Independent guidance · Core topics
Artex & Textured Coatings Guide
Artex and similar textured coatings often contain low percentages of chrysotile. How to identify, manage and safely remove them.
Key takeaways
- Where textured coatings were used
- Identification
- Asbestos content and which products contained it
- Risk and disturbance
- The three legitimate options
Textured decorative coatings sold under the trade names Artex, Wondertex, Suretex and others were applied to UK ceilings and walls from the 1960s until the asbestos ban of 1999. They typically contain 1–5% chrysotile as a workability additive. Intact textured coatings are low risk; removal is regulated as Notifiable Non-Licensed Work where condition or method warrants it.
Where textured coatings were used
Domestic ceilings (particularly 1970s housing), hallways, living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms; also some 1970s commercial fit-outs. The 'swirl', 'stipple', 'fan' and 'broken leaf' patterns are characteristic.
What this means
If you live in a UK home built or refurbished between roughly 1965 and 1985 and have a textured ceiling that was never overboarded, the working assumption is asbestos until a lab says otherwise.
Identification
Textured coatings cannot be reliably distinguished by appearance — modern non-asbestos textured plaster is visually identical. A 10g bulk sample, taken carefully with damped tools to the substrate, is sent for polarised light microscopy.
What this means
There is no reliable visual or tactile test. A £25–£40 bulk sample is the only honest answer and pays for itself by removing every guess from the rest of the project.
Asbestos content and which products contained it
Artex (then a brand of Artex Ltd, later Artex-Rawlplug) used chrysotile at 1–5% as a rheological additive — it improved how the wet material held a peak and a swirl under a comb or sponge. UK reformulation to non-asbestos cellulose fibre was substantially complete by 1985 for the headline Artex product line, but other manufacturers (Wondertex, Suretex, Marleytex) continued using chrysotile later, and pre-1985 stock was used up on site well into the late 1980s. The 1999 ban closed the question for any product applied after that date.
What this means
Pre-1985 is high probability, 1985–1999 is uncertain and must be sampled, post-1999 is non-asbestos. Anecdotes about 'safe' decorative coatings from the mid-1980s are not a substitute for a sample result.
Risk and disturbance
Bound in a hard set matrix, the risk in undisturbed condition is low. Risk rises sharply when the coating is dry-sanded, scraped, or steam-stripped without controls. Power tools — orbital sanders, rotary wire brushes, angle grinders — must never be used on textured coatings under any circumstances, including for 'feathering' a small repair.
What this means
The single rule that prevents almost every domestic Artex exposure incident: never put a power tool to a textured coating before it has been sampled.
The three legitimate options
There are three competent ways to deal with an asbestos textured coating: leave it and paint over it (no disturbance, no cost beyond paint); overboard it with 12.5mm plasterboard (permanent encapsulation, fully reversible later if needed, no waste stream); or remove it under the NNLW regime (most disruptive, most expensive, creates a hazardous waste consignment). Sanding it off, scraping it dry or steam-stripping without controls is not a fourth option — it is unlawful and dangerous.
What this means
Paint, overboard or NNLW-remove. Anything else is not 'a cheaper way' — it is the wrong job.
Safe management — overboarding
For most domestic ceilings the safest option is to overboard with 12.5mm plasterboard, leaving the original Artex undisturbed. This avoids any fibre release and is permanent.
What this means
Overboarding loses around 15mm of ceiling height, takes a day per medium room and is the option most surveyors would choose in their own home.
Fixings, lights and the overboarding details that matter
Overboarding sounds simple, and mostly is, but the failure points are predictable. Pendant rose ceiling lights, smoke alarms, loft hatches and coving must all be detached, set down and reinstated through the new board. Each fixing point that screws back into the original ceiling penetrates the Artex — those holes should be pre-drilled wet, with the dust captured at source on an H-class vacuum, and the fixing sealed. Skim the new plasterboard rather than dot-and-dabbing if you want a finish that will not telegraph the original texture in raking light.
What this means
The asbestos risk in an overboarding job is not the board going up — it is the half-dozen fixing penetrations into the original Artex. Wet-drill those and capture the dust.
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Removal — NNLW
Where overboarding is not possible (e.g. before a refurbishment that lowers ceiling height), removal is Notifiable Non-Licensed Work. Trained operatives steam-strip the coating with wet methods, full PPE/RPE, controlled access and double-bagged waste. Air clearance is recommended.
What this means
NNLW means the HSE is notified, operatives are medically surveyed and trained, and a clearance air test is taken. A man-with-a-van quote that does not mention any of this is not an NNLW quote.
Typical 2026 UK costs
Bulk sample (single ceiling): £25–£40. Overboarding a 16 m² ceiling: £350–£550 supplied and skimmed. NNLW removal by steam-strip of a 16 m² ceiling: £450–£800 including waste, clearance certificate and consignment note. Whole-house Artex removal (six ceilings): £2,200–£3,800 typically, scaffolded staircases extra. Pricing assumes good access and no asbestos-bearing coving above the ceiling.
