Artex removal from walls

[daniellj]

How do I remove a thick layer of painted Artex from my walls?

[mikewith]

This is the answer wclayton gave a few months ago to a simiolar question - be warned, stripping the artex away is a TOUGH and LONG job: "First of all, do you know how old the Artex is? Any textured coating including Artex that is more than ten years old will most certainly contain asbestos, in which case you will have to seek professional advice. You have to be licenced to remove and dispose of asbestos. If it is less than 10 years old it could still contain asbestos as old stocks were not withdrawn. If you are certain it does not contain asbestos then you can either chipt it off or use an electric sander to smooth it (but this creates a lot of dust). The easiest way is to plaster over it and make a new smooth surface, or batten and plasterboard it."

See also http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Article.go?id=1768

[dena]

what I done was to score it and soak it with water then chip it off

[pbp]

I used a product called X-Tex. This was very safe as it didnt contain solvents and didnt even effect the plaster board underneath. Left in on overnight and it scraped off the next day with out any effort.This as i was told will keep the artex wet and wont let any dry fibres into the atmosphere

[Chazmondo]

The use of asbestos in Artex "Textured Coating" was banned in 1999 (not ten years ago) It contained traces (1% - 3%) of Amosite (Blue) and Chrysotile (White). However Asbestos Removal Contractors use "x-tex" (very good product and safe" and Stanley wallpaper scrapers that have sharp blades (replaceable). used with technique it can be very effective however some coatings are harder to remove than others.