Asbestos in Artex is possible in any textured decorative coating applied before 2000. HSE classes work on these coatings as lower risk, and an intact ceiling is usually best left alone. The danger comes from sanding, scraping or drilling it dry, which can release fibres. Only laboratory analysis of a sample can confirm whether it contains asbestos.
Textured ceilings and walls are still common in British homes, offices, schools and rented property. This guide to asbestos in Artex explains what the risk really is, how to find out whether yours contains asbestos, which jobs need a licensed contractor and which do not, and what duty holders and homeowners should do.
Does Artex contain asbestos?
Some does. Artex is a trade name that became the everyday word for any textured decorative coating, the stippled, swirled or patterned finish applied to ceilings and walls. HSE lists textured decorative coatings among the materials that can still contain asbestos in buildings today.
Asbestos was used widely in UK construction until it was banned in 1999. HSE’s advice is that any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. So a textured coating applied before 2000 should be treated as possibly containing asbestos until a sample proves otherwise. A coating applied after that date should not contain it, though older layers can sit underneath newer ones.
Can you tell by looking at it?
No. HSE is clear that the only way to confirm definitively whether a suspect material contains asbestos is to take a sample and have it analysed. The pattern, colour, hardness or age of the paintwork tells you nothing reliable. HSE describes textured coatings as hard and originally white, though often painted over. That description fits coatings with and without asbestos alike.
How dangerous is asbestos in Artex?
Lower risk than many asbestos materials, but not harmless. HSE states that work on textured coatings is low risk and can be carried out by trained non-licensed workers. That is a very different category from sprayed coatings, pipe lagging or asbestos insulating board (AIB), which normally need a licensed contractor.
The risk depends on what you do to it. A sound, painted ceiling that nobody touches releases very little. Sanding it, scraping it dry, power-drilling it repeatedly or knocking down a ceiling covered in it can release fibres into the air you breathe. Asbestos-related diseases develop years after exposure and HSE puts the toll at around 5,000 deaths a year in Great Britain, which is why even lower-risk materials need handling properly.
What to do and what not to do
| Do | Do not |
|---|---|
| Leave it alone if it is in good condition | Sand it, or use a power sander or grinder on it |
| Use controlled methods from HSE’s Asbestos Essentials sheets for any work on it | Dry scrape it or use a wire brush |
| Get a sample analysed before any work that would disturb it | Drill or cut into it before you know what it is |
| Keep people away and stop work if a coated ceiling is damaged | Sweep up or vacuum debris with a domestic vacuum cleaner |
| Dispose of any asbestos waste as hazardous waste | Put debris in household or general waste |
Source: HSE asbestos guidance and Asbestos Essentials task sheets.
Plastering over a textured ceiling is a common way of hiding it. If the coating contains asbestos, the plasterer should not sand or scrape it first, and the presence of asbestos should be recorded so future trades know it is there.
How do you test Artex for asbestos?
A trained person takes a small sample using controlled methods, and a laboratory analyses it under a microscope. HSE says samples should be taken by a suitably trained person and analysed by a laboratory accredited by UKAS, the only accreditation HSE recognises for this work in Great Britain.
If you manage non-domestic premises, or are planning refurbishment, a survey is usually the better route. HSE recognises two types:
- Management survey: lets the duty holder produce an asbestos register and management plan for the building in normal use.
- Refurbishment or demolition survey: needed before major works and must locate asbestos hidden in the building fabric. It must be carried out by a competent surveyor, and HSE strongly recommends using an accredited asbestos surveying organisation.
Any area that cannot be inspected should be presumed to contain asbestos until it can be.
Do you need a licensed contractor to remove Artex?
Usually not, but it depends on the job. HSE splits work on textured coatings into three groups.
| Category | Examples for textured coatings | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Non-licensed work | Drilling holes to fit fixtures; inserting and removing screws; removing a small area (less than around 1m²) using steam or gel; cleaning up after a coated ceiling collapses | Trained workers, a written risk assessment and plan of work, controls such as wetting and a class H vacuum, suitable RPE |
| Notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW) | Large-scale removal using steaming or gelling methods; removing deteriorating coatings with gel or steam | All of the above, plus notifying the enforcing authority online before work starts, medical examinations at least every three years and a health record for each worker, kept for 40 years |
| Licensed work | Energetic removal such as wet abrasive blasting; removing coatings applied over asbestos insulating board | A contractor holding an HSE asbestos licence |
Source: HSE, Locations of asbestos and taking the right action; Notifiable non-licensed work.
