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Original poster

Artex - offputting to buyers or would you not notice it?

39 replies

mistymistymorning · 06/09/2023 09:29

Planning to put our house up for sale in the spring. It has artex ceilings in every room which I hate. Every room is a different pattern (I think someone was practising their skill!!).

We have never got around to having them replaced as the long term plan had been to build an extension and remodel the house and they'd have been done then, however plans have changed and we're now moving to another part of the country.

Would you replace the ceilings before putting the house up for sale or not bother?

OP posts:

barbarahunter · 06/09/2023 09:31

I wouldn't bother replacing the ceilings and I wouldn't have thought it would put a potential buyer off if there were other good things about the house, ie location, size of rooms/garden. But artex is awful!

mummabubs · 06/09/2023 09:33

I wouldn't bother OP. We bought our house (also with a different delightful artex design in every room) and had them tested for asbestos and then skimmed. If you wanted to do it yourself you'd have to pay a few hundred for asbestos testing, then a few thousand for skimming and then the effort or cost of painting them all. I don't think it would add value or entice people to offer if they weren't already going to.

If a house is the right house for someone then you overlook aesthetic things. Alternatively... Someone might really love your artex. 😂😉

bluedelphinium · 06/09/2023 09:33

I quite like it as a retro feature and ceilings are pretty unobtrusive! I wouldn't make a big deal of it.

SweetPetrichor · 06/09/2023 09:35

It would put me off because of the risk of asbestos, although I don’t think it’s too costly to deal with…I just wouldn’t want to!

Sunshineclouds11 · 06/09/2023 09:37

Would put me off due to being arsed to get every room replaced

Whinge · 06/09/2023 09:41

If it's in every room then buyers are definitely going to notice it. Whether it puts them off depends on the buyer. If I really liked your house then I would still put in an offer, but because sorting the issue is going to be a long and costly process my offer would reflect the work that would need to be done.

PinkRoses1245 · 06/09/2023 09:45

We've just bought a house with artex ceilings and some walls. We noticed it, but we just factored into our offer price that we would get them plastered (which is not expensive). I wouldn't bother doing it yourself, it's a mess and you have to repaint. Just accept it may get you lower offers.

TitInATrance · 06/09/2023 09:46

Artex would put me off, but I’d factor it into the price rather than changing it.

PinkRoses1245 · 06/09/2023 09:46

In case buyers ask - plastering over is quick and easy in an empty house - ours cost £1k and took a week (all ceilings, the hallway and landing walls). Even if there is asbestos, it doesn't matter if you're plastering over. Most buyers want to do some renovation anyway

AmilyChestnut · 06/09/2023 09:50

We have artex ceilings in the house we are in the process of buying, also an old solid wood kitchen, retro stone fireplace.. we plan to keep it all! Not everyone hates artex, or the things that you don't like.

Don't worry about it!

LardoBurrows · 06/09/2023 09:52

If everything about a house was perfect for me as in location, size of house and gardens, layout etc., or if the house was was a renovation project, then I would probably proceed with the sale. If your house is priced as similar houses In your area and the others don't have artex ceilings, then I'm going with the others.

I once pulled out of a sale which had those awful Polystyrene ceiling tiles because a house in the same road and same style came on the market, but sans the ceiling tiles and only a slightly higher price, so I bought that house.

BeyondMyWits · 06/09/2023 09:57

We only artexed the ceilings (15 years ago so no asbestos, kept copy of tin labels) because the house is crap.

The walls moved a bit due to roof spread... got that fixed but there will always be issues with cracking. MUCH less noticeable with artex. So would check what it is covering up!

ClematisBlue49 · 06/09/2023 09:58

It's easy to skim over, but a really messy job, especially if you were to do all of the ceilings at the same time. I'd suggest putting it on the market first and only doing it if it turns out to be putting buyers off, or you could reduce the price.

OperationNC2 · 06/09/2023 10:02

PinkRoses1245 · 06/09/2023 09:46

Gosh you’d be looking at that for 1.5 rooms these days! Wow!

Marleymoo42 · 06/09/2023 10:04

Wouldn't bother. You'd end up having to redecorate every single room on top of testing for asbestos, clearing rooms and paying for plastering. Just be prepared to negotiate a bit off the price

Wizzywoo18 · 06/09/2023 10:04

A surveyor recently told me it would cost 2 grand to sort out asbestos in one bedroom ceiling so it's costly.
I wouldn't remediate it but perhaps get some of those asbestos testing kits you can buy online and test it yourself - if it comes back negative then that would be reassuring for a buyer.

Karmatime · 06/09/2023 10:04

I wouldn’t do it but it might be worth getting the asbestos test done and a quote for skimming. That would reassure most buyers and if they know up front it won’t lead to a request for reduction further down the line.

Tryingtokeepcalmandcarryon · 06/09/2023 10:10

We’ve had a few rooms done recently, cost £250-£400 a room. As others have said it is a really messy job. You have to pretty much completely empty the room and cover really well the big furniture that’s left. I didn’t realise it would leave dust over everything, and of course it’s in the air and travels to other rooms/ floors etc. then you have to wait up to 2 weeks for it to dry and paint over as it’ll dry brown. And in the mean time you might have to move all the furniture in / out again, put back curtain poles / lampshades etc. agh!

LeccyLucy · 06/09/2023 10:13

I’ve just had an offer for full asking price on my house and the whole of the downstairs has artex ceilings. Similarly, a lot of the houses I viewed had them and it didn’t put me off. If it’s in good nick, people will see past it.

Potaytoe5 · 06/09/2023 10:20

It would absolutely put me off. I'd rather redo the kitchen / bathroom than deal with all that plastering. Cost us £500 just for the bathroom 4 years ago.

I'd personally make sure your house is priced competitively from the start, not wait for people to be put off, as you'll be chasing the market down....

hoophoophooray · 06/09/2023 10:23

Can you get the ceilings tested in advance? Not all Artex has asbestos in it, you can send samples off to check. You could then advise buyers IF they ask of the situation

hattie43 · 06/09/2023 10:28

It would put me off , unless the price is such to reflect the cost of sorting them out

Tryingtokeepcalmandcarryon · 06/09/2023 10:49

Also, it wouldn’t put me off if the house was a project, and the rooms needing painting / flooring or windows etc done anyway but if the house is nicely done and that’s the only thing that needs doing then yes it would put me off a bit and the price would need to reflect that

housethatbuiltme · 06/09/2023 10:56

Yes its a negative but if I loved the house it wouldn't be a deal breaker. I might factor the cost of having them skimmed into the offer though.

Notagains · 06/09/2023 11:00

It depends.
If two houses has everything I wanted then I would go for the one without the artex every time. But if the one with the artex was the only one with everything I wanted I would go for it.
So really it depends on how many other houses the same are on the market

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