Artex ceilings: skim over, scrape off or board over?
Skimming over is the cheapest and least disruptive route and is usually recommended for pre-2000 textured coatings because nothing is disturbed. Over-boarding costs more and gives the flattest result. Scraping off is the dirtiest and needs the asbestos question answered first. All three land at £300 to £600 per room in Teesside.
The three routes, side by side
| Route | Typical price | Mess | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skim over | £300 to £450 | Low | Sound ceilings, light or medium patterns |
| Over-board and skim | £450 to £600 | Medium | Cracked or dipping ceilings, deep patterns |
| Scrape or steam off | £400 to £600 | High | Where height matters or the ceiling is failing anyway |
Skimming over
The pattern is knocked back where it is sharp, the surface is sealed or given a bonding coat, and two coats of finish plaster go over the top. It is quick, it is the cheapest, and crucially it leaves the original coating in place and sealed rather than putting it into the air. On a sound ceiling with a light stipple this is very often the right answer, and it is the one most plasterers will recommend on anything from before 2000.
Over-boarding
New plasterboard screwed up through the coating into the joists, taped and skimmed. You lose about half an inch of ceiling height, and it costs more, but you get a genuinely flat surface regardless of what shape the old ceiling was in. It is the sensible pick where the ceiling has cracked along the joist lines, where a heavy fan or swirl pattern would take an age to knock back, or where an old lath and plaster ceiling is on its last legs. Detail is on the dry lining page.
Taking it off
Steam and scrapers, sheeting everywhere, and a full day of unpleasant work per room. It is the right answer where every millimetre of ceiling height counts, or where the ceiling underneath needs attention anyway. It is also the route where the asbestos question has to be settled first.
The asbestos question, without the scare story
Textured coatings applied before 2000 may contain a small percentage of chrysotile asbestos, bound into the material. Undisturbed, painted, or plastered over, it is not something to lose sleep about. Fibres only become a risk when the coating is abraded, sanded, scraped dry or drilled repeatedly. The sensible sequence if you want it removed is straightforward: take or arrange a small sample, send it to a UKAS-accredited laboratory, and act on the result. HSE guidance treats textured coating removal as non-licensed work carried out with controls rather than a licensed job, but that is not a reason to attack a ceiling with an orbital sander on a Saturday. If in any doubt, skim over it and move on.
Choosing in practice
Ask two questions. Is the ceiling itself sound, and does the height matter. Sound ceiling, height not critical: skim over, done in a day. Cracked or dipping ceiling: board over. Height critical or the ceiling coming down anyway: remove, with the sample tested first. Prices and the full service detail are on the Artex removal page, and the cost guide puts the figures next to the rest of the trade.