prep's, i.e. Blue grit etc.

Firstly they are coloured which helps when painting white ceilings.

Secondly, they are textured which helps enormously as it grips the stuff off the trowel and keeps the stuff where it belongs.

Thirdly, it seals real well and provides a stable uniform suction background which times out superbly on larger ceilings.

 

[Micilin]

Yes , it is far superior to PVA.


Also with the bondit/pva, if it is a large area you save time on the plastering because you don't have to keep stopping to put fresh pva on ahead of you if it is drying.

But I dare say in the case you mention, the PVA on the ceiling was dry?

I have seen a lot of people use PVA like that, as if it were magic.

They would not wait for any other glue to dry before sticking anything else together,but expect one coat of pva to do it.

 

[joe-90]

If folks are thinking of doing any electrical work within the floor space, i will, without hesitation, advise to remove the ceiling.

Eh? You simply remove a floorboard above or get in the loft if it is upstairs.

 

[peaps]

Yes , it is far superior to PVA.


Also with the bondit/pva, if it is a large area you save time on the plastering because you don't have to keep stopping to put fresh pva on ahead of you if it is drying.

But I dare say in the case you mention, the PVA on the ceiling was dry?

I have seen a lot of people use PVA like that, as if it were magic.

They would not wait for any other glue to dry before sticking anything else together,but expect one coat of pva to do it.

Is it now?

Oh really?

[/b]

 

[Hixxy02]

I have always been told that pva and artex is a no go and to always over board an artex ceiling and WBA Walls. Never had a problem working like this.

 

[joe-90]

You won't get a problem but it's not economic as a model.

My car's broken down - get a new car.

My ceiling needs fixing - get a new ceiling.