artex ceiling problem

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nicky

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hi im new to the forum.

i have been plastering for 6yrs. firstly on new builds subbing to a contractor and more recently renovation work mainly damp proofing and cellar conversions.
so that's my background outta the way. now to the problem ive had today.

On my 4th gauge i had an artex ceiling to skim. The ceiling was in good condition none of it was blown or sagging so instead of pulling it down or over boarding it i decided to skim it. i prepared it by scraping off the high points.
And then with a 1 part pva to 1 part water gave the ceiling 2 coats left it 10 mins until it went tacky then started the mix. then i gave it the 1st coat then straight after gave it the 2nd coat blah blah blah. anyway on the 2nd wet trowel an area of about 1 sqm started to sag and split so i quickly sliced a square around the split and down it came.... i checked the rest of the ceiling for fear of that coming down as well but it was tight. even the area what i cut was tight. so i gave the rest of the ceiling a dry trowel n relay put some pressure on to see if it would do it anywhere else but it didn't.

so the problem ive got is this. the 1sqm that came down had the paint on the under side of the plaster here is a photo DSC00013.jpg
and another one DSC00012.jpg

so the pva did the job it was the paint coating the artex that was the problem. but now there's no paint in that area its left a very chalky damp artex. cant scrape it off cos it will still be chalky, don't want to chop it back to the lats because it could risk blowing the rest of the ceiling cant pva it would be better off pva'ing a sand pit it would lift straight off. what im thinking of doing tomorrow is getting it 1 mill into the render underneath the artex
and using that as a key.... any ideas have anyone else had this problem. thanks for taking time to read this.
 
Beat me to it good call fourplastering, welcome nick your first post keep them coming .
 
hi fourplastering

just looked artex sealer up and dont think it would be of any use due to the artex thats chalky and dusty when i rubed my finger on it it was dusty?

for artex sealer

Background preparation

Remove all traces of wallpaper and paste, distemper and
flaking material and ensure that the background is free from
grease, clean, dust free and adequately dry.

The artex that was underneath the area of plaster that came down is all dust chalky dust
unless it absorbs into the chalky artex and solidifies it up
 
I'm also new to the forum. I posted a long reply but it got lost in the ether (think i pushed the wrong button). I always use Artex Sealer on artexed ceilings only needs one coat and you can let it dry and still plaster over it. It drys really quickly even over silk paint but the only problem is it's white so you have to cover EVERYTHING!
 
If its really chalky you can add a little water to the sealer and do two coats with the second one neat. If there was a water leak at some stage before then the artex will have to scraped back first.
 
lol i think there might have been a water leak. ive heard from the neighbor that the previous tenant was growing weed so it could have been up in the attic if he got careless then he could have let some water loose
 
No problem Nicky, it's a little more expensive than pva but will save you time and money in the long run. Also if you have a big ceiling you will find you have longer on it before the plaster turns. You wont go back to pva
 
lol i think there might have been a water leak. ive heard from the neighbor that the previous tenant was growing weed so it could have been up in the attic if he got careless then he could have let some water loose
Maybe, but i think you may have found out it was soft when you initially scraped the ceiling.
 
welcome Fourplastering good post mate. it,s a fecker to get off your hands.
Thanks Henry.Yeah, ain't it just. I use a scouring pad in the shower to get the stuff off.Easy to get off if you use Aquous cream on your hands and arms but by the time i remember its too late. Lol
 
that's why it stumped me because i spent about 30 mins scraping ceiling and it was well tight. must have been pva soaking and lifting the paint from the artex bit weird how it only happened in that one area tho never happened before.
 
Was the artex definitely painted? If its not painted then water or pva just turns it to mush, I always overboard artex and if they don't wanna pay for that I explain that if the artex fails then I'm not putting it right free of charge
 
hiya lads,yes i would always overboard artex or if coved and they want 2 keep it thistle-bond-it.never failed yet :RpS_thumbup:
 
sometimes the artex is been put on over distemper paint if it;s a old lime skimmed ceiling and its this what start to lift with the pva soaks into it.
 
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