Dated, textured ceilings taken back to a clean, smooth, modern finish, safely and tidily, across Exeter and Devon. Free quotes by WhatsApp.
Those textured artex ceilings instantly date a room, here's how we bring them back to a smooth, modern finish.
Artex, the swirled, stippled or combed textured finish on so many ceilings and walls, was everywhere in UK homes from the 1970s through the 1990s. It does one thing brilliantly: make a room feel dated. The good news is it's very fixable, and there are two clean ways to deal with it.
If the artex is sound and not too heavy, we can usually skim straight over it to a smooth, flat finish. If it's badly uneven, damaged, or coming away, the better route is to overboard it, fix fresh plasterboard over the top and skim that, which guarantees a perfectly flat result. We'll look at your ceiling and tell you which is right rather than reaching for whichever is quickest.
Textured ceilings and walls brought into this century.
Sound textured ceilings prepared and skimmed straight over to a smooth finish.
Heavily textured or uneven ceilings boarded over and skimmed dead flat.
Old artex handled with care, skimmed over or boarded rather than dry-sanded.
Textured walls smoothed to match, for a consistent modern finish throughout.
Ceilings and walls done together so the whole room is brought up to date.
Any cracks or damage made good and blended in as part of the finish.
This matters, so we're straight about it: artex applied before around the year 2000 can contain a small amount of asbestos. Left alone or skimmed over, it's not a risk, the danger only comes from disturbing it, particularly by dry-sanding or scraping, which releases fibres into the air.
That's exactly why our default approach is to skim over or overboard old artex rather than aggressively sanding it off. It's the safe, clean way to get a smooth finish. If your artex is from before 2000 and you're unsure, it's worth getting a quick asbestos test first; if it does contain asbestos and needs taking off rather than covering, that's a job for a licensed asbestos removal specialist, and we'll point you to one rather than risk it.
We cover all aspects of plastering and rendering, right across Devon.
Usually cheaper than people expect, because it rarely needs removing at all.
Most artex ceilings can simply be skimmed straight over. That's quicker, cleaner and cheaper than removal. We only take it off where the texture is very heavy or the surface is unsound.
A light stipple skims over easily. Deep swirls and peaks need knocking back first, which adds time.
If the property predates 2000 the artex may contain asbestos. It needs testing before anyone sands or scrapes it. We never touch it without knowing.
Overhead work is slow work. A big or high ceiling takes considerably longer than a small one.
Sound plaster underneath is straightforward. Cracked or blown plaster under the artex means more work once it's exposed.
Doing every ceiling in one visit is far better value than having us back three separate times.
Send a photo of the ceiling and we'll tell you whether it needs removing or just skimming, and give you a fixed price either way.
Usually not. Most artex ceilings can be skimmed straight over, which is quicker, cheaper and avoids disturbing anything. We've written the full answer here: can you plaster over artex?, including the asbestos rule for pre-2000 properties.
Send a quick WhatsApp with a photo and we'll get you a free quote. No call-out charge, no hard sell.