Eco Solutions X-Tex Textured Coatings Remover Review

Overall Rating

Fairly expensive
Requires a lot off effort to scrape off
Very messy

I bought the Eco Solutions X-Tex Textured Coatings Remover to remove the Artex from a bedroom ceiling (approximately 2.4m x 2.1m. A little too small an area to get the plasterer in to skim, as I had done before. The Artex was not thick, but quite thin. I bought a tub of 2.5 litres, costing approximately £26 with p&p. It was applied in a temperature not exceeding 19C. After reading the instructions I brushed the gel on to the Artexed ceiling thickly, and waited for about an hour before starting to scrape the Artex off. This was not easy, as the gel, although softening the Artex, had turned it to an almost like latex, glue consistency, which made scrapping off extremely messy and laborious; not what I had expected. I got off what I could, but I had to give areas of the ceiling a second coat with what product I had left in the tub, which still took a lot of work to scrape off. Not what I was expecting! I thought that the Artex would have been reduced to a cream cheese like texture that would scrape off with ease. If like me, this is what you are expecting, then it just doe not do that! I am not sure if leaving the product in place overnight with a plastic film on may have given better results, but it does state that leaving in place for 1/2 hour to an 1 hour will then allow the product to be scrapped off, which it does, but it is hard, messy work. Thank heavens it was the last ceiling in the house that was Artexed!!

In my opinion, if I knew the mess involved, I would have just steamed it off.

Members' Comments onlittlenick65's Review

• Pbp on 18th Oct 2007

  After using Eco Solutions X-Tex Textured Coatings Remover, and reading the instructions it is clear that it will remove 'ARTEX' after an hour no problem, but most Artex has been painted many times with vinyl emulsion or matt emulsion, and as the product will remove the paint, it can be a two part process and might take longer. ALWAYS DO A TEST AREA FIRST! It makes sense doesn't it?

• sarah Jr on 23rd Jan 2008

  The problem you had experienced with a laytex type material was vinyl emulsion which had been applied over the artex, so really you were trying to remove the paint before it got on the artex. If you had applied this X-tex to just artex it would have come off in minutes, but many people paint over artex many times with emulsions and one of the worst is vinyl silk which has plasticisers in it. An over night application and covering with film would have been the answer and it would have flown off.