Skimming over asbestos artex ceiling

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momer79

New Member
Hi, Is it possible to skim over the artex ceiling without scrapping it?

Our main bedroom has artex ceiling which contains low level asbestos called Chrysotile and we don't want to disturb the artex otherwise fibbers will go in the air.

Some plasterers told us that it is possible to skim over it with bounding and other said no. So we are bit confused whether to plasterboard it first and then skim it or should we skim over the artex.

One other person also mentioned that if we put the plasterboard then air can trap b/w artex ceiling and new plasterboard which could cause damp and mould to grow.

I have attached few images to show the condition of artex celling.

Any advise would be helpful.
 

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a mixture of bonding coat and skim together for the first coat will give that a good cover and then another coat of just skim on top and your golden,
 
Best not plasterboard it as the screws will disturb the asbestos, and you will also lose part of the coving
 
Yes bound and set.x on a serious note. Just finished a render job for a man in his early seventys. Was a. b .t. engineer. Has only got a year to live. Got some form of asbestos cancer in his lungs. All of us lot older sods. Must have eaten loads of the stuff over the years.
 
I have plastered over hundreds of artex ceilings and have never used bonding, not to say that you can’t but 2 coats of multi finish will be fine over that. Pva or grit the ceiling, 2 coats of multi finish, let the first coat tighten up and pull in before laying on top coat as plaster shrinks as it’s setting and laying on too early can pull the top coat in and can leave artex showing through.
 
We are not worried about covings as we don't have them in other rooms.

There are small cracks here and there on artex ceiling, just wondering if it will hold the plaster?

Should we remove the covings, plasterboard the area and then skim it?
 
momer79 said:
We are not worried about covings as we don't have them in other rooms.

There are small cracks here and there on artex ceiling, just wondering if it will hold the plaster?

Should we remove the covings, plasterboard the area and then skim it?
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As long as it’s not blown/loose or flaking then the cracks can be fibre taped before skimming. Without seeing pictures I couldn’t say for sure. Even if you decide to over board the ceiling then you still have to find the joists to be able to fix to which involves banging holes in the ceiling unless you can access above then you can drill a small hole either side of each joist at both ends of the room and then ping a chalk line across the ceiling but you are still disturbing the artex to some degree.
 
Shakey1234200 said:
As long as it’s not blown/loose or flaking then the cracks can be fibre taped before skimming. Without seeing pictures I couldn’t say for sure. Even if you decide to over board the ceiling then you still have to find the joists to be able to fix to which involves banging holes in the ceiling unless you can access above then you can drill a small hole either side of each joist at both ends of the room and then ping a chalk line across the ceiling but you are still disturbing the artex to some degree.
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Please find attached image showing some cracks. Is it still possible to skim over the artex?
 

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momer79 said:
Please find attached image showing some cracks. Is it still possible to skim over the artex?
Click to expand...
Looks fine to fibre tape over and skim, the plasterer will or should check it when they come over to quote. Point it out to them. He should check it to make sure it’s solid and isn’t blown or bouncing and as long as it is then it can be taped and skimmed. If it’s blown and come away from the board underneath then it will need to be removed.
 
Shakey1234200 said:
Looks fine to fibre tape over and skim, the plasterer will or should check it when they come over to quote. Point it out to them. He should check it to make sure it’s solid and isn’t blown or bouncing and as long as it is then it can be taped and skimmed. If it’s blown and come away from the board underneath then it will need to be removed.
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Thank you.

Should my plasterer be using plaster bonding or PVA before skimming over the artex?
 
I would pull the ceiling down or overboard...

In my opinion you could eat that ceiling and still be fine... but thats me...

The more you hang off the underneath of that ceiling the more chance it has to fail... overboard at least...
 
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momer79 said:
Thank you.

Should my plasterer be using plaster bonding or PVA before skimming over the artex?
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Just a decent coat of pva, don’t want the pva too runny, more of a thicker consistency when going over artex. make sure the whole ceiling is completely covered , wait for ceiling to go tacky and then lay the plaster on. Pva can’t be wet anywhere on the ceiling when starting to lay on as will cause problems
 
momer79 said:
Thank you.

Should my plasterer be using plaster bonding or PVA before skimming over the artex?
Click to expand...
Hire a local and well recommended professional plasterer to carry out the works. They will tell you the best way to tackle your ceiling.

Best if you keep your beak out and let him get on with it otherwise you could “accidentally” get plaster splattered all over you!
 
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