JS Removals, Artex Ceiling Removal Experts
At JS Removals we pride ourselves on providing a professional Artex ceiling removal service throughout the East Midland area. Indeed, we don’t just stop at ceilings, we can remove Artex, or any other decorative coating, from walls as well. Just get in touch today and let us take care of removing Artex from your property safely and cost effectively.
Do All Artex Coated Ceilings Contain Asbestos?
The answer to this is very likely, especially as the use of asbestos in construction products and materials was not completely banned until 1999. The popular use of textured coatings such as Artex on surfaces like ceilings and walls had its heyday back in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
In those days Artex was designed to give walls and ceilings a decorative and appealing texture plus increased fire protection too.
How to Tell if my Artex Ceiling contains Asbestos?
From a historical point of view textured coatings such as Artex were very likely to have included asbestos right up to 1984 when it ceased to be used in general production in the UK. However, it is not safe to assume that an Artex ceiling or wall does not contain asbestos after this date as it wasn’t formally prohibited until 1992 so many imported products still used asbestos in their make up until the complete ban of 1999.
If you’re still unsure, then it is possible to test whether there is asbestos in your Artex ceiling prior to its removal through DIY testing kits or employing a company to test the Artex for you. Many companies provide this service at sensible rates for artex removal.
Is it Safe to Remove Artex Myself?
Officially there is nothing to say that you should not attempt removing an Artex ceiling yourself, however it must be pointed out that anything containing asbestos could pose a threat to your health if it is not handled correctly, asbestos is safest when not disturbed. When disturbed (by its removal) it becomes very hazardous. The other problem you face is that once you have removed an asbestos Artex ceiling then you can’t simply throw it out with your household rubbish. It must be bagged up in appropriate material and disposed of in an environmentally safe manner at a licensed disposal point.
If this doesn’t sound like something that you want to tackle yourself, and let’s face it who would, don’t worry here at JS Removals we have a fully trained and experienced team ready to remove, bag and dispose of your asbestos ceiling quickly and safely so that you can get on with transforming your home décor.
Artex Removal or Cover it Up?
Because asbestos is only dangerous to health when it is disturbed or damaged there may be some instances where, simply covering up your ceiling or walls that have been Artexed would be the easiest option. However, that doesn’t remove the potential health hazard, just hides it and you’d need to keep it in mind should any future renovations involve disturbing it. Further, you have an obligation to inform any new owners of its existence which could have a negative impact on any future sales of your property. In the past we’ve found that once customers are aware that asbestos is present then the safest thing to do is to remove and dispose of it so that it can’t give any more headaches in the future.
What We Do
When removing an Artex ceiling or wall the first thing we’ll do is to find out what surface the textured coating is on as this will determine its method of removal. Before any removal work begins, we will start by sheeting up the room to contain the spread of any harmful particles. We create a negative air pressure enclosure to ensure we keep any contamination to the absolute minimum whilst we remove and bag the textured asbestos ready for collection and safe disposal. If the Artex is on plasterboard, then we will remove the plasterboard sheets with the Artex still intact where possible. If it is on a solid base such as brick work or concrete, we will use a gel to remove/melt the textured coating making it easy to remove. Finally, we will use an H Class asbestos vacuum to clean the area up so that it is safe for you to use again after artex removal.
Fully Trained Professional Artex Removal Team
All our team have completed a low grade UKATA asbestos course as well as a practical ‘textured coating area’ set up training course with Asbestos Training Limited. This ensures that you are in a safe pair of hands when it comes to Artex ceiling removal jobs throughout England. Here’s our main Asbestos page for more information about our services.