Asbestos Artex

Artex is a common surface coating frequently seen on domestic ceilings across the UK. Today Artex is used as a general term to describe a particular design of ceiling coating. However, the name comes from the company Artex Limited, who popularised the style throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

When people refer to Artex, they usually mean the ceiling style/design rather than the company themselves. Artex ceilings are also historically associated with asbestos, which still exists within many properties today. 

In the below guide, I explain everything there is to know about asbestos Artex so you are armed with knowledge and can act if needed.

Like most asbestos-containing materials, asbestos artex is indistinguishable from textured coatings which do not contain asbestos.

Artex (with or without asbestos) is often white in a bumpy swirling pattern / texture . It can be found on ceilings & walls all over the UK in homes and offices. It’s also used in a range of different rooms such as bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens.

Most of us will be familiar with the style of Artex when we see it. It’s similar to many other ceiling designs too, but ceilings that are unmistakably Artex should be tested for asbestos before any renovation work begins.

There's only one way of knowing for sure if the artex you're looking at contain asbestos, and that is to have the textured coating tested in a laboratory. If the building was built before 1999 and you spot a swirly or bobbly paint, it is recommended that you assume that it may contain asbestos.

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding identifying asbestos artex, if you have any questions which we've missed in this article please contact us and one of our asbestos specialists will respond to your question.

Artex is most commonly found on the ceilings and walls of properties built pre-2000. It was used more heavily in residential properties however it was still used in commercial buildings.

Asbestos artex coatings are considered a lower-risk asbestos-containing product. This is due to the material makeup. With the material being heavily bonded and non-friable (Friability is the tendency to break down, chip or crumble under pressure or as a result of abrasion) this means when the product is disturbed or broken there is a minimal release of asbestos fibres. 

Whilst artex is considered lower-risk by the HSE (Health & Safety Executive)[1]this doesn't mean that the product isn't harmful and certainly doesn't mean it is safe to remove without protection. If you intend to work on asbestos artex then ensure you wear appropriate RPE & PPE. 

We would always recommend getting an asbestos removal company in to do any removal/maintenance on your Artex.

According to the HSE  an asbestos license is not required to remove Artex. However in certain circumstances a notification (NNLW) will still be required.

We carry out thousands of  tests per year, and as such we have accumulated an extensive data set that we can call upon. According to our data around 60% of the samples we test are artex / textured coating samples which includes. This makes artex the most tested material. Of those tested, 17% of the samples came back with a positive result (containing asbestos).

If we are to generalise this data we could assume that if you find a textured paint in your house there is a 17% chance that it contains asbestos. Regardless of the stats you can never assume the material is non-asbestos contain and so you should always exercise caution.

• 1. "A28 - Asbestos Essentials", Health & Safety Executive [view source] . Retrived 6th August 2023