OMG I did not know this!!!! Did you?

[Treegle]

I've just discovered that it's possible for artex to contain asbestos!! I never knew this! And my dad worked as a painter and decorator for many years!! Is this common knowledge?!!!

It was only finally made illegal in 2001, so normally if I'm breaking into or doing work to anything even slightly suspect built before that I will get it tested first.

old toilet cisterns and seats (the old black kind you get in schools,

Yes we've just crushed one of those up as well ...

I'm not reading any more!

It is everwhere. Artex, woodchip wallpaper, old toilet cisterns and seats (the old black kind you get in schools, in and around boilers, behind andin storage heaters, ceiling tiles, floor tiles, roofs, soil pipes, insulation...

Wow. This is putting me RIGHT off the idea of a doer upper.

. Ten years ago

Okay, I'm VERY slow on the uptake.

I'm also completely self deluding about my own age, so assume anyone younger than middle aged me is teeny

I didn't know this, I lost my granddad to mesothelioma just over 5 years ago :(

What else is asbestos hiding in that I don't know about???

Woodchip wallpaper?? I'm trying as hard as I can to find evidence of this and can't. HSE says nothing about this

Holy fuck

We moved in 2006 (doer-upper) and took artex off the landing ceiling. Wouldn’t have touched it with a barge pole if I’d known

My dad has absbestos related lung issues but he worked in factories and warehouses and domestic properties from the 60s to his retirement. It's horrible stuff but just be aware of what it can be in before you rip things down or do DIY

Yes. I worked in building insurance for a long time, it’s chrysotile and the least harmful type. It’s also in the bitumen used on kitchen floor tiles too, but again not since the 80’s.

It’s not in woodchip and it’s not in the floor tiles themselves, it’s in the adhesive/bitumen used to stick them down.

One of our ceilings had artex swirls and we had it smoothed over, I asked the plasterer if there was an asbestos risk because he sanded / filed some of the bigger lumps off before skimming it... he said it's not likely and if there was then it'd be such a low amount that it wasn't harmful. I hope he was right!!

A dd probably has it in her 1950s house that was a probate sale - 1970s decor with artex ceilings, and the odd wall, too. Apparently it's fine as long as it's not disturbed - you need to plaster or otherwise cover it up. I've got a feeling there's a product for the purpose.

I have had a lot of anxiety re asbestos and spoken to several experts. Basically from what they have said its two pronged

1. obviously try your best not to expose yourself, don't read this thread and start ripping down ceilings. And the HSE has a ton of guides as to where asbestos might be so read up on those. If you're buying a doer uper you can also get an asbestos survey done pre starting work

2 if you have been exposed it is very probably going to be fine. We all have fibres in our lungs anyway, they occur naturally and they are in the air at very low concentrations. The vast majority of people who have developed illnesses were exposed on an industrial level. And also any dust is v bad for your lungs so in future if doing DIY always wear a mask, the best one you can afford at screwfix. If you are worried then do speak to your GP.

Hope this helps someone else

That all sounds very sensible @Engelbert -Thanks

My nephew is an asbestos engineer. He spends his days (or nights, there is a lot of night work) removing Artex.

He is London based and often has to refuse work.

Our gas meter cupboard is lined with asbestos but passes current regulations.

I suspect we have asbestos in the panels in our brick outbuilding, we just don’t disturb it but in older houses it can be anywhere. When I was young I can remember DMs flaking old ironing board and I also had an asbestos mat to put my iron on in the1970s.

It can also be in fireplaces, I think it has good heat resistance so is used in places like that, that’s why it is often where boilers are

In the 70 s I used to lie on the top bunk and knock the pointy bits off with my toes. My mum banned me from doing it.

I work in an asbestos testing lab. One interesting thing I learnt was asbestos used to be in cigarettes - talk about a double whammy!

It is true that as long as you don’t disturb it you’re fine. There are different types- the white (chrysotile) found in artex ceilings, textured coatings to walls etc being “less dangerous” than the others.

Another thing to note, older houses can have many layers of artex/paint on the ceilings/walls, and floor coverings laid on top of floor coverings. So if you need to get anything tested with a view to redecorating, and you plan to take something down (ceiling) or up (flooring), make sure you get a sample from all the layers.

@stayorgonow

Don’t worry about the peeling paint. Asbestos has to be sanded, or cut, or broken before the fibres are released. It wouldn’t peel. It’s very likely to be completely fine!

Another one who’s Grandad used to sand his asbestos garage roof to make sure it was really flat. He lived to 89.

to anyone with family/affected by asbestosis.

It’s not in woodchip and it’s not in the floor tiles themselves, it’s in the adhesive/bitumen used to stick them down

Was in my floor tiles AND the bitumen when tested.

This is a useful thread. Too many people don’t know to look for it.

I think what I’ve learnt is don’t be scared, lots of people are unaffected, but be aware and cautious.

Yes, thanks Engelbert.

@Laiste

Find a company to take it down through the asbestos regulator list of good companies thingy. ARC?

@engelbert and @over50andfab, thank you, great posts.

Never would have guessed. Blooming heck.

Yes because we had to have our artex ceilings tested when we had the house renovated before the electrician would drill at all. Luckily it was the type of artex that could just be skimmed over, no asbestos.