Should You Remove, Cover or Leave an Artex Ceiling?

An Artex ceiling can contain asbestos if your home was built or refurbished before 2000, but a coating in good condition is often best left alone. If you want a smooth flat finish, your main options are skimming over the coating, boarding over the ceiling or having the textured material removed entirely. The right choice depends on the condition of the ceiling, your budget and the results of an asbestos test.

What Artex is and why so many homes have it

Textured coatings were widely used for decorative finishes on ceilings and walls across the UK for decades. They were sold under various trade names, with Artex being the most common, and were applied in swirled, stippled, broken leather or fan patterns. These coatings were popular because they hid imperfections in the surface underneath and saved the time and cost of achieving a perfectly flat finish.

Many homeowners now prefer smooth ceilings to match modern decorating styles or want to get rid of a dated pattern. You might also need to disturb a textured ceiling if you are fixing a sagging plasterboard panel, repairing water damage or replastering after a room layout change. In older houses with a lath and plaster ceiling, which is lime plaster pushed into timber laths, a textured coating might have been added later to hide cracks in the original lime.

Changing a textured ceiling means deciding how much disruption you are willing to accept. The options range from sealing and painting the existing pattern to completely stripping the ceiling back to the joists. Before you compare different types of plastering or ask anyone to quote, you need to find out what is in the coating above your head.

Can an Artex ceiling contain asbestos?

Textured coatings such as Artex can contain asbestos. Asbestos was used in homes until 1999, when it was fully banned, and the Health and Safety Executive states that asbestos may be found in any building built or refurbished before 2000. If your home was built after 2000, a textured coating is far less of a concern, but the exact age of an older coating is often unknown.

Materials containing asbestos that are in good condition and unlikely to be damaged are often best left where they are. Left undisturbed, a painted textured ceiling poses very little risk. The danger arises when the material is broken, drilled, scraped or sanded, which releases microscopic asbestos fibres into the air.

You should never try to repair or remove asbestos materials yourself without training. One of the most common things that goes wrong during DIY renovations is dry sanding or scraping an Artex ceiling to flatten the pattern. Do not sand, scrape, drill or steam a suspect coating yourself, and tell any tradesperson about the coating before they quote or start work.

How to find out what your ceiling contains

You cannot tell whether a textured coating contains asbestos just by looking at it. The pattern, colour and texture offer no clues, and because asbestos was mixed into the coating in small amounts, it is invisible to the naked eye. The only way to know what your ceiling contains is to have it sampled and analysed.

Asbestos analysts must be accredited by UKAS and are listed on the UKAS website. You can hire an accredited analyst or an asbestos surveyor to visit your home, safely take a small scrape of the coating and send it to a laboratory for testing. An asbestos sample survey on its own costs about £200 to £250 at typical published prices for 2026.

If you have damaged materials in your home and are unsure what to do, the HSE advises seeking advice from an environmental health officer at your local council. If a textured ceiling collapses or is badly damaged by a water leak, clearing up the debris is classed as a lower risk task but it still needs to be done by trained people.

Leaving it alone or sealing it

If your textured ceiling is in good condition, the safest and cheapest option is to leave it alone. A coating that is firmly attached to the ceiling and shows no signs of flaking or cracking does not need to be removed or covered.

If the ceiling looks tired or has minor stains, you can have it sealed and painted. This refreshes the room without disturbing the material underneath. Painting a sound textured ceiling does not disturb the coating, provided nothing is sanded, scraped or drilled in preparation. If any of it is cracked, flaking or damaged, leave the sealing to someone trained to work safely with asbestos rather than patching it yourself.

This option leaves the textured pattern exactly as it is. It will not give you a smooth finish, but it avoids the mess, cost and dust of plastering or removal.

Skimming over an Artex ceiling

A skim is a thin finishing coat, a few millimetres thick, applied over sound plaster or plasterboard to create a smooth surface ready for painting. Skimming over an Artex ceiling is a common way to hide a textured pattern without the expense of taking the ceiling down.

This method only works if the existing coating is firmly attached to the plasterboard beneath. One of the main reasons plastering fails is skimming over loose, damp or unsealed painted surfaces so the new coat cracks or peels away. A plasterer will check the ceiling first to ensure it can take the weight of the wet plaster.

If the coating has been tested and does not contain asbestos, a plasterer might scrape off the highest peaks of the pattern before applying a bonding agent and a two-coat skim. If the coating does contain asbestos, or has not been tested, the peaks should not be scraped or sanded. The plasterer will seal the surface and skim over the pattern as it is, and the work should be done by someone trained to work safely with asbestos. You can read more about the process to help decide whether you need skim plastering or a full replaster.

Boarding over the ceiling

Boarding over the ceiling, also known as overboarding, means new plasterboard is fixed directly under the old ceiling. The plasterer locates the timber joists through the existing ceiling, screws new sheets of plasterboard into them, and then skims the new boards to a flat finish.

Overboarding is often the best choice if the textured pattern is very deep, if the old ceiling is sagging slightly, or if you want to cover an asbestos coating with as little disturbance as possible. Screwing the new boards through the coating still disturbs it, which the HSE treats as work for people trained to work safely with asbestos. It creates a brand new, perfectly flat surface and provides an opportunity to add insulation or change light fittings.

The main drawback is that it lowers the ceiling height slightly, by the thickness of the new board and its skim. It also creates moderate dust and disruption as the heavy boards are cut and lifted into place.

