I'm a property expert that still remembers the days when having broadband was a selling point! My articles cover issues that homesellers face in the UK and answer the questions we're all asking. I've bought and sold properties and helped others do the same, so my writing comes from years of experience.
Read Full Bio >When making plans to sell a property, it’s likely that you’ll want to improve its value however you can before listing it on the open market or taking it to auction.
To this end, it is very important to ensure that your home appeals to as many potential buyers as possible.
There are certain features that can make a huge difference both to the attractiveness of a property and to the practicalities involved in its purchase and improvement.
By adding, removing or making changes to these features, a seller can have a great amount of influence over the number and size of the offers they will receive for their home.
In this guide, we explore the impact of the “Artex ceiling” on the sale of a property. The presence – or lack thereof – of this particular decor choice can have a significant impact on the desirability of a home.
Read on to find out about the difference an Artex ceiling can make to your house’s value and saleability.
What is Artex?
“Artex” is, in fact, a brand name. Launched in 1935, the company continues to produce building supplies to this day – specialising particularly in plastering materials and other kinds of surface coating.
However, Artex has become synonymous with a specific type of decorating technique – and its name is used to refer to this stylistic choice as a rule.
This remains the case whatever the actual brand of the materials used – much in the same way that “Hoover” often serves as a cover-all term for vacuum cleaners.
Most commonly, people use the word “Artex” when talking about a technique of adding texture to ceilings using specialist plastering products. There are a range of styles, from swirls to fan-shapes to wavy lines to stipples, swipes, scrolls, “roses”, “knifed plaster” and much more.
This decorating method came to prominence because it was easily achieved by DIY-ers, saving the expense of a professional plasterer. As a result, it was particularly popular throughout the mid-to-late 20th Century.
In fact, in the 1970s and early 1980s, Artex became a must-have surface covering for ceilings across the UK and beyond and could be found in virtually every home.
Can You Sell a House with Artex Ceilings?
So – is an Artex ceiling old fashioned, or is still it a sought-after style choice for UK houses?
Unfortunately for homeowners wishing to sell a property with this kind of feature, Artex ceilings are known to put buyers off – and may lead to disappointing offers or difficulty selling at all.
Artex is no longer on trend. In fact, rather than being considered a charming vintage quirk, it is synonymous with painfully outdated 1970s and 80s décor.
When potential buyers come across a problematic feature during a viewing or on a listing, many will be dissuaded from taking their interest any further – as they will anticipate the amount of work, hassle and expense involved in remedying or removing that feature.
However, being out of fashion isn’t the most detrimental issue when it comes to Artex. Prior to the mid-1980s, this texturing product actually contained material that was hazardous to health.
Why Remove Artex?
The fact that very few house hunters are interested in buying a house with Artex ceilings is often sufficient motivation for most sellers to get theirs removed. After all, a makeover of this kind is likely to attract more interest – and could even add to the value of the property.
However, it is also very important to note that a large proportion of 1970s and 80s Artex ceilings contain asbestos. This should not only be a major concern to buyers, but it also constitutes a severe health and safety hazard in general.
Because of this, whether or not you are planning to sell your property, you should consider taking precautions.
What is Asbestos?
Now banned, asbestos is a type of building material that entered into general use in the late Victorian period. The substance reached the peak of its popularity between the 1930s and the 1980s.
Simply put, it is a mineral that can be formed into boards, tiles, pipes and other materials for use in construction, with these applications being particularly commonplace in properties built during the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
It was also popular in the manufacture of electrical components, aircraft, ships, paint, air conditioning systems, gardening soil and fertiliser and even makeup, toothpaste and baby powder.
Asbestos was added to Artex surface coatings as a strengthening agent up until 1984.
The material had a number of facets that proved useful in the fabrication of buildings, including strength, insulative properties and fire resistance. However, the mineral fibres used in its integral makeup were eventually found to be very damaging to health.
It was discovered that exposure to asbestos fibres could lead to the development of a lung condition called “asbestosis” – the main effect of which is incurable lung damage that may prove fatal to the sufferer in severe cases.
The material can also cause mesothelioma, which is a form of cancer affecting the outer surfaces or linings of many of the body’s internal organs and also often leads to death.
Both asbestosis and mesothelioma develop over time and are rarely diagnosed until much later in life – often at a fairly advanced stage.
