Greater London · England
Artex Removal in St James's
Artex removal in St James's and across Greater London: textured coating testing and removal.
- Coatings in the way of electrical work
- Rented flats before redecoration
- Walls before a kitchen or bathroom refit
Get a quote for St James's
DIY and asbestos
DIY sampling means disturbing the material yourself. HSE advises that samples are best taken by a competent person.
If you do find something during DIY, stop: leave the area, do not clean it up, and ask for advice.
About our artex removal in St James's
Sometimes it’s simpler to take the ceiling boards down whole than to strip the coating. We’ll explain which suits your rooms. Typical jobs include walls before a kitchen or bathroom refit and landlord refurbishments, involving coated plasterboard, stipple finishes and Artex ceilings.
In London conversions like those in St James's, one ceiling may have several coatings from different decades, so we test each coating. If you are unsure what you need, ask: we will recommend a test, a survey or removal, whichever fits.
- Area
- St James's (W1F, W1D, W1J)
- County
- Greater London
- Service
- Artex tested, then removed with wet methods
- You receive
- Test result and waste paperwork
- Quote
- Quoted individually, in writing
- Call
- 07833 053 749
- Updated
- 26 October 2026
Questions from St James's
Do older homes in St James's have asbestos?
It depends on its age and history: asbestos was used until the 1999 ban, so older homes and older alterations in St James's can contain it. Garage roofs, Artex, floor tiles, soffits and flues are typical examples.
Do you work in St James's despite London parking restrictions?
We do. Let us know the parking situation and we will plan around it; all of Greater London is inside the ULEZ.
Do you need a licence to remove Artex?
Normally not, according to HSE. Larger-scale removal using steam or gel is notifiable non-licensed work.
Which asbestos work needs a licence?
It covers the higher-risk materials: lagging, sprayed coatings and most asbestos insulating board. Only a contractor holding an HSE licence can do it.
What does it cost to remove Artex?
Room sizes, the method and the waste decide, and we quote once the coating has been tested.
Should all asbestos be removed?
Not always: sound material that will not be disturbed can often stay. It should be recorded and checked.
Should I take the ceiling down instead?
Both are options: it depends on the room and the condition of the ceiling. We will advise room by room.
How dangerous is asbestos?
It can be, if fibres are released and breathed in. The related diseases often take decades to develop, which is why it’s identified before work.
St James's properties and textured coatings
St James's is about 1 mile south-east of City of Westminster, in Greater London. Properties in St James's range from older houses to newer estates and commercial buildings, and anything built or refurbished before 2000 can contain asbestos. We work in all 764 towns and villages in Greater London.
If you are refurbishing a rental near London Charing Cross station, a void period is a good time to deal with textured ceilings. Older homes across St James's may have coatings added during past renovations.
Here we cover the W1F, W1D and W1J postcode area, and your Artex job can be anywhere in it. Streets in the area include Duck Lane, Bruton Lane and Bridle Lane, and Artex removal is available on all of them. With the A4 and A400 close by, St James's is easy for us to reach. Close by, we cover Chinatown (1 mile north), Charing Cross (1 mile east), Soho (1 mile north), West End (1 mile north-east) and Burlington Estate (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also work in Kensington (3 miles west), Shoreditch (3 miles north-east), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east), Hoxton (3 miles north-east), Whitechapel (3 miles east) and Hampstead (4 miles north-west).
As a London location, St James's is inside the ULEZ, and parking and loading need planning: let us know about parking and access when you get in touch.
A little further out are St James Workhouse (under half a mile north-west) and Montfichet's Tower (1.4 miles east). The countryside around St James's includes St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
- Nearby schools include LITE Regal International School (0.5 miles west) and Harris Westminster Sixth Form (0.6 miles south)
- Local pubs include Tom Cribb pub (within half a mile north-east)
- Local facilities include London Library (within half a mile south-west) and Westminster St James (less than half a mile west)
Limits to be aware of
Before booking, note that:
- The room being worked on has to be empty and sealed off
- Untested coatings are tested first, since a negative result changes everything
- Plastering and making good are typically separate jobs
If you’re unsure, describe the job and send photos, and we will advise.
Materials in St James's
- Swirl and stipple patterns
- Textured walls
- Patched or painted coatings
- Ceiling roses and cornices (coated)
- Coated plasterboard
- Artex ceilings
Looking after things afterwards
If other rooms have textured coatings, record whether they’ve been tested, so future work is planned properly.
If asbestos stays in the building:
- Keep the results and paperwork
- Empty the rooms in advance
- Send photos of the coatings
- Each different coating needs testing
Don’ts
Hold off on drilling until you have a result.
Plan testing before the renovation starts.
How it works
We start by sealing and protecting the room, and keep the coating damp as we work. We keep the work area clear of other people while we work, so please keep children and pets away.
- Describe the rooms and coatings
- We test the coating if it hasn’t been tested
- If it contains asbestos, we agree the method and send a quote
- We seal the room and remove the coating with wet methods
- We clean up and dispose of the waste legally
Before we arrive
- Leave the suspect material alone until we arrive
- Move things out of the way carefully
- Keep children and pets away on the day
Getting a price
Include any existing survey or test when you use our quote form or call 07833 053 749; it helps us quote accurately.
Helpful guides
Towns and villages near St James's
Other services in St James's
Where asbestos turns up
Many trades want a test result first.
If any of these sound familiar, it’s worth getting advice:
- Rented flats before redecoration
- Textured walls before a refit
- Coatings damaged by DIY
- Ceilings before skimming
A school like Soho Parish CofE Primary School should know from its asbestos register whether coatings have been tested.
What your quote should include
- What category of work it is
- What exactly is included: the areas, materials or samples
- How fibres will be kept down
- If the price includes VAT
Weighing up your options
You will find DIY products for removing Artex, but if it contains asbestos, the job needs proper controls. Test first. Grouping jobs together can keep costs down, such as testing several materials at once.
Why choose us
- Identify first, remove only when needed
- Work planned to HSE guidance and the regulations
- Lab analysis by an accredited laboratory
- Across London and the South East
See how we price jobs or the cost guide.
Landlords, managing agents and employers
For managing agents and freeholders in St James's, the register for shared areas needs keeping current and sharing with trades.
Between tenancies is a good time to deal with asbestos, while the property is empty.
What it might be made of
Ceiling roses and cornices
They’re included in the test if they’re coated.
Patched areas
Patches may be newer material.
- Survey or test first when it isn’t clear what a material is
- Work planned to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and HSE guidance
- Paperwork for your records: reports, lab results and consignment notes
- Waste sealed and labelled, then taken to a permitted site