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?!!!

I see a lot of it at work, and you do get blase about it, which is why we have to do yearly training to make sure we remain vigilant. I read asbestos management reports on properties I'm looking at, and even after 15 odd years, I still get the occasional surprise at what it can be in.

Roof soffits and gutters are also possible locations.

Professional decorators know all about it nowadays. Solution is to leave in place and add a skim of plaster on top

I recently worried about this as I sanded a small area on my artex ceiling. Someone told me about the asbestos risk, I then googled and found asbestos watchdog. I emailed and the man who replied seemed very knowledgeable and assured me I was in no danger. Plus leaving the rest of my artex (whole house) is fine. He offered for me to test the artex but I haven’t done that yet, not sure I will as he said it was of no risk.

I've done an asbestos awareness course (against my will). Best to plaster over or overboard it if you want rid of it - don't try sanding it whatever you do. No problem living with it as it is.

yes I knew, all builders did this up too about 10 years ago, only a problem if crumbling.

Yes, a tiny, tiny percentage. We used to get people claiming to have asbestosis from it when they wanted to move flats, when I worked in Council housing

You'd hope decorators would know.

Textured coatings contained asbestos right through the 60s and 70s. Started to be phased out in the 80s. Completely banned in 1999.

Asbestos is only dangerous when damaged, so usually by far the best option is to plaster over the top.

Their still around but no mention of Asbestos from the past!

Now owend by Saint-Gobain

www.artexltd.com/

Yes but I work for a housing association and we have an asbestos team and each property has a certicate that tells us if there is any and if so where it is and what type it is, in case work has to be carried out. We have a training update every few years. It is only dangerous in situations where the fibres are disturbed and become airborne and then can be inhaled and get lodged in your lungs.

I did an asbestos awareness course recently (for work CPD).

It was really interesting.

They have only just banned its use in Canada, which was the world's largest exporter of asbestos.

Malcolm McLaren died as a result of asbestos exposure - attributed to when he smashed the ceiling of his London shop in the 70s.

Asbestos was often used in films - the snow scenes in the Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life for example. The actors were literally smothered in it.

Omg how do find out, how much does it cost? Our was broken thru by builders during an extension & still has broken edges exposed (long story, cowboy builders). But building regs didn't mention asbestos as a possibility?!

Staycalm, when was your house built?

Agree with what everyone else has said about leave it alone and that the type in artex is the least dangerous type.

In the west of Scotland we have a real spike in people with mesothelioma, the cancer caused by asbestos exposure. It's all down to the heavy industry and the shipyards, thousands of men exposed at high levels every day of their working lives.

Even garages aren't that much of an issue as you're working outside, not in a confined area. Insulating panels and so on are more of an issue. There are labs you can send samples off which will confirm the presence of asbestos and advise on removal. it's been a while since I deait with all this but I seem to remember that the low-level stuff like artex you can tackle yourself with appropriate safety equipment and masks. Higher grade asbestos has to be removed professionally.

Oh, and you can't just dump bags full of asbestos panels or artex ceilings at the local tip. Each council has its own disposal process.

I have a couple of friends who are very sparing with their cash. They spent months sanding their bedroom ceilings rather than get them plastered. Cripes, doesn't sound like such a good saving now.

Didn’t know, know generally about asbestos, but not specifics.

The usual action is to skim plaster over it.

Scraping, or, worse, sanding is not recommended.

I'd certainly have some samples of your artex tested for asbestos content. Either it will set your mind at rest or confirm you need to be careful.

There are various labs that you send a sample off to for testing.

If you have different rooms, or walls or ceilings, you can take a sample of each in case they were done with different mixes.

