Artex applied before the year 2000 can contain a small amount of chrysotile (white) asbestos, which was added to help the coating set. Not all Artex contains it, and you cannot tell by looking — the only way to be certain is a laboratory sample test, which takes about 24 hours.
Why Artex contained asbestos
From the 1960s until it was phased out around 1999, manufacturers added small percentages of chrysotile asbestos to textured decorative coatings to improve workability and strength. Artex is the best-known brand, but any swirled, stippled or “popcorn” ceiling or wall coating from that era should be treated as suspect until tested.
Is textured-coating asbestos dangerous?
Left intact and painted over, the asbestos in textured coatings is low-risk because the fibres are bound in the plaster. The risk comes from sanding, drilling, scraping or otherwise disturbing it, which releases fibres into the air. That is why DIY removal of old Artex is strongly discouraged.
How to find out for certain
A surveyor takes a small sample under controlled conditions and sends it to a UKAS-accredited laboratory, which identifies the fibre type by polarised light microscopy. Sentinel returns standard results within 24 hours, with same-day analysis available for urgent jobs.
Your options if it does contain asbestos
You can leave and manage it, encapsulate and over-skim it, or have it professionally removed by wet-stripping inside a sealed area. We will lay out the safest, most proportionate option for your situation rather than defaulting to removal.