Could the plaster in my ceiling be hiding asbestos Artex?

[Alessandro Sra]

Hi all,

I'm inexperienced and need your help in figuring something out. I bought a flat recently and the survey identified asbestos Artex in one of bedroom, and also in the cupboard ceiling of the other bedroom. I got some licensed folks to come over and get rid of all the Artex they identified, but then I realised that they the surveyors don't check within the plaster (it was a management survey, not a refurbishment survey I was told), and that the plaster could potentially be hiding asbestos Artex.

So I was wondering: is it common for people to plaster over asbestos Artex, or more common for them to have it scrapped off and then plastered?

I also took some pictures of the ceiling of the cupboard after the Artex was removed, which shows a section of the rest of the bedroom plaster - from the picture do you think there could be Artex hiding under that plaster?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Lower]

It may be covering artex, but so what it if is? The asbestos in artex is the lowest risk grade and its fully encapsulated. What are you worried about?

Most people just plaster over artex and don't get it removed.

 

[Alessandro Sra]

I might need to disturb it to change the position of the lights, and am worried about releasing asbestos fibres in the house. I have a small baby so even being lower risk I wouldn't want to gamble with her lungs...

There is no way to know from the pictures is there? I added another one below. Thanks for the help!