ARTEX. There was a time when  a house didn't have that ultra-modern look unless every ceiling in every room was daubed with it.

But times move on  and while many still find Artex appealing, the majority of people who buy a property are keen to remove it; as quickly and safely as possible.

And that's where the problems  begin.

As well as the time-consuming work involved, there's also a very serious issue when it comes to health.

The chances are, if the artex you are keen to remove was installed before the year 2000, it probably contains asbestos. Although it's the least harmful type of asbestos (known as Chrysotile), it still poses a very serious threat if it is inhaled, which, if you start chipping or hacking away at the artex, is what's going to happen (a quick call to your local Council can sort out once and for all if your artex contains asbestos or not, so that someone can be sent out to check the situation).

Even if the artex doesn't contain asbestos, you're still in for a tricky, messy, and time-consuming job getting that ceiling back to its smooth, natural glory.

a googlesearch for "artex removal" isn't much help, either. You're met with pages and pages of results filled with complaints about:

• STEAMING -"I tried steaming (the artex off the ceiling) and it was a nightmare...it worked out at about 2 hours per 1-2 square metres; the steam turns to water and just ends up running down my arm. Frustrating and messy...can anyone help?"

• SCRAPING & CHIPPING - "I hadn't got a clue about removing the artex...I knew it was a recent job, so the artex was asbestos-free, so I tried scraping and chipping it away. Nightmare! It had been applied very thickly in some spots...the mess was horrendous. It took me a full day to more-or-less to completely strip the ceiling, and another day-and-a-half to hoover, sweep and polish away all of the mess. Not recommended - but what's the alternative?"

• PLASTER OVER IT - "On someone's suggestion on this forum, I tried plastering over the artex, being at a loss with how to remove it...I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS METHOD!!! It drips of course, and it's a great way to get yourself, your carpet and your furniture covered in wet plaster, but it's not such a great way to cover your artex! HELP!!!"

Fortunately, help is at hand!

Biostrip Artex Remover and Biostrip Textured Paint Remover are, according to our legions of customers around the world, the safest, quickest, cleanest and most environmentally friendly method of artex removal on the market today.

Biostrip's unique  formulas immediately eliminate all the problems posed by traditional artex/textured paint removal methods, and with a proven design that outperforms our solvent-based competitors.

Here are the details!

PRODUCT BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• WATER-BASED - no losses due to evaporation, odour free, solvent free, VOC free
• NON-TOXIC - Safer for the user and environment
• ECONOMICAL TO USE
• FUME FREE - does not give off hazardous or noxious fumes, so ventilation is not required; making it suitable for use indoors or in confined spaces
• NON-IRRITANT
• SOFTENS - the artex and prevents all dangerous dust from getting into the atmosphere

SUITABLE SUBSTRATES:

ANY artex, whether subsequently coated with gloss or emulsion paints. If there are several coats of paint over the artex, more than one application of Biostrip may be necessary to remove all the artex coating

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

• APPLY...Biostrip Artex Remover generously onto artexed areas. Allow to soften (just 30 to 60 minutes)
• REMOVE...softened artex by scraping. Repeat process as necessary
• WASH...the area down and allow to dry thoroughly

Note: removing artex can be  a time consuming and physical  job. We recommend testing a small area first to see what is involved