Having Artex removed

Removing a textured ceiling completely is the most disruptive option. It is usually done by applying a chemical gel that softens the coating so it can be peeled away, or by steaming it. Both methods are messy and time-consuming, and an average removal job takes anywhere from two days to two weeks depending on the size of the room.

The rules on who can remove textured coatings depend on the method used. The HSE states that work on textured coatings is low risk and can be carried out by non-licensed workers, but they must be trained to recognise and work safely with asbestos. If the removal is done on a large scale using steaming or gelling methods, it must be notified to the HSE as non-licensed work.

Energetic methods such as wet abrasive blasting must never be used by a standard tradesperson. Removal by energetic methods, or the removal of coatings over asbestos insulating board, requires a licensed contractor. Any waste generated from removing a coating that contains asbestos must be disposed of safely, and a trader who carries waste must be a registered waste carrier on the public register.

What each option costs

Plasterers price per job after seeing the room, basing their quote on the area in square metres, the condition of the background, ceiling height, access and the amount of preparation needed. Small jobs carry a minimum charge, and ceilings are usually priced separately from walls. Plasterers typically charge about £200 to £300 a day, or £250 to £400 in London and the South East.

Skimming a standard room costs about £375 to £750 for the walls only, and £500 to £1,100 for the walls and ceiling together. If a ceiling is in very poor condition, a full ceiling replacement costs £400 to £1,000 taking one to two days, while small patch repairs cost £150 to £200. These are prices for ordinary ceilings. Taking down or patching a ceiling with a suspect textured coating disturbs it, so that work needs people trained to work safely with asbestos, and it costs more if the coating contains asbestos. Ceiling overboarding adds £400 to £1,000 to the cost of a room.

Per square metre, the price depends on the method and on whether the coating contains asbestos. Work on a coating that contains asbestos always costs more because of the safety precautions, training and specialist waste disposal required.

The table below shows typical published prices for 2026 for treating a textured ceiling, priced per square metre.

These per-square-metre figures are typical published prices for 2026, and local quotes will differ based on access and your location.

The total cost of the job will depend on the size of the room. The following table shows typical published prices for 2026 for a complete ceiling job.

These total job figures are typical published prices for 2026, and local quotes will differ depending on the size of your ceiling and the preparation required.

What to tell and ask a plasterer before work starts

Before you invite a plasterer to price the work, tell them you have a textured ceiling. If you have already had it tested by a UKAS-accredited analyst, tell them the result so they know exactly what they are dealing with. If you have not had it tested, a good plasterer will assume it contains asbestos if your home was built before 2000.

Citizens Advice suggests getting written quotes from at least three traders. A quote is a fixed price, whereas an estimate is just a rough guess. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all work must be done with reasonable care and skill, and if it is not, you can ask for it to be put right or seek a partial or full refund.

To ensure you get a fair and accurate price, check that the quote includes these details:

• A breakdown of the work showing exactly which method is being priced.
• Whether the coating has been tested, and if not, whether the price assumes it contains asbestos.
• Whether the cost of materials is included.
• Whether VAT is included in the final figure.
• A clear statement on waste removal and floor protection.
• How long the quote is valid for.

Before agreeing to the work, ask the plasterer for two or three recent examples of similar work and check their public liability insurance. Ask them to confirm they have the required training to work safely with asbestos if they are removing or boarding over a suspect coating. You should agree a written contract covering timings, tidying up, materials and payment terms. Citizens Advice recommends keeping any deposit to 25 per cent at most, paying by card where possible, and notes you might be able to cancel within 14 days of agreeing a contract.

Common questions

Does all Artex contain asbestos?

No. Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, so textured coatings applied in homes built or refurbished after 2000 are highly unlikely to contain it. However, because older coatings look identical to modern ones, you cannot tell if asbestos is present without laboratory testing.

Can you test for asbestos yourself?

You should never try to repair or remove asbestos materials yourself without training. The HSE advises that asbestos analysts must be accredited by UKAS. Taking a sample disturbs the coating, so it is safer to have a UKAS-accredited analyst or an asbestos surveyor take it.

Can I paint over an Artex ceiling?

Yes, painting over a textured ceiling is often the cheapest and safest option if the coating is in good condition. You must not sand or scrape the ceiling to prepare it for painting, as this can release harmful fibres if the coating contains asbestos.

What happens if an Artex ceiling collapses?

If a textured ceiling collapses due to water damage or structural failure, the debris must be handled carefully. The HSE classes clearing up debris after a textured ceiling collapses as a lower risk task, but it must still be carried out by people trained to work safely with asbestos.

Next steps

Dealing with a textured ceiling requires a logical approach to ensure the work is done safely and legally. Follow these steps to get the right result for your home:

1. Check the age of your home or the date of its last major refurbishment.
2. Hire a UKAS-accredited analyst to test the ceiling if it was coated before 2000.
3. Decide whether leaving it alone, skimming, overboarding or removal suits your budget and the test results.
4. Contact three local plasterers and tell them about the ceiling and the test results before they visit.
5. Ask for fixed written quotes that include waste removal, materials and VAT.
6. Check the chosen trader has public liability insurance and the right training to handle the coating safely.

Taking the time to test the ceiling and compare written quotes protects you from unexpected costs and unsafe working practices. When you are ready to start gathering prices, you can find a plasterer near you to discuss the best way to achieve a smooth finish.