Licensed Artex Asbestos Ceiling Removal, Sutton
Chrysotile-containing Artex stripped from a dining room ceiling under a negative-pressure enclosure, air clearance confirmed below 0.01 f/cm³, and the room handed back for renovation the same day.
Sutton's 1960s and 1970s Housing Stock Carries a High Artex Risk
Sutton has a high proportion of semi-detached and terraced properties built between the 1950s and 1970s — precisely the period when Artex textured coatings were most widely applied to ceilings. Not all Artex from this era contains asbestos, but properties built or renovated before 1985 carry a significant probability of chrysotile-containing Artex, and the only way to confirm this is through laboratory analysis.
In this Sutton property — a 1968 semi-detached house — the dining room ceiling Artex was confirmed to contain chrysotile at approximately 2.5% by weight. This concentration makes the removal a licensed activity under CAR 2012, requiring formal notification, a negative-pressure enclosure, and an independent air clearance certificate before the room can be reoccupied or renovated.
The homeowner's contractor had correctly identified the risk and declined to proceed without an asbestos clearance. We were instructed, completed the removal in a single day, and handed the room back for renovation the following morning.
Asbestos-containing Artex is classified as a licensed material under CAR 2012 because it contains chrysotile in a friable matrix — meaning fibres can be released during disturbance. Any contractor who offers to remove Artex without formal notification, a negative-pressure enclosure, and an air clearance certificate is working illegally.
Read the Regulations Guide →How the Project Was Delivered
Refurbishment Survey & Sample Analysis
The homeowner in Sutton was planning a full dining room renovation — new ceiling, plastering, and redecoration — and had been advised by their contractor to have the Artex tested before any work began. Our surveyor attended site and took samples from three locations across the ceiling. The samples were submitted to our UKAS-accredited laboratory and results confirmed the presence of chrysotile (white asbestos) at approximately 2.5% by weight — sufficient to trigger a licensed removal requirement under CAR 2012.
Notification & Method Statement
Because the Artex contained chrysotile and the removal would involve disturbing more than one square metre of material, the work was notifiable under Regulation 9 of CAR 2012. Our notification was submitted 14 days before the removal date. A full method statement and risk assessment were prepared and shared with the homeowner and their contractor before works commenced.
Negative-Pressure Enclosure
On the day of removal, the dining room was prepared before any disturbance of the Artex. All furniture was removed and doorways sealed with polythene sheeting and duct tape. A negative-pressure enclosure was erected, with HEPA-filtered air extraction units running throughout the works. The negative pressure ensures that any airborne fibres released during removal are drawn towards the extraction units rather than escaping into the rest of the property.
Wet-Scraping Removal
The Artex was removed using wet-scraping techniques. The ceiling was wetted in sections using a fine mist spray to suppress any fibre release before the scraping tool was applied. Working in controlled sections, the full ceiling was stripped back to the substrate. All waste was collected directly into double-lined asbestos waste sacks and sealed inside the enclosure before being removed from the building.
Four-Stage Visual Inspection & Air Clearance
Following removal, a four-stage visual inspection was carried out inside the enclosure. An air clearance reading was then taken. The result — 0.007 f/cm³ — was below the 0.01 f/cm³ clearance indicator, confirming the room was safe for unrestricted use. The homeowner's contractor was notified the same afternoon.
Documentation & Renovation Handover
The air clearance certificate, disposal documentation, and a letter of completion confirming the licensed removal had been carried out in accordance with CAR 2012 were provided to the homeowner on the same day. The contractor was able to begin the ceiling renovation the following morning, with no delays attributable to the asbestos removal.
Renovation Proceeded the Following Morning
Our builder said he wouldn't touch the ceiling until it had been tested and cleared. Pro Asbestos Removal were professional from start to finish — the survey, the removal, and the paperwork were all handled efficiently. The room was ready for our builder the next day, exactly as promised.
We test, notify, and remove — all in one. Sutton and South London.
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