Do Artex ceilings have to be removed to get a smooth finish?

Usually not. Overboarding with new plasterboard and skimming gives a smooth finish without removing the texture.

Is overboarding messy?

Much less than removal. The existing surface stays covered, which is why the site describes it as minimal disruption and mess.

When can I paint the new ceiling?

Once the skim has dried fully; the guide to plaster drying before painting covers timings and the first coat.

Problems & Repairs

Artex Ceilings: Remove, or Overboard and Skim?

Name: Mighty Oak Construction
Address: Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1, GB
Telephone: 07850 357962
Price range: ££

Textured Artex ceilings date a room faster than almost anything else. The question most owners ask is whether the texture has to come off. In most homes it does not: the ceiling can be overboarded and skimmed, giving a flat modern finish without the mess of removal. That is the approach Mighty Oak Construction describes on its plastering and ceilings service.

Overboarding and skimming

Overboarding means fixing new plasterboard over the existing textured ceiling, then applying a skim coat for a smooth finish. The old surface stays sealed behind the new board, so there is no scraping, no dust from stripping texture and far less disruption to the room.

The site lists the benefits plainly: flawless wall and ceiling finishes, cost-effective Artex overboarding, minimal disruption and mess, and a ceiling that is ready for decorating quickly.

Why removal is rarely the first choice

Removing texture is slower and messier than covering it, and the ceiling underneath still has to be made good and skimmed afterwards. Unless there is a specific reason the texture must come off, overboarding reaches the same finished result with less work in an occupied home.

Where the ceiling itself is failing rather than just dated, the question changes. Older lath and plaster ceilings that are sagging or cracking have their own guide on this site, because the repair decision there is about the structure, not the surface.

What the finished ceiling looks like

A review from Royal Tunbridge Wells sums up the outcome: all the Artex ceilings in the house were overboarded and skimmed, the house looks far more modern, and the finish was described as flawless and good value. Once the skim has dried, the ceiling is decorated like any new plastered surface, and the existing guide on plaster drying before painting explains how long to wait.

Planning it alongside other work

Ceilings are best done before walls are decorated and before new flooring goes down, because plastering overhead is the messiest stage of any room. If a room is being rewired or having new lighting positions, the cables should be run before the new boards go up. Doing several rooms together is usually more efficient than one at a time.