Due to its very concerning health implications, Artex removed the asbestos from their products in 1984. However, many other brands producing similar wall coverings continued to use the substance until it was officially banned in 1999.
Is There Asbestos in Your Artex Ceiling?
For the reasons outlined above, unless you have firm evidence that your Artex ceiling is asbestos-free, it is very sensible to take steps to get it removed in case it constitutes a potential health hazard – either for yourself or for future buyers.
To determine whether it is safe to remove the coating yourself, you can arrange for the Artex to be tested by an expert, or for a full asbestos survey to be undertaken in your home. Providers of these kinds of services can be found online.
How to Get Rid of an Artex Ceiling
It’s possible to remove Artex coating yourself with a wallpaper steamer and a good scraper. However, you should definitely not attempt this if you don’t know whether or not the product contains asbestos.
Removing Artex Ceilings with Asbestos
If your Artex is found to contain asbestos, the most sensible approach is to get in touch with a specialist removal company. You should not tackle this task yourself.
Simply search online for “Artex ceiling specialist near me” or “Artex ceiling removal near me” to make the necessary arrangements.
Artex asbestos removal costs around £17.50 per square metre on average.
Covering Artex Ceilings
Alternatively, you may be wondering how to hide Artex ceilings effectively.
So – can Artex ceilings be plastered over rather than removed? The answer is yes – if they are in good condition. However, this costs an average of £20 per square metre if you hire a specialist to do it, which usually makes total removal more cost effective at face value.
Of course, there may be less remedial work and “making good” required following plastering than there is likely to be after removal of the coating.
What about covering Artex ceilings with plasterboard? If you wish to overboard an Artex ceiling with asbestos contents, this is certainly permitted too. Again, the coating should be in good condition before attempting work of this kind.
How to Make Artex Ceilings Look Nice
If your ceiling does not contain asbestos, you may decide to keep it and improve its appearance rather than splashing out on removal.
Painting an Artex ceiling with a roller is possible, as paint adheres to the coating well, but this will not hide the texture infamously associated with this out-of-vogue material.
There is also a range of specialist pre-mixed and powdered filler products available to help you smooth over rugged surfaces, though these may work better with the more subtle Artex textures.
Generally, the most effective approach is to either plaster over – or overboard – your Artex if you do not wish to remove it.
Further Guidance on Asbestos in Artex
The Health and Safety Executive provides a range of resources to help homeowners and builders deal with Artex surface coverings and other features containing asbestos. You can find their full range of “Asbestos Essentials” here.
Whether you have an Artex ceiling in your kitchen, bathroom, living room or anywhere else besides, your first step should be to determine whether or not the coating is likely to contain asbestos by arranging for it to be tested.
Next, you should consider either having the feature professionally removed (if it contains harmful substances) or removing it yourself (if it does not).
Depending on your specific circumstances, you might prefer to have the ceiling plastered, overboarded, or even painted or skimmed with a smoothing filler.
Do I Have to Remove or Disguise my Artex Ceiling in Order to Sell My House?
It is absolutely possible to sell a property with Artex ceilings. However, homes with these features may well receive lower offers than comparable properties without.
In fact, an Artex ceiling may represent an easy win for house hunters seeking a “fixer upper”, as buyers of this kind will be aware that removing the coating is likely to immediately improve the property’s value.
However, when selling your home, if there is reason to suspect that your ceiling may contain asbestos, it is highly recommended that you share this information with your solicitor by including it in a TA6 form.
These details will then be passed on to the buyer’s legal representative.
For further details regarding the information you should pass on to a buyer, take a look at our handy guide: “What Do You Legally Have to Disclose When Selling a House?”
How to Sell a Property with Undesirable Features
It can be difficult to drum up interest in a property that:
- Is decorated in a style that is considered “outdated”
- Has potentially hazardous features
- Is constructed in an unusual manner or using unorthodox materials
If you have struggled to sell your property for any of these reasons in the past, it may be worth forgoing the standard estate agency method of sale.
Instead, it may be better to opt for a fast home buying company. Many of these organisations promise to purchase any property, whatever its condition or its style and manner of décor.
The sale can be completed in less than 30 days – sometimes in as little as a week – and the seller will receive an average of 75 to 85% of the property’s value with no solicitors fees or agency charges to pay.
For further details about selling a home with an Artex ceiling quickly, simply get in touch with us today. We will be happy to provide you with all of the assistance and guidance you require.
