Skimming over artex issues

Question

We recently had the artex ceilings in our kitchen and lounge skimmed over, but we’ve encountered several issues with the finish. Cracks appeared within days and the ceiling overall looks uneven. During the day, natural light highlights shadows and imperfections.
Are the cracks normal, or do they suggest a poor job?
Can the uneven finish be corrected by sanding the existing plaster properly, or would the ceiling need to be redone entirely?
I’m also wondering if we need to adjust our expectations. Is it simply not possible to achieve a perfectly smooth finish when skimming over artex?
Any advice on the best way forward would be greatly appreciated.

Zaryab · Answer

It sounds like you’re dealing with some common issues when skimming over Artex, but the extent of the problems can help determine the next steps. Here’s a breakdown of what might be going on and how you can proceed:

Cracking
Cracks shortly after skimming can indicate an issue with the preparation or application. Common causes include:

Insufficient bonding between the Artex and the skim coat. If the original Artex wasn’t properly cleaned or primed before skimming, the new plaster may not adhere well.
Shrinkage during drying, especially if the plaster was applied too thick or in too many layers.
Movement in the ceiling (e.g., due to settling, humidity, or temperature changes) can cause the skim coat to crack.
Is it normal? While some minor hairline cracks are expected during the drying process, large or multiple cracks that appear quickly typically suggest that the job wasn’t done to a high standard.

Uneven Finish
Uneven surfaces can arise for a number of reasons:

The original Artex texture may have created a bumpy base that wasn’t fully leveled before skimming.
If the plaster was applied unevenly or not floated out smoothly, it will show up, especially in natural light.

David · Answer

We never ever skim directly over Artex
The best and only option as far as we’re concerned is overboard and skim the ceiling 
I have been trading since 1985 and never had any issues 
You pay for what you get.  PVA and skim is the cheap option

Danny · Answer

HI, you definitely should not be getting cracks in the plaster, this is probably because the plasterer has not used enough bonding agent before applying the plaster and simply dried to fast or he hasn’t used scrim tape in the right areas. ( how large are the cracks roughly? )

As to regards of it looking ‘uneven’ that would depended on what the sub straight was like before. If it’s because of what he’s gone over then you can do much about it. And if desired to have a straight and even finish throughout then re boarding would be the way to go. Having said that if the work is shoddy then it could well be the plasterers work that’s made it look like that( did he plaster when coving was up? )

The imperfections will always be seen when natural light runs across the walls/ceilings. But with a good plasterer you shouldn’t be having any imperfections and it’s completely achievable to get a smooth like new ceiling going over artex. 
If you want to send some pictures I could take a quick look to give you my honest opinion of the work 
Kind Regards 
Danny

Doug · Answer

Hi 
I plaster over artex ceiling all the time and I don’t get cracks or uneven ceilings so I think it’s just a poor job.
Do you know if they PVA the ceiling first ?unfortunately the only way to make good would be to have the ceiling skimmed again by someone who knows what they’re doing.
Hope this helps.
Doug

John · Answer

The ceiling should not crack if the job is properly prepared and also you should not see uneven ceiling if it’s been double coated

Mark · Answer

Hi Polly. It sounds like you got a bad job. There is a particular way to prep an Artex ceiling ready for skimming over. Any loose boards need screws putting in and if there is any hairline cracks to start with (there must have been for it to have cracked) then fibre tape needs to be stuck over the existing cracks, a pre plaster coating called blue grit need to be painted on and left to dry over night. The next day, mix and apply a skim coat to cover the Artex and allow to almost set then apply another coat over that, leave for 15/20 minutes then apply a 3rd and final coat, as it’s drying trowel to a smooth finish then give a final trowel at the end. You cannot make and existing ceiling perfectly flat by skimming over but you can straighten it. Skim coat is only 3-4mm thick depending on what you are covering. Dont lower your expectations because you would be happy with the job if it was done by a professional. I wouldn’t bother trying to sand it, that won’t work, the solution would be to skim it again but wouldn’t require the above process, just a Pva sealer and another 2 thin coats of skim, however, there is a lot of weight up there now so I’d be inclined to put more screws in it to ensure the whole thing stays up before it’s re-skimmed or a more expensive option is to overboard it with 9.5mm plasterboard fibre tape the joints and skim and this would have given a much better final product.
Hope this helps.

Mark

martin · Answer

Job badly done is the honest answer
Can be rectified but need to view it
Don hesitate to get in touvh

Ion · Answer

Skimming over artex it’s absolutely fine and can be achieved very good finish if prepared properly, if joints can be seen to be put scrim tape to prevent cracks, sometimes you can’t see the joints so it’s soometing you can’t avoid. Sometimes plasterboard on the ceiling is not perfectly even so can do the best, not perfect but have a nice finish, no imperfections. To be corrected, depend how bad it is, if there are everywhere imperfections and to much to fill and sanding down it’s not worth, easier to re skim. From what you are describing it is a poor quality from your plasterer.

Ron · Answer

Regarding the cracks, are they hair line or straight on the board joints?
if hair line then possibly dried out to quickly, or no / not enough PVA bond to the ceiling. if cracks on the joints then its movement in the ceiling or it hasn't been scrimmed.
uneven and imperfections are different, the uneven is due to solely skimming to the existing, which is normal, however I would have given it a coat of bonding first to even out the ceiling as so when it comes to putting the coat of plaster on it is flatter and gives a more even look. 
you could sand over what you have there and then use decorators filler to smooth it off, if its only small areas, it really does depend on how bad the finish has been left to decide if you need it done again.
and yes you can achieve a perfectly smooth finish over art as long as the preparation is correct and the 1st coat of bonding is applied. but this does cost more money and more time.

Marc · Answer

You should of used sbr which is a good sealer amd primer , but now it's been skimmed I would board over it and plaster it

Skimming over artex issues

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