When was asbestos in artex stopped?

[sheldorbaz1nga]

Hi all,

Another year, another set of projects planned. I have a house that was built in 1989 and first sold in 1990. It has artex in every bloody room on the ceilings.

My plan (over time) is to have completely smooth ceilings in every room.

Upon reading about the removal of artex, I came across an article detailing the use of asbestos in old artex.

Given that the artex in my house could date back to 1989, do you think there's a possibility that there's asbestos in it? I know it's impossible to tell without investigation but I wondered if there was a definitive cut-off point in UK buildings when it was no longer used at all.

Regards
Matt

 

[Nozzle]

Maybe there is, may be there isn't - it doesn't really matter. Rule one of dealing with artex is if you don't have to move it then don't. In your case, you don't - you can still have your smooth ceilings, get a skim on there.

Nozzle

 

[securespark]

The type of asbestos used in Artex is called Crysotile and if you are really worried about whether you have it in your home, you can get a sample tested for around £50.

AFAIR, it was banned in the UK in 2000 but it seems the formula of Artex changed around 1985 and they stopped using it in the mix.

So, you may not even have any asbestos.

 

[^woody^]

Artex is a brand name, and other textured coatings may well have used asbestos fibres long after Artex stopped.

 

[securespark]

Thanks for making that clear, Woody. When I said "Artex", I was referring to the brand not the product generally.

But I can see what I wrote could be confusing.

 

[FiremanT]

Thanks for making that clear, Woody. When I said "Artex", I was referring to the brand not the product generally.

But I can see what I wrote could be confusing.

SP: Out of interest,how can you be sure it was genuine Artex, given that it was there when you moved in?

When I bought my first house in 1980,we used proper Artex (came in tubs), and used it on most ceilings AND some walls. What goes on on a 20 year old head?
Apart from a desire to cover horrible cracks.

 

[securespark]

Fair comment and the only thing I can say is that either you get it tested or cover it over.

 

[HawkEye244]

I removed asbestos artex from two bedrooms in my house with Xtex, a steamer and scraper. They used to sell it in toolstation but not now, you can still get it online. It's not for the fainthearted but it does work. You need time, patience and a lot of elbow grease. I painted on the xtex gooey blue slime (looks like something out of Aliens). Leave it for an hour, work away slowly peeling away the paperbacking with the aid of a steamer. Work methodically covering small sections at a time and DON'T scrape at it. If it doesn't peel away gently it's not moist/saturated enough. If you are careful you can peel away the backing paper complete with the top layer of artex which is relatively undisturbed. You will lose the paperbacking of the plasterboard when you do this and no doubt scuff the plasterboard in places. You'll need to put down flooring protection, have some HD rubble bags handy and leave open all windows. Wear a mask and seal the internal door. You don't need to get carried away with sealing the f**k out of everything and applying negative presure etc. All overkill. Make sure you take a sample of the stuff first though send it to an environmental services place that does testing. I paid about £12 a sample. Once removed and plastered you'll have a beautiful smooth ceiling. OR you can avoid or this and have someone plaster over the lot.

 

[333rocky333]

I wondered if there was a definitive cut-off point in UK buildings when it was no longer used at all

Regards
Matt

white asbestos was the last type to be banned, in 1999, therefore only uk buildings year 2000 on, should be asbestos free

 

[Thomasthepiperson]

The HSE will say any building built before 2000 could contain it , I emailed a asbestos consultant and they said building's built after 1993, would be unlikely to contain asbestos. My work was built in 1996, and contains no asbestos. But, please don't take my word for it. If in doubt, always get it tested!