Plastering is considered an art form by many, requiring expert precision and finesse to achieve the perfect finish, something which can only be achieved if the correct surface preparation is carried out beforehand. The reason you use blue grit is because PVA sometimes delaminates from Artex where blue grit doesn't .

Febond Blue Grit | Wall Finishing | Everbuild

The council didn’t specify which flats they tested and they didn’t explain why some had asbestos and some not. Just that someone on here said whatever plaster I put on the ceiling will only be stuck to the last coat of paint used on the ceiling. Do you mean that the blue grit is only covering the raised pattern of the artex and not in the pattern? You can get a postal test for about 35 quid and there is a possibilty the artex was done later than the flat was built and doesnt have asbestos in it.

Made with fine aggregates, Febond Blue Grit is designed to provide a mechanical key to smooth surfaces before plastering on backgrounds such as concrete, plasterboard, glass, glazed tiles and other high-gloss surfaces.

Febond Grit 10L Blue - Jewson

Iv never skimmed on it before its completely dry mate so i wudnt meself, iv gritted in mornin + skimmed in afternoon once its touch dry but that was over walls not artex + had other stuff to do, wouldnt fancy waitin around for it to dry. This can be done in several ways including using meshing, abrading the surface or adding sand to the PVA mix, all of which can be incredibly messy and time consuming. Containing a fine aggregate, it provides a mechanical key to backgrounds such as plaster, concrete, painted surfaces, textured surfaces and ceramic tiles. Blue grit, thistle bondit etc is another waste of time and money which offers no benefit over pva/sbr plus it has added drying time, uneven coverage and as you have already stated there are issues with plaster adhesion. Blue grit has failed for some but I think that's movement (flex) causing plaster to shatter and lose bond or heat from halogen wall or centre lights.Gardz etc is for painting onto plaster before decoration, not before plastering and its not at all cheap and has no benefit over using pva. It contains a fine aggregate, provides a mechanical key to backgrounds such as plaster, concrete, painted surfaces, textured surfaces and ceramic tiles. We are passionate about the products we produce, we have always worked on the simple premise that Trade User will only come back for good products, so that's all we make!