Many homes in the UK have textured coatings applied to them internally and in some cases externally. Below are some examples of internal textured coatings you may see in your home. Spiral finish artexing Ripple finish artexing Swirl finish artexing Up until 1984 much of this artexing that was applied to homes contained asbestos within it. Does your home have asbestos based artex in it? In 1984 the use of asbestos based artex was banned in the UK. If your home had artex applied to it after 1985 it is most likely that it does not contain asbestos, though there were some stockpiles of asbestos based artex post the ban which may have been used by artexers after the ban came in to force. If you are in doubt as to whether the artex in your home contains asbestos contact a specialist asbestos testing company to perform a test on your behalf. Why was asbestos in the mix? The asbestos formed part of the artex mixture in order to create a binding and strengthening material. Typically up to 3% of the artex mix would be asbestos. The dangers of asbestos based artex Artexers would pour bags of asbestos based artex powder in to large buckets of water and then mix the powder and water together to form a paste which was then applied to the ceiling of the property. The mixing of the powder and water would cause large plumes of dust to be in the room exposing the artexer and even the home owners to a serious risk of suffering a harmful asbestos disease such as mesothelioma. Asbestos based artex also presents a further danger to homeowners due to the fact that artex has now gone out of fashion. Many people carrying out DIY in their home will sand or scrape the asbestos based artex off of their ceiling and will then apply a new coat of plaster and paint to create a fresh look in their home. The sanding and scraping off of old asbestos based artex is extremely dangerous as millions of minute asbestos particles will be released from the artex which if inhaled can cause serious asbestos related diseases. If you need artex removed from your home we recommend that you have it tested by a specialist first and if it does contain asbestos, pay for specialist contractors to remove it on your behalf. External asbestos textured coatings Some homes also have a textured coating applied to their external walls. Again if you are considering removing this textured coating have it tested by a specialist first and if it does contain asbestos, pay for specialist contractors to remove it on your behalf.