What this means
Overboarding is usually 20–30% cheaper than NNLW removal and avoids the waste stream entirely. Price both before deciding.
Painted, repaired and previously-skimmed Artex
A coat of emulsion does not change the asbestos status — the chrysotile is in the textured layer beneath. The same applies to a thin gypsum skim historically applied to flatten a ceiling: skim removal will expose and disturb the Artex below, and any drilling through a skimmed Artex ceiling for a light fitting cuts directly into asbestos-containing material. Treat skimmed ceilings as Artex-bearing until a sample to the substrate proves otherwise.
What this means
A smooth, painted ceiling in a 1970s house is not evidence that the Artex has gone. Sample to the substrate before assuming.
Waste, transfer notes and the boundary with the householder
NNLW Artex waste is hazardous waste, double-bagged in red inner / clear outer asbestos bags, labelled, and transported under a consignment note to a licensed cell. The householder receives a copy of the consignment note and the clearance certificate; these should be kept with the property file and handed to a future buyer. Domestic households may take small quantities to council HWRCs that accept asbestos, double-bagged, by prior booking — but for any NNLW job the licensed contractor handles the waste end-to-end.
What this means
Keep the consignment note and the clearance certificate with the property file. They are the documents a future buyer's surveyor will ask for.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Artex ceilings contain asbestos?
Artex products manufactured before 1985 typically contained chrysotile; products after 1999 do not. Anything between requires testing.
Can I paint over Artex containing asbestos?
Yes. Painting does not disturb the coating and is a perfectly safe management option.
Can Artex be sanded smooth?
No — dry sanding any textured coating before testing is a serious exposure risk. Always sample first.
Can I skim plaster directly over Artex?
A wet-applied bonding coat followed by a finish skim is technically possible and does not disturb the coating — but a future drill penetration will go straight into asbestos. Overboarding with plasterboard is safer because it puts a recordable barrier between the Artex and any future fixing.
Does an NNLW Artex job need to be notified to the HSE?
Yes. NNLW notification is made online before work starts, and the work must be entered on the contractor's notifiable register. Operatives must hold medical certificates and category B (non-licensed) training.
What is the difference between Artex and coving that contains asbestos?
Some 1970s polystyrene-look coving was actually a textured asbestos-bearing product and is often left in place when the ceiling beneath is dealt with. If coving is present above an Artex ceiling, sample it separately — it is a different product with the same risk profile.
Is the dust from drilling one hole for a smoke alarm a serious exposure?
A single dry drilled hole into asbestos Artex releases enough fibre to exceed the workplace exposure limit at the operator's breathing zone for the duration of the drill. The exposure ends quickly but the deposited dust persists. Wet-drill, capture at source, and damp-wipe the area.
Can a textured coating be steamed off DIY?
No. Steam-stripping asbestos Artex is NNLW and must be done by a trained contractor with controlled access, RPE and waste handling. DIY steam-stripping is unlawful and unsafe.
How long does an NNLW Artex removal take?
A single medium ceiling is half to one day on site including set-up, strip, clean, clearance and break-down. Multiple ceilings in occupied homes are usually programmed one room per day.
Will removing Artex affect my home insurance or sale?
Removing it competently and retaining the consignment note and clearance certificate is generally a positive at sale. Removing it badly without records can cause a buyer's surveyor to flag the property and is harder to evidence than leaving it intact with a current condition note.
Is there an asbestos-free way to recreate the original swirl finish?
Modern textured plasters reproduce the look and contain only cellulose and acrylic fibres. For heritage interiors where the original pattern is part of the character, like-for-like reproduction is straightforward after the asbestos layer has been removed or encapsulated.
Speak to an independent senior consultant about your project
The UK's Independent Asbestos Consultancy. Evidence-based recommendations, UKAS-accredited surveyors, coverage across England and Wales, from Leeds southwards. Every enquiry is reviewed by a senior consultant — consultancy before sales, no obligation.
Read next
- Asbestos Identification GuideHow bulk sampling and PLM actually works — the test you will commission for any suspect Artex.
- Asbestos SamplingThe mechanics of taking a 10g textured-coating sample without disturbance.
- Asbestos Removal Costs in the UK (2026)Full 2026 UK pricing context for overboarding vs NNLW removal across whole-house scenarios.
- Refurbishment SurveysThe survey type required before any refurbishment that touches an Artex ceiling.
- Asbestos Management PlansHow an intact, painted Artex ceiling is recorded for the long term rather than removed.
- Asbestos Health Risks — A Plain-English GuideWhy chrysotile in a bound matrix is genuinely low risk — and what changes that.