Asbestos
Hit an unexpected wrinkle while decorating the lounge.
The decorator painted the ceiling yesterday, and it started peeling round the edges, bringing some of the artex with it.
It only peeled where he'd been using the brush, bits done with the roller were fine. We're using a paint that's virtually free of VOCs and it's a bit thicker, so that may be the cause.
However, a quick Google revealed that most houses of our age with Artex ceilings have asbestos.
Getting an asbestos test takes 3-4 days and we want this over before Xmas....
So, taking advice from my daughter who did some DIY asbestos removal earlier this year, we had a discussion with the painter (who would probably have been happy to remove all the artex with no protection at all - seemed more worried about getting an even finish than the risk to his health). We've bought disposable PPE, disposable floor covering and will take the whole lot to the asbestos section in the tip when he's done.
Much to my relief, we have also discovered a product called X-tex which is specifically designed to remove Artex and does so without creating dusts and hence is massively safer when asbestos is involved (it specifically says it's good for Artex with asbestos).
The decorator painted the ceiling yesterday, and it started peeling round the edges, bringing some of the artex with it.
It only peeled where he'd been using the brush, bits done with the roller were fine. We're using a paint that's virtually free of VOCs and it's a bit thicker, so that may be the cause.
However, a quick Google revealed that most houses of our age with Artex ceilings have asbestos.
Getting an asbestos test takes 3-4 days and we want this over before Xmas....
So, taking advice from my daughter who did some DIY asbestos removal earlier this year, we had a discussion with the painter (who would probably have been happy to remove all the artex with no protection at all - seemed more worried about getting an even finish than the risk to his health). We've bought disposable PPE, disposable floor covering and will take the whole lot to the asbestos section in the tip when he's done.
Much to my relief, we have also discovered a product called X-tex which is specifically designed to remove Artex and does so without creating dusts and hence is massively safer when asbestos is involved (it specifically says it's good for Artex with asbestos).