HSE publishes free Asbestos Essentials task sheets for the common jobs: A26 (drilling and boring through textured coatings), A27 (inserting and removing screws), A28 (removing textured coating from a small area) and A29 (cleaning up debris after a collapse). Sheet EM10 covers the statement of cleanliness after removal.
Workplaces, landlords and homeowners
If you manage non-domestic premises
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 place a duty to manage asbestos on whoever is responsible for maintaining or repairing non-domestic premises. That means finding out whether asbestos is present, recording it, assessing the risk and having a plan to manage it. Our Control of Asbestos Regulations explained guide covers the duty in detail. The regulations also require asbestos awareness training for anyone whose work could disturb asbestos, which includes the electricians, plumbers and maintenance staff most likely to drill into a textured ceiling.
If you are an employer of trades
Before your staff drill, cut or strip a textured coating in a pre-2000 building, ask for the asbestos register or survey. If there is none, presume it contains asbestos or have it sampled. Non-licensed work still needs a risk assessment, a plan of work and trained people. Building managers who hold the asbestos register will find our Managing Asbestos course covers keeping it current and checking contractor competence.
If you own your home
The duty to manage does not apply to private homes, but the health risk is the same. HSE advises homeowners not to try to repair or remove asbestos materials themselves, to leave materials in good condition where they are, and to use trained professionals for repair or removal.
Disposing of Artex that contains asbestos
Asbestos waste is hazardous waste. HSE says it must be disposed of legally as hazardous waste, should not be mixed with household waste, and should only go to a licensed disposal site. Asbestos Essentials sheet EM9 sets out how workers should bag and handle it. Householders should contact their local council for advice on disposal.
What if the ceiling has already been disturbed?
Stop work straight away and keep people out of the area. Do not sweep or vacuum the debris with an ordinary vacuum cleaner. HSE’s sheet EM1 sets out what to do if you discover or accidentally disturb asbestos during work. If the material is confirmed or presumed to contain asbestos, clean-up should be done by trained people following task sheet A29, or by a specialist contractor.
Frequently asked questions
When was asbestos banned in Artex?
Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999. HSE advises that any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos, so textured coatings applied before then should be treated as possibly containing it until a sample is analysed.
Is asbestos in Artex dangerous?
HSE classes work on textured decorative coatings as lower risk, and a coating in good condition that is left alone poses little risk. It becomes dangerous when it is sanded, scraped, drilled or broken up, because that can release asbestos fibres into the air.
How can I tell if my Artex contains asbestos?
You cannot tell by looking at it. The only way to know is to have a sample taken by a trained person and analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory, or to commission an asbestos survey.
Can I paint over an Artex ceiling that contains asbestos?
HSE’s guidance does not deal with painting textured coatings directly. Its advice is to leave asbestos materials in good condition where they are and not to sand, scrape or wire brush them, as those actions release fibres. If you are unsure what the coating is, have it sampled before you redecorate.
Do I need a licensed contractor to remove asbestos Artex?
Not usually. HSE classes most work on textured coatings as non-licensed work for trained workers. Large-scale removal by steaming or gelling is notifiable non-licensed work. A licensed contractor is needed for energetic removal such as abrasive blasting, or where the coating covers asbestos insulating board.
Can I drill into an Artex ceiling?
If the coating has not been tested, presume it may contain asbestos. HSE classes drilling textured coatings to fit fixtures as non-licensed work, which means using controlled methods such as those in Asbestos Essentials task sheet A26, rather than drilling dry with no precautions.
How do I dispose of Artex containing asbestos?
Treat it as hazardous waste. HSE says asbestos waste should not be mixed with household waste and should only be handled by a licensed disposal site. Householders should contact their local council for advice.
Where to learn more
- Asbestos Awareness Training: half-day course for anyone whose work could disturb asbestos
- Managing Asbestos: one-day course for duty holders and building managers on the duty to manage and the asbestos register
- Control of Asbestos Regulations explained
- Risk assessments: a UK guide
Talk to KeyOstas
Textured ceilings are one of the most common places your maintenance staff and contractors will meet asbestos. Our Asbestos Awareness course shows them how to recognise the risk and what to do, delivered at your site for up to 12 delegates.
Send an enquiry or call +44 (0)330 056 9534.