How difficult to remove artex/textured paint

[GeraldineStropMaLop]

In process of purchasing house where every single wall downstairs is covered in artex or some sort of textured wallpaper. Getting it asbestos tested and awaiting results and will have the budget to remove but how long would the process take - want to plan logistics of whether it's a case of booking a week in a Airbnb or a longer stay with relatives (if they'll have us)? Any experience from anyone?

I would expect it to take someone around a day to strip an empty room, but it is very dependant on how nasty the stuff is, as it could take much longer.

However usually people use textured papers when the surface is bad underneath, so you will probably need to prep the walls and get a skim coat of plaster applied.

Also consider any changes you might want to make to the walls i.e. wiring plumbing, shelves, curtain rails etc. before you skim coat.

If the room is well prepared it should also take around a day to skim coat a room.

Personally I would stay on site, work always seems to get done quicker when you're there...😜

Textured wallpaper needs removal.

But textured artex can be covered with a smooth layer of artex, which may be more cost effective.

Yes we had an artexed ceiling skimmed smooth rather than risk disturbing asbestos.

Our ceiling had suspected asbestos and we have just had it overboarded and skimmed.

The wallpaper is quite probably woodchip. I actually don’t find it that difficult to remove. If you can get an edge free then it usually scrapes off in big pieces. If it’s particularly stubborn, you can spray it with water, leave it 10 minutes and then just scrape it off.

Our house is covered in the stuff 😂

Thank you! I'm hoping it's just artex with no asbestos, will be much easier to resolve by the sound of it. To be clear, I'm actually unsure if it's artex or textured wallpaper on walls - it's bloody everywhere so likely a mix across rooms.

If it's artex with asbestos found though going to be a pain, not sure we can get away with skimming on a wall of we ever needed to drill into it etc.

Wood chip wallpaper is not such a big deal but artex is. Providing it's well bonded to whatever is below it, scrub with sugar soap, pva, and skim.

Would skimming artex on the walls risk just disrupting any potential asbestos if it was present if, say, you drilled in for shelving? That is my biggest worry.

The thought of just skimming every room itself doesn't scare me as much because looking into it doesn't look too bad a job if the house is empty but the potential of removing asbestos from all walls is a bit 😭

Yes it would be dangerous to drill into.
My house was also covered in Artex. Most of it thankfully free of asbestos, but the largest ceiling , which is a sloping attic ceiling so also essentially walls, had asbestos. We had it removed, but around beams I can see tiny fragments still there, so I wish we had skimmed it tbh, but we were worried about ever wanting shelving , curtain rods etc. it is a tough choice. Woodchip or anaglypta are different though, as usually used to cover up an uneven or substandard substrate. I have some still to remove ! Absolute pain in the neck but at least woodchip comes off fairly easily.