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X-Tex is great for removing textured coatings, like Artex and Polytex, which were popular a few years ago. It is a safe products as it doesn’t create dust from asbestos which can be harmful. It is made by Eco Solutions using an advanced “science not solvents” approach as it is a water based product. Before attempting the above, we suggest you first mix up an eggcup full of skim to the right consistency. Place this on an off cut of some kind that you have prepared with some PVA. Spread it out and mark the time it takes to go firm but not hard. This is the point at which skim can be made smooth and the trowel marks will disappear. Using a drill with a mixing paddle inserted in the end, set the drill to a slow speed and mix the plaster until you get a creamy consistency that’s self supporting. If it’s too runny, slowly add more plaster powder until it’s right. X-Tex for removing Artex and other textured coatings safely X-Tex, Artex, Asbestos, health and safety
Firstly make absolutely sure that there are no flaking or loose sections of the artex on the wall or ceiling you’re working on or indeed parts of the ceiling or wall itself. Some textured coatings, mainly sold and applied before the 1990s, may contain harmful substances such as asbestos fibres. This Artex remover is Water-based and takes the “tough not toxic” approach as a textured coating remover. It will remove these textured coatings safely and effectively. This can be left to dry, which will only take about an hour or so depending on the ambient temperature.Plaster Boarding Again a very effective way of resolving an artex problem, especially if it contains asbestos. Like the plastering route, it simply involves boarding over the artex using plasterboard. If you do it yourself and don’t plaster it, it can be fairly cheap, however if you use tradesmen and have it plastered, again it can be rather expensive
Plaster or Board over it: A good solution to use as a decent plasterer will be able to either plasterboard or plaster over it and leave you with a nice smooth and safe surface, however it will still be there, just covered overUse a Stud Detector: Buy or borrow a stud detector and run it over the surface of the wall or ceiling in several places and mark both edges of each joist. Once marked join all the lines up so that you can clearly see where each joist is across the width of the room. This is probably the easiest method Again you will need to use plastic as the gel will soak into it and although it probably won’t soak through, it’s much easier to scrape off from plastic. Make sure you have covered the entire surface. Untouched areas will produce plastered areas that will be hard almost as soon as the plaster touches them! Also, leaving the plate in one place too long and overheating the artex can cause it to liquefy and run everywhere, creating even more of a mess.
Stripping artex with a steamer cannot be done at speed, you will need to work slowly and methodically as if the steam plate is left in one area too long, there is a possibility of damaging the ceiling or wall behind it as the steam will penetrate through and soften this also, which you certainly don’t want. Skim plaster is bought in bags of 25kg (Smaller bags can be bought for patching) and the mixing instructions are on the bag. Work in sections, applying the plaster as you go and taking off any real hard lines and lumps between sections as you lay them on, but don’t worry about getting it totally smooth at this point as it’s the second coat that will be smoothed. If on testing it’s soft enough, before scraping anything off, coat the next 1m square patch with X-Tex so that by the time you’ve scraped the first patch clean, the next patch should be almost ready to go. Using a 3 inch paint brush, dip it in the X-Tex and then apply it to the artex. Be liberal when applying and ensure there’s a good coating.Next, cover any and all flooring with plastic dust sheets as again, plaster can soak in and once dry is a nightmare to get out. Steaming artex off is a very messy process that involves lots of water dripping down, especially when working on a ceiling and lots of soft, damp artex, so the first task is to remove any furniture present in the room and then cover anything left and the floor with plastic dust sheets or tarps. Note: If you are stripping artex with asbestos in, just to be 100% safe, always wear a suitable mask, FFP3 or above and clean up after every patch has been stripped, just to keep everything as tidy as possible. Put everything in a plastic bin liner.
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