Getting rid of Stippling on Ceiling

[Want-to-know]

I am trying to get my living/dining room decorated and every decorator I have seen does not want to get rid of stippling. They suggest I get a plasterer in to replaster the ceiling instead. I know that there is a steaming method which appears to take some time, is messy and expensive and also the scraping method. It seems that plastering may be cheaper. A few years ago, we had a kitchen put in and the stippling was removed from the ceiling and our ceiling looks great. No steam was used, and I believe that the ceiling was scraped down, but I am not 100% sure of this. In the living/dining room, the stippling pattern is quite pronouced and has two unsightly long veins running through the ceiling; it gives the impression that the ceiling is dividing into three sections.

Would I be better off dealing with a builder than a decorator? Also would there be any problems having the ceiling replastering over the original stripping?

Any advice and suggestions please? Thanks

[Zeuhl]

The offending surface is called 'Artex'

I believe there are firms that specialise in its removal.

[Nibble]

Please be aware, that IF your ceiling is covered with pre-1990 artex then the following is something you should be aware of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artex

Also ask yourself the following

There are a few options to look at.
1: Remove ceiling completely. plasterboard and skim over. (messy job if you have old lath and plaster ceiling type).

2: Dab and board over , then skim over with plaster.

3: Skim over with plaster. providing peaks are not too big.

4: Hire a machine to grind it off. (extremely messy).

5: Put up a framework of battens and fit new plasterboard ceiling.

Take into account how much you want to spend, what is the room to be used for, can it be emptied completely, do you plan to stay in the house.

Personally, I plan to stay in my house, and I always want a job done properly. I would remove it completely and plasterboard a new ceiling.

[The Builder]

Although I like Nibble's approach, it is very common to plaster over old Artex. A good plasterer is all you need. He'll paint dilute PVA on first. Then he'll apply with the usual 2-coat system. The first coat will be thick enough to cover the stipples, then he'll "set" it with a final laydown coat.

If the pattern is deep and heavy, then he might apply a first coat of Carlite Bonding first, then lay that down.

Durability will depend on how well the Artex was applied in the first place. It has been known for the whole lot to end up on the floor if the Artex was badly applied, but that's a rarity. To satisfy yourself, have a good poke at it to see if it wants to let go :o)

[Nibble]

^I'll bow to TB's greater knowledge in this field.. ☺

[mrs_overall]

"deep and heavy"......."lay that down"

Builder, have you ever thought of a career change and writing for Mills & Boon?

[Nibble]

Agree, mrs o especially after this have a good poke at it


☺

[mrs_overall]

nibble, dont forget...."to satisfy yourself.."

[The Builder]

Not at all, Nibblers, what you suggested was a cast-iron solution. In a perfect world, that would always be the way to go.

I had a funny feeling in the back of my neck that it might invite comment from Mrs Overflow. Do you think I could get away with it? I'll bet there's good money in that lol
As Mrs Overhang often says around the environs of Whitby.......... "where there's muck, there's brass.............."

[sunny-dave]

Artex is a swine - its inventor should be permanently burning in a special circle of hell, whilst being poked in the dangly bits with a hot poker.

As TB says the easy answer is to plaster over - but you may (and I have) wind up with an artex/glue/plaster shower of sh!te raining down on you.

[Want-to-know]

Thanks for the information. I thought what we had was called stippling not artex, but it shows you how little I know. I will not be doing any DIY, so will decide to hire somebody that is very experienced and also very versatile.

[Want-to-know]

Some further thoughts.

!) Is artex and stippling one of the same or do you stipple to get an artex effect?

2) Would it be a health hazzard to take off the ceiling covering and safer to have it plastered? I am concerned that I have been living in a dangerous place full of abestos.

2) Do builders usually do plastering rather than decorators? I am not sure who I should be seeking - a decorator or a builder now?

Thanks for any assistance.

PS I do not do any DIY, as I am worse than hopeless.

[buildersmate]

1) Artex is the manufacturer's brand name of a wall finishing product that enables the creation of various patterns. One of those is stippling, but one can also just as easily create swirls or circles. Artex is the most common ceiling finishing matewrial used to get this effect.

2) It is true that old artex (pre-1990 at least) had a small proportion of brown asbestos in it as a strengthener. Even if it is old Artex that you have, it is not hazardous to you at all. It only becomes an issue when one uses mechanical means to scrape it off, creating asbestos dust fibres in the air that humans can breathe in. Irrespective of solving an danger when removing, it is far easier to plaster over the top of old uneven ceiling finishes, not scrape them smooth.

3) Plasterers do plastering. Decorators paint walls. Builders is a generic term for those employed in the building trade. A general builder will normally have a specialist trade himself, but employs other trades to do specialist tasks. What you need is a plasterer - it is specialist trade and not one that non-plasterers want to attempt - especially on ceilings - the most difficult to get right. Look in Yellow Pages under plasterers.

[beejay1124]

agree with the builder^
a coat of bonding will prob be needed before the skim coat-also before puttung on the unibond/pva scrape the ceiling with a eg stanley knife to give new plaster a better catch

[The Builder]

Now there's a bear that talks sense ;o)
............... and it's his birthday today ........... Happy Birthday Big Mon ;o)

[Nibble]

Happy Bear-thday too

[Want-to-know]

Thank you for the clarification. It seems more like we will need a plasterer as well as a decorator. Also thank you for putting my mind at rest re: health hazzards.

[Want-to-know]

A further question. We have anaglypta at present on the walls, but this will need replacing, as we have one wall where it has come away due to condensation/damp. A small bit of the plaster has come away too. (Cannot find a replacement bit of anaglypta in the same pattern.) If we do not again use anaglypta and have bare walls, I believe the walls will be uneven. Therefore:

1) Would we need a plasterer to re-do all the walls first prior to painting or would they just do parts where there are cracks/bits missing?
2) Is a wall without some kind of covering physically a much colder room.

We originally put on anaglypta I think because we had problems underneath it, but also to keep our room warm, but that was some 16 years ago, so cannot remember exactly why we went that route.

Thanks for any advice.

[The Builder]

For the wall where the anaglypta has taken the plaster with it, it's well worth stripping it all off. Your plaster would make short work of re-skimming the whole wall. You could re-paper or just paint easily.
I don't think there's much insulation in a layer of paper, it just "feels" warmer in your head ;o)

[The Builder]

^^^^ your plasterer ^^

[alavahalf]

So does that mean if you wear a paper hat your head will be warmer..?