Ceilings & artex

The job we get asked for most, and have done more of than anything else.

Ceilings are the bread and butter — more of our reviews mention a ceiling than anything else on this site. Artex removal, overboarding, full re-skims, coving, ceiling roses, and the occasional curved or vaulted ceiling that takes a bit more thinking about.

Skimming over artex

Most 1970s and 80s artex can be overboarded or skimmed straight over, which is quicker, cleaner and cheaper than trying to scrape it off. One flat, smooth ceiling and the room stops looking like it belongs to a different decade.

Overboarding

Where a ceiling is cracked, sagging or has been patched too many times, the honest answer is a new board over the top of it rather than another repair. We'll say so.

Spotlights, coving and roses

If you're having spotlights fitted, we work around your electrician's first and second fix — board and skim in between, so nothing has to be cut back into a finished ceiling. Coving and ceiling roses fitted in the same visit.

Curved and vaulted

Vaulted ceilings, curved returns and one infinity curve that took two of us and a friendly favour from another firm. If it's an awkward shape, it's worth a look.

How the job runs

Quote
Usually the same day you ask. We come and look rather than pricing blind off a description.
Protect the room
Dust sheets down and furniture covered before anything starts. We use a drywall saw with extraction on it precisely because domestic jobs make mess.
Board or prep
Overboard where the existing ceiling has had enough, or prepare and prime where it has not.
Skim and finish
Two coats, trowelled up to a flat finish ready for decoration. Room hoovered before we leave.

Questions we get asked

Does artex need testing for asbestos?

Artex made before the mid-1980s can contain asbestos. If there's any doubt about the age we'll discuss testing with you before anyone starts disturbing it. Skimming over the top rather than scraping avoids disturbing it at all, which is another reason we usually recommend it.

How long will my ceiling take?

Most single rooms are a day, occasionally two if it needs boarding first. You'll want a couple of days after that before decorating.

How much mess?

Less than you're expecting. Dust sheets, extraction on the saw, and the room hoovered before we go. It's the thing our customers mention most often and we'd rather keep it that way.