Artex in post-war and 1970s Ely houses
Council Tax records show 690 Ely properties from 1973 to 1982 alone. Lewis, our plasterer, skims textured ceilings with a fresh smooth coat, which is far less disruptive than pulling a ceiling down. Light fittings come down, the room is covered, and the surface is prepared so the new plaster bonds.
Once the plaster has dried, our decorators sand it with Mirka dust-free sanders and apply a mist coat, which soaks in and shows up any small dips before the final colour. You can see a finished example in our Artex skimming case study.
Older walls and cracks that keep coming back
About 12% of Ely's homes are pre-1919, and some of those still have lath and plaster behind the paper. When stripping exposes loose or tired plaster, we stop, show you, and agree any skim before carrying on. Cracks that return after filling can point to movement or a leak above, and Graham will say so rather than simply filling them again.
Ely at a glance
- 12 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 18 minutesOSRM routing
- 10%were built 1945 to 1964VOA Council Tax stock
- 12%were built 1965 to 1982VOA Council Tax stock
- 12%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 8,965householdsCensus 2021
- 7%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
How we approach plastering
For a 1970s Ely ceiling we clear or sheet the room, take down fittings, and prepare the Artex so the skim grips. Lewis or our master plasterer skims it, the plaster dries fully, and we sand off nibs before a mist coat. Anything the mist coat reveals is filled and spot-sanded, then two coats of your chosen emulsion finish the job. The full method, products and FAQs are on our plastering page.