What is actually on the ceiling
Artex put up before the mid eighties can contain a small amount of chrysotile, bound into the coating rather than loose. Intact and painted it is not doing anything. Sanded, scraped dry or drilled, it makes dust, and that is the part that matters.
So the honest answer on an older Glasgow ceiling is that nobody can tell you what is in it by looking. If the age is in the range and you want certainty, a sample to a lab is cheap next to the ceiling itself.
Over boarding, or taking it off
Two ways. Skim over the top, which only works where the texture is shallow and sound and costs you an inch of height nowhere. Or board over it, which buries it, keeps the dust question closed and gives a dead flat ceiling to skim.
In a tenement flat with a cornice, boarding has to stop short and be detailed into the moulding, or the cornice ends up looking like it is sinking into the ceiling.
Living in it while it happens
A ceiling is the one job that fills a whole room. Floors covered, doorways sealed, and the room is not usable that day.
One room at a time keeps a flat liveable, and it is normally what we suggest in a tenement where there is nowhere to move the furniture to.
What else the walls in Glasgow are like
Out from the centre the city is full of inter war bungalows and post war semis, a lot of them roughcast, and a lot of them within a short run of us.
Artex is almost a given in those houses: ceilings, and often the hallway walls as well. Taking that flat is one of the jobs we do most.
If you are outside the city, we work across Renfrewshire and up to twenty miles from Renfrew. See the areas we cover.
Before and after
The same wall, both ways
Artex ceiling and chimney breast skimmed flat. Drag the handle to see the before.
Past work
Jobs of this kind
Media wall, skimmed walls and a lit coffer ceiling
Plastering and skimming, Artex removal
See this job
What customers say
What customers said about work in Glasgow
Real Checkatrade reviews, word for word.
9.8out of 10
Checkatrade
from 60 reviews, 45 of them 10 out of 10
10/10
Brilliant Job, Very Happy
Needed a bedroom plastered, great communication from the start and a quick and efficient service, the guys did a great job and were very tidy, would definitely recommend!
10/10
Plastering wall
Repair was quick and easy
10/10
Roughcasting Masterclass
I can’t recommend McLellans Master Plasters highly enough. They rough casted our house to an excellent standard and also fixed our neighbour’s guttering and roofing, all for a very reasonable price. From start to finish they were prompt, professional, and reliable. Communication was clear, the work was carried out efficiently, and the finish looks fantastic. It’s refreshing to deal with tradespeople who take real pride in their work and deliver exactly what they promise. If you’re looking for high-quality workmanship at a fair price, McLellans Master Plasters are a brilliant choice.
10/10
Fantastic Job All Round
I recently hired Fraser from McLellans Master Plasterers. The quality of the plastering was brilliant the finish is perfectly smooth, clean, and ready for decorating. He paid great attention to detail and made sure everything was completed to an exceptionally high standard. He kept everything neat and left the place spotless once the job was done, which I really appreciated. If you’re looking for a plasterer who delivers top quality workmanship with great customer service, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Fraser at McLellans Master Plasterers. A fantastic job all round!
Straight answers
Questions about artex removal in Glasgow
Does my Artex contain asbestos?
Artex from the sixties through to the mid eighties can contain a small amount, and the only way to know for certain is a sample test by a testing laboratory. Our method avoids disturbing it either way: we cover it rather than scrape or sand it.
Will I lose ceiling height?
Overboarding adds the thickness of a board and a skim, so a little. Skimming over the texture adds a few millimetres. In a room with low ceilings that difference is worth talking about before we start.
Can the coving stay?
Usually yes if it is sound and you want to keep it, and the new ceiling is finished into it. If it is damaged or you want it gone, it comes off and the wall line is made good.
Do you do tenement closes and common work?
Ring us and tell us what is being proposed and who is organising it. Common work goes through a factor or the owners together, and that changes how it has to be quoted.
Is it worth removing an Artex ceiling?
Usually, and especially if you are decorating or rewiring anyway, because the mess is already happening and a ceiling is far harder to do later with the room back together.
Get in touch
Get a price for flattening your ceilings
Tell us what the wall or the room looks like now and we will come back to you with a price and a straight answer about what it needs.
Call us for your instant, no obligation quote
07501 844432