Ceilings - Artex/Asbestos

[MakeAHouseAHome]

Our new house has artex ceilings which I hate. The house was built in the 1960's and we don't know if it has asbestos in or not. I know we can pay to have it tested but even if it DID have asbestos in we can't afford to have all the ceilings taken down/put back up etc.

So, my question is which is cheaper out of plastering OVER the artex ceilings or putting plasterboard up? Which also gives longevity or a better finish?

We need 2 medium sized bedroom ceilings done, a small bedroom ceiling, the lounge ceilingand the hall and landing ceilings. And I have no clue what sort of quote we should expect or how long it should take.

It will be much cheaper to skim over than reboard all those rooms. You would also need an electrician for ceiling lights to be lowered. As to finish you shouldn't notice any difference.
Last room we had a bathroom ceiling skimmed that was £50. That is below the going rate though.

Thanks, someone told us that skimming over artex could make it heavy and sag slightly which could dislodge asbestos if there is any - not sure if that has any truth to it?

We had ours skimmed over - didn’t need to lower any lights. Just depends how thick and textured the artex is. No problems with sagging either.

We had ours skimmed. There is no problem if you don't disturb it.

We had ours skimmed. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be and well worth it for the transformation.

We tried to remove ours with a steamer and chisel. We gave up and skimmed it. I had no idea it might have asbestos in until recently. I alternate between terror and acceptance when I think of it.