Ok People. calm down. I worked with asbestos for years. Your in no danger. you would need to have been exposed to the dust fibres for a long time to have any problems with health. the only people who contracted asbestosis were people working with the stuff. secondly. you need to understand the different types of asbestos. there are three types. White, brown and Blue. that are generally found in Buildings and was used in older trains years ago. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and is mined. Miners exposed to it are at risk. as are any workers who used it when insulating pipes. ie lagging.
Chrysolite. also called White asbestos is the most common. its often also contaminated with Tremolite. But not a lot. It's used mostly for Brake pad linings. Roofing and cement. it's generally recognised as the least risk one.. The next one is Amosite. You find this most often in Corrugated roofing. we call it brown asbestos. Again. not a terribly risky one if left alone. Then comes Blue asbestos. Crocidolite. (we nicknamed it crocodile light) This one is a high risk for any workers. and we always have to wear full masks and complete Boiler suite coverings including over the head. so we were near enough covered from head to foot. with no gaps. Now as far as the Public are concerned. the only asbestos your likely to see and come into contact with is brown asbestos in the form of corrugated sheets on roofs. If you have to remove a sheet from a roof. then wear a simple elasticated face mask. As long as you don't go mad crushing it up. and make a fine powder out of it. then your not going to find any problems. You need a confined space with a fairly hefty dust content to be exposed to any real risk. Just take it down. put it in a bag and send it to the tip. telling them that you have brown asbestos as they will have or should have a location to send it. when you ring them they will tell you. if your scraping a ceiling. your not going to come into contact with enouugh to cause problems providing your not trying to make a dust out of it.. its the dust that causes a problem as fine fibres get into the air and float around. its worth remembering that any dust from anything isn't good for you. All asbestos can cause health problems. Its the fine fibres that break up easily that cause the problems. and all asbestos when mined is in that form. when it's mixed and hardened like roofing sheets. it tends to be much coarser.
What Companies have generally done is create a panic so that they can make it sound a lot worse. which then means they can charge an awful lot more for its removal. I worked in the Industry and Know.. All you need to do is use common sense..
Asbestos was banned in 1999. so its not all that likely you will come into contact with it now. if you need to remove any artex that old from your ceiling. try using a simple damper on it as you scrape it off if you're worried. wetting it or using a really cheap white emulsion which cant even be waters down will do it. it stops the fine fibres from floating off. we used to spray a fine mist of water on it. But we were exposed to it all the time.. I've lagged Boilers. de lagged steam engines. (that's about the worst you can get) we even used it in the old days as snowballs. (we had full suits on)
As I say. its common sense. but be sensible about it. don't create a lot of dust and you will be ok. if your ceiling is old and your not ready to redecorate. it's quite safe if left alone. you can wipe it over with a damp cloth to clean it if nec

Glad I see this! Me and partner were discussing doing the hallway, we were going to scrape of the artex - house built in the 60/70s ceiling in dd’s bedroom has tested positive for (low grade?) asbestos years ago Now wondering if it’s possible it could also be in the walls (the hallway walls and stair wall are artex) and ceilings all over the house!

50 my house was built 80yrs ago. No idea when artexing was dobe. I moved here in 2001 and it was here then. Looks more like a diy job as not a uniform fan pattern, just fanned to various angles! Not sure if that's a positive or negative that it may not have been done by an expert.

Anyone have a rough idea on cost of testing? Or why building control didn't flag this up? There visited a lot durung our knock through due to issues.

Oh god when I was a kid I used to pick at the atrex on the wall in my stepdads house there was little wood chips in it that was only 16 years ago! His house is victorian!

Yes, you should never try to smooth it by sanding or scraping. Best thing is to leave it alone or plaster over it - it’s the dust that can cause harm. I don’t know when they stoped using asbestos, but that only helps if you know when yours was put on.

Yes you're just supposed to plaster over it. Our house has lovely artex ceilings downstairs, noticed them as soon when we viewed, fan shape, lovely. I personally hate all this minimalism crap. I think it's lovely.
It's only a problem if you disturb it. Most houses have asbestos somewhere in the construction.
As to it not being in fashion considering the latest trends in homes I consider that a compliment!!!!

Artex in homes is safe as long as it isn't broken and is usually painted thus sealing. It is not the same kind , there is blue and white artex, can't remember which is the really bad one, that was used in construction, garages etc.

Didn’t have a clue about this!

Ah bollocks! We're about half way through scraping the bastard stuff off our kitchen ceiling. Shit like this is the EXACT reason I didn't want to buy a house! If wee were renting, this shit would be our problem and I wouldn't be spending mind and arm numbing hours of my life scraping bastarding artex off anything!!! We have asbestos in the shed roof, fascias and cavity wall. It's bound to be in the artex too.