Textured decorative coatings, often called Artex after one brand, were widely used on UK ceilings and walls. HSE lists textured coatings among the places asbestos can be found in buildings built or refurbished before 2000 (HSE). Not every textured ceiling contains asbestos, and you can't tell by looking.
Is my ceiling likely to contain asbestos?
- Applied before 2000: possible. Asbestos was fully banned in the UK in 1999.
- Applied after 2000: unlikely to contain asbestos.
- Don't know when it went up: treat it as possible until tested.
Not sure when your home was built or decorated? Run the home asbestos checker.
What not to do
Don't sand, scrape, drill or steam it until you know. Those are the jobs that release fibres.
How to find out
Get a small sample tested by an accredited laboratory, or have a surveyor take one. For a single ceiling this is usually cheaper than a full survey. See survey types and indicative costs.
If it does contain asbestos
HSE treats textured coatings as a lower-risk material, and some short tasks on them can be non-licensed work done with the right controls, following HSE's Asbestos Essentials task sheets (HSE). Your options are usually:
- Leave it alone if it's in good condition and you aren't doing any work.
- Cover it by overboarding or by painting with care, without sanding first.
- Have it removed by a competent contractor. Read licensed vs non-licensed work.