What made this pattern

[Hotwire]

This is what i believe to be artex on my cielings, can someone tell me how that pattern is created.

 

[roughcaster]

The pattern you have there is called "Stipple". The artex would be put on with a brush, and the texture made with a (wait for it), a "Stippler". It is a flat piece of aluminium, covered with hundreds of strands of elastic about an inch or so long. It has a wooden handle attatched to it. Once the Artex has been brushed onto the ceiling/wall, the stippler is dabbed on and off of the wet artex to create the pattern. It is the simplest pattern of all to do. The stipplers themselves come in different sizes, and are always available in most DIY shops, although it is not a very popular form of decoration nowadays.

Roughcaster.

 

[Richard C]

The pattern you have there is called "Stipple". The artex would be put on with a brush, and the texture made with a (wait for it), a "Stippler".

Wonder if you can still get those; I bought one to renovate my 1st house, had it for years & years but the bristles perished & all stuck together so I chucked it!

 

[roughcaster]

You can still get them Richard. "Artex" (the brand) made them, and I think "Blue Hawk" still make them as well. Some were 12" x12" square that were fixed to a long pole, smaller ones 8"x8" and 6"x 6" ish. Outdated now though for most people.

Roughcaster.

 

[diyisfree]

Do you mean people still ask for this pattern on their ceillings ?

My mum had that years ago. Skimmed them all for her. Only charged her half price. (JOKE HONEST)

 

[Hotwire]

Thanks for the info, there,s a bit of patching needs doing in one bedroom. I will have a look at what B&Q have. Does anyone have a link to a picture of a stippler.

 

[roughcaster]

www.belmoretools.com
It comes under: "Artex",texturing tools". 4th from bottom, left of the page.


Roughcaster.

 

[Micilin]

If you are just patching one patch, it might be worth a try using a sponge wrapped in plastic, you can always scrape it off if it doesn't look right.

 

[Hotwire]

Thanks roughcaster, i know what im after now.

Micilin, i was hoping to try and put some diy home made tool together. I will give your idea a try. Well not me, as ive been advised not to do any physical work for the moment. A family member or friend will be doing it.

 

[Hotwire]

Is this the artexing tool i need, found at B&Q.

 

[roughcaster]

That's the one Hotwire. Artex Texturing Brush.(stippler). Anything else,give us a shout.

Roughcaster.

 

[Hotwire]

Thanks roughcaster, i bought the stippler today and a small tub of artex repair. I dont know when the job will actually be done but when it is can the artex just be spread on top of the repaired ceiling that has had about 3 coats of vinyl silk.

 

[roughcaster]

When you say "repaired ceiling" ,what do you mean? Is this a plasterboard patch that has been put in or what? It is a work of art trying to repair an artex ceiling and no matter how hard you try, it will be noticed for ever more. I just thought I would mention that. Also, the tub of stuff you bought from B&Q will be different obviously, from what was put on originally. It will probably be a thicker consistency. Whenever I repaired a ceiling in the past (stippled artex) and it was ready to be textured, I would mix up the artex (powder mix) and thin it down, and then using my stippler, test a bit on my plasterer's hawk, holding it upside down, to see if it gave me a similar texture to that on the ceiling. Sometimes it would be too thick, giving too peaky a finish, so I fiddled with it and thinned it down to get it similar to what was needed.The kind of finish you have looks to be on the watery side. Anyway, when it comes to putting it on, use your "texturing brush"(t/brush). When you have the mix to the right consistency, just "dip" the t/brush into the mixture, and stipple it on as you go, keep dipping/stippling it on that way over the whole patch, you can blend away the edges much easier into the original stipple. If you "brush" it onto a patch and overload it around the edges, it will make the patch look even more obvious. I'm not too sure about putting it on over 3 coats of vinyl silk, you will need to read the instructions. I suppose if it's just a light stipple, it should be ok.(anybody.... any other opinions). Don't forget as I said earlier, to stipple it on rather trying to brush it on, and test the texture on a piece of board or something to compare like for like before you do the job for real. You can see now why this type of decoration is no longer in fashion. It's a complete nightmare to sort out when it goes wrong.
Good luck.

Roughcaster.

 

[Hotwire]

Thanks Roughcaster, lots of good advice there, tinged with a little foreboding . The way im looking at it is it cant be any worse than what it is and if it did go horribly wrong, thats life. The repair was done about 3 years back. What happened was the paint was peeling badly in that area after someone who should have known better used cheap paint. So not considering the artex i went at it like a bull in a china shop and rubbed it down. It was after repainting i realised it was less than a perfect match.

Here is a picture of the repair