Artex Removal in Highams Park

Highams Park has a lot of 1930s and post-war houses, and many of them still have artex swirls or stipple on the ceilings from the 1970s and 1980s. Smoothing them out is one of the most popular plastering jobs in the area.

Artex applied before the mid-1980s can contain a small amount of asbestos. It is safe while left alone, but it should not be sanded, scraped or drilled without testing. A sample is sent to a lab first, and the result decides how the job is done.

In most Highams Park houses, the best approach is not to remove the artex at all. The peaks are knocked back carefully, the ceiling is sealed with a bonding coat, and then it is skimmed smooth - or overboarded and skimmed if the texture is heavy.

Where artex tests positive and removal is wanted, it needs a licensed specialist, and we can arrange that before the plastering is done.

Artex on walls is treated the same way, and a smoothed ceiling makes a room look noticeably larger and more modern.

Furniture is protected, lights are taken down and refitted, and the ceiling is left ready for paint once dry.

Coving in Highams Park houses is often artexed along with the ceiling, and it is worth deciding at the start whether to keep it, replace it, or remove it for a cleaner modern line. Replacing it at the same time as the ceiling is skimmed means one visit, one lot of dust, and a finished edge that matches the new smooth surface rather than the old texture. Photos of the wall or ceiling, and a note of any cracks, damp patches or hollow-sounding areas, are enough to say what the job involves.