Can I plaster straight over artex to produce a flat ceiling or do I have to remove the artex first?

Answer 1

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.

Answer 2

first thing first do not do it yourself you will make a mess of it and it will cost more money to be done properly.To cover it it needs to pva,bonded and skimmed.Pva is a adhesive glue which will prepare the artex for the plaster also sealing any grease and dirt making the whole surface appliable,then it will need a coat of bonding coat plaster this a undercoat plaster used on concrete and such surfaces that have very little or difficult to plaster this needs to applied to the whole ceiling and cover the artex completely making sure that none of the artex is visible at all but also needs to be flat and the ceiling angles are straight and clean.Once the bonding is set the finish plaster can be applied and troweled nice and flat and straight the whole thing should be left to dry out completely before painting.I dont like skimming straight over artex because you can get a bubble effect due to the different thickness of plaster between the stipple on the artex and also sometimes the artex seems to show through the plaster which will spoil it.You can try to remove the artex before but you might do more damage to the ceiling if you are not carefull hope this helps good luck

Answer 3

Plastering Over Artex

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Can I plaster straight over artex to produce a flat ceiling or do I have to remove the artex first?

Answer 5

Depends: I use the nip technique - Use a sharp bladed scraper to remove the top layer of Artex (the sharp nibbed bits) then if you want a flat surface, just go over with a fresh layer of Artex on a trowel as if plastering. THe reason I do this is because Artex is easier to smooth out if you make a mistake..it is just like filler and sands down easily!

Plaster goes hard and mistakes are more difficult to correct.

But it all depends on what you want to do....a flat surface to paint is just as easily achieved with Artex as plaster. But quicker.

Answer 6

yes you can plaster directly on top of artex ..but to do it properly you really need to be an experienced plasterer ..it will work out cheaper in the long run ..and if you make a mess of it your self ..you have no come back ..first..if you cant Reich the ceiling comfortably ..you will need a scaffold a couple of milk crates and a plank will do .if the ceiling is no bigger than 10by 10 ..IF BIGGER 4crates and two planks ...you will need to PVA the ceiling ..best to skim ceiling while pva is still wet .. first coat all over . and then a second coat ..youl need a water bucket and a brush for when it starts to go off ..don't apply too early or it will pimple ..do NOT try to do ceiling in sections ..it will look awful i have done this job many times and it is one of the most difficult so be sensible ..if in doubt ..DONT

Answer 7

It is best to put a thin layer of bonding over the artex after painting PVA admixture over the artex to make sure you get a straight and level as possible finish. You can then plaster over that with finishing plaster.

Answer 8

Ask Isaac newton( plaster has been known to detatch itself from artex even when a primer like pva has been used)

You could Try a steamer (wallpaper stripper)
Then PVA The remaining artex for a better KEY

I would screw fresh plaster boards over the ceiling and plaster them

Answer 9

Suggest you remove the artex first. Not sure plaster will bond to it successfully and as artex can shatter and flake you'll probably not have a robust base.

Answer 10

The following advice from diy doctor may help

Artex can also be plastered over. Firstly make absolutely sure that there are no flaking or loose sections of the artex, or indeed ceiling/wall. Then remove all obviously "high spots" of artex, where the stipples hang down. The wall or ceiling can then be painted with a coat of PVA adhesive, which can be bought in gallon containers from the builder's merchants or larger DIY stores.

Dilute the PVA at 1 to 1 with water and stir well. Paint this on the ceiling/wall with a large emulsion brush. This can be left to dry, which will only take about an hour. Make sure you have covered the entire surface. Untouched areas will produce plastered areas that will be hard almost as soon as the plaster touches them!

We suggest two coats of this pva solution will give an excellent seal to the ceiling. Artex is very pourus indeed and “skim”plaster goes hard very quickly. The pva will not only help the adhesion of the plaster, but it will dramatically slow down the rate of moisture absorption, giving you more time to “work” the surface.

It is a good idea to wear an old pair of rubber gloves when dealing with plaster. It is not good for your skin! Place dust sheets everywhere and be careful where you stand. If wet plaster gets on your shoes, before you know it the house is covered. If you are attempting a ceiling try and get hold of a couple of milk crates, they are just the right height, and very stable when upturned.

Skim plaster is bought in bags of 25kg (Smaller bags can be bought for patching) and the mixing instructions are on the bag. Mix to a creamy consistency using an electric drill on slow speed and a “paddle” attachment that can be bought at most diy stores. Apply to the ceiling/wall using a hand held board (hawk) and a plasterers trowel. No more that two trowels full should be placed on the hawk, then cut into a small section of this with the trowel held at 90 degrees to the hawk. Tilt the hawk towards you while pushing and “scooping” the trowel and plaster away. Once you have the plaster on the trowel, spread it evenly on the surface. Do not attempt to smooth it at this stage.

Before attempting the above, we suggest you first mix up an eggcup full of skim. Place this on an off cut of some kind that you have prepared with some pva. Spread it out and mark the time it takes to go firm but not hard. This is the point at which skim can be made smooth and the trowel marks will disappear. Once skim is hard the only way of smoothing it is by sanding. As with all of our projects, the money spent on practice is a tiny amount compared to the amount it takes to put a job right. “Stop end” beads can be purchased from stores. These are galvanised or stainless beads, which can be fixed to the surface and allow you to divide your plastering area into smaller, more manageable sections. Their flat top gives you an edge to work to and finishes flush with the surface of the plaster. When decorated they are not visible.

Start smoothing where you started skimming, you will have to repeat this procedure over the surface two or three times to get it absolutely smooth. When the plaster gets quite hard, you can spray or flick a brush with some water on the surface, this will give you an extra couple of minutes to work the surface.

Use a half-inch, wet (water), soft paintbrush to define corners and the abutment of the plastered surface to any other. Wipe any mess on non-pourus surfaces with a wet cloth, take up the lumps etc and it will dry to a fine dust. This can be wiped again and will go. Leave any mess on pourus surfaces until the lumps are dry and then pick them off.

The most important things to remember are:

1. Do not attempt to put too much plaster on either hawk or trowel.
2. Spread the plaster to a ceiling not directly above your face.
3. Get a covering on that is uniform in thickness (no more than 5mm) so the whole area goes firm at the same time.
4. Do not attempt too large an area at once or mix too great an amount.
5. Wash your tools & buckets down regularly and especially between mixes.
6. It is impossible to get plaster smooth on its first application to the ceiling. Do not attempt to do this. Get an area covered uniformly and wait until it starts to get firm. Then it can be smoothed.
7. Plastering is very hard work indeed. Mostly because of the speed it has to be carried out at & also because it involves a lot of body movement. Please make sure you have divided the room onto manageable areas. You really do only want to do this once.

For an absolute novice we would suggest that a ceiling area of 2m x 2m is the maximum that should be attempted in one go and a wall area of 2.4m x 2.5m.

Answer 11

I agree its doable and as an alternative there is a proprietary brush on stuff at B&Q which you lay on and which smooths out textured ceilings might be worth a look at especially if your artex is swirly rather than stalactitey. Removing artex is a terrible job as it is so dense and chippy dangr of bits in the eyes.good luck!