Domakihub How to Remove Artex from a Ceiling the Right Way
Test for asbestos first, then strip or skim — here is the full process.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 6 min read
Artex — the swirled, stippled, or patterned textured coating found on millions of ceilings built between the 1960s and the early 2000s — is a common sight in older homes, holiday villas, and hotels across Greece and the wider Mediterranean. Removing it cleanly takes more preparation than most people expect, because material applied before 2000 may contain chrysotile asbestos and must be tested before any scraping begins. The video above walks through a real ceiling removal job; the guide below gives you the full step-by-step process, safety rules, and the honest advice on when a licensed contractor is the right call.
What Artex Actually Is — and Why It Matters
Artex is a gypsum-based textured coating that was mixed with water and applied by brush, roller, or comb to create decorative patterns on ceilings and walls. Manufacturers sold it as an affordable way to hide imperfect plasterwork and add character to a room. It set hard and became extremely difficult to reverse — which is why so many renovation projects today run straight into it.
The critical fact that shapes every removal decision is the asbestos window. Artex and competing textured coatings produced in the UK and Europe before 2000 routinely contained up to five percent chrysotile (white) asbestos fibres to improve workability and crack resistance. Once disturbed — scraped, sanded, or drilled — those fibres become airborne and constitute a serious long-term health hazard. Material applied after 2000 is almost certainly asbestos-free, but age alone is never proof enough.
Asbestos Testing: the Non-Negotiable First Step
If your property was built or last renovated before 2000, treat the ceiling as containing asbestos until proven otherwise. Do not scrape, sand, or steam the surface before getting a result. Licensed asbestos-testing laboratories will analyse a small sample (taken carefully with a damp cloth and sealed in a bag) and return a result within a few days. In Greece, contact an accredited environmental health lab (εργαστήριο περιβαλλοντικής υγείας) or a certified building surveyor for sampling and analysis.
If the result comes back positive, removal must be carried out by a licensed asbestos-removal contractor under controlled conditions — full PPE, negative-pressure enclosure, wet suppression, and disposal at a licensed hazardous-waste facility. This is not optional; it is a legal requirement in the EU under Directive 2009/148/EC and the Greek implementation of it. The good news is that many properties built after the mid-1990s test clean, and once you have the certificate you can proceed confidently with the DIY methods below.
How to Remove Artex from a Ceiling: 5 Steps
- 1
Protect the room and yourself
Clear the room of furniture or cover everything with heavy-duty dust sheets. Lay additional plastic sheeting on the floor directly under the work area, taped at the edges. Put on an FFP3 (or P100) dust mask — a basic paper mask is not adequate for the fine mineral particles released during stripping. Add safety goggles and nitrile gloves. Open windows for ventilation but close internal doors to stop dust migrating through the rest of the building. Turn off any electrical circuits that feed ceiling lights or fans in the room at the consumer unit before you begin.
- 2
Soften the Artex with warm water or a steam stripper
Dry scraping releases the most dust and puts the most stress on the plasterboard underneath, so always wet the surface first. Fill a garden pump sprayer with warm water and mist a manageable section (roughly one square metre at a time). Allow five to ten minutes for the water to soak in. For heavier or painted-over Artex, a wallpaper steam stripper held two to three centimetres from the ceiling for around fifteen seconds per patch is more effective — the steam penetrates the coating and loosens the bond without soaking through to the board. Work in sections so you are always scraping material that is freshly softened.
- 3
Scrape the softened coating away
Use a wide (at least 150 mm) flexible filling knife or a purpose-made Artex scraper held at a shallow angle — roughly 20 to 30 degrees — to the ceiling. Push the blade under the softened texture and slide it forward in long, even strokes. Avoid digging the tip in at a steep angle; that risks gouging the plasterboard face paper, which will need additional repair later. Collect the scrapings in a bucket rather than letting them fall to the floor. Re-wet any section that dries out and resists scraping. For deep or multi-layered coatings a proprietary Artex remover gel (available at builders merchants) can be brushed on, left for 30–60 minutes, then scraped away, reducing the physical effort considerably.
- 4
Clean back the surface and repair the board
Once the bulk of the texture is removed, go over the ceiling with a damp sponge or a fine Scotch-Brite pad to clean off any remaining skim of white material. Allow the surface to dry fully — at least 24 hours in a well-ventilated room. Inspect the plasterboard for gouges, torn face paper, or soft spots where water has penetrated. Torn paper should be stabilised with a coat of PVA adhesive (diluted 1:4 with water) before filling. Fill shallow gouges with a fine-surface filler; deeper damage may need a bonding coat of plaster. Sand flat when dry. Any joints between boards should be taped with scrim mesh and filled before the final finish.
- 5
Apply the finish coat — skim plaster or lining paper
The two standard finishes after Artex removal are a thin skim coat of finishing plaster (the most durable, smoothest result) or heavy-duty lining paper (a quicker DIY-friendly option). For a skim, prime the repaired plasterboard with a PVA-and-water bonding coat, allow it to become tacky, then apply a 2–3 mm coat of finishing plaster using a steel plastering trowel. Work in sections, cross-hatching for adhesion, then finish with sweeping flat strokes and a final light polish with a slightly damp trowel. Skim plaster requires practice — if you have never plastered before, a professional plasterer for the final coat will save hours of rework and produce a far flatter result. For lining paper, apply to a primed surface with heavy-duty paste, butt-join the sheets, and allow to dry before painting.
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FAQ
- Can I just plaster over Artex instead of removing it?
- Yes — and for lightly textured or undamaged Artex it is often the faster, lower-dust option. A plasterer can apply a bonding coat directly over sound Artex and skim to a smooth finish. The ceiling will sit a few millimetres lower, which is rarely noticeable. However, if the Artex is peeling, damp, or cracked, removal is the correct approach because overplastering traps the problem and risks delamination later.
- How do I know if my Artex contains asbestos without paying for a lab test?
- You cannot tell from appearance alone — chrysotile asbestos fibres are invisible to the naked eye and are found in coatings that look identical to asbestos-free versions. The only reliable answer is a certified laboratory analysis of a physical sample. In Greece, accredited environmental labs and some builders' merchants can arrange sampling kits. The cost is modest (typically €30–80) and the peace of mind is essential. Age is your best rough guide: post-2000 application is almost certainly clean; anything older should be tested.
- When do I need a professional for this job?
- You need a licensed contractor if the test comes back positive for asbestos — no exceptions. Beyond that, a professional plasterer is strongly advisable if the ceiling is large (over 20 square metres), the plasterboard is damaged or soft in multiple places, or you want a truly flat skim finish, as ceiling plastering is one of the hardest DIY skills to execute well. If the ceiling conceals electrical wiring running through the joists above, or if there are signs of active damp (staining, mould), a qualified electrician or damp-proofing specialist should assess the situation before any scraping work begins.