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My 2p is to get it tested as it's such a negligible cost.

But if someone has a method, I'd believe them. It's not some niche ancient building methods. It's a common job.

Second this recc- we used Benjamin Moore Advance on the skirting/trim in our place. The levelling on it is brilliant and it goes on really nicely. Its held up really well in the hallway where it gets bashed into daily. Downsides are a quoted 16hr cure time, and it's on the watery side so we needed a second coat

If it's a toss up between an agonising and undignified death from mesothelioma, or taking the word of a person whose only qualification is that he's a plaster, then I'm obviously totally on the side of the person that will walk away with money in their pocket.

Am I the person walking away with money in their pocket or am I dead in this scenario?

I thought I’d reached a point where it’s a toss up between an agonising and undignified death from mesothelioma or a sudden ceiling collapse causing an untimely death by suffocation.

So far all the opinions are from people who are plasterers, they just happen to disagree with each other.

It's often like this with trades especially domestic work. We've all arrived at working methods based on the prevailing conditions, including price. There's always a trade off.

Quote for testing and you lose the work to people who say it's not necessary. Maybe you move to commercial where testing would be mandatory, perhaps you let it slide because most of the time there's no risk. Follow this to it's conclusion and you see why there's a lot of bad decision making in domestic maintenance.

Obviously testing could reveal an undesirable answer so the smart thing to do is test it independently and then instruct the plasterer based on the results. Google asbestos testing kit to see what's involved.

I'd get it tested and if it is asbestos removed properly. Visible asbestos is a risk but at least people can see it. Cover it in plaster and someone will discover it in 10+ years by drilling it or pulling it down or something.

His budget for that will go up considerably when that happens.

I mean, if you want to exercise that level of diligence, you’d pay professionals to remove the artex entirely at great cost.

It’s not a binary thing tho. Yes asbestos is bad, but exposure levels and asbestos type play an important role in the calculation of the risk.

Any recommendations for a fixing to hang a plant from the ceiling? Probably 2kg max weight - ideally something that doesn't require hitting a joist?

What’s the ceiling made out of? I’d probably be comfortable using split toggles in plasterboard for that weight. Lath and plaster is asking to crack if you’re not planning on hitting a joist.

More sad bastard toolbag action.
Incredibly satisfying filling it up tho. Already a big fan of the smaller bag, stands upright and doesn’t want to fall over. The hook is great too. Already really like that I can see all my tools, and everything has a place (which makes double checking that you’ve not left anything behind much easier).

Only minor gripe is the lack of hip belt on the veto, but will probably just add one myself.

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Pretty much any plasterboard specific fitting should do that. I'm a fan of the expanding brolly type. As above, check it's not lath first though...

I hang my hammer off the side, can become a bit of a pain to get shit out once full thats my only gripe.

Having worked in commercial as a general builder (at Heathrow where the H&S culture is off the scale) artex isn't considered a risk there even. Artex is, from memory, 1-2% azzy we did one job where we refurbed a bunch of airside offices. These offices were forgotten about at some point in the late 70s and were like a time capsule (a stash of hairy 70s jazz mags were found in a desk drawer even). The walls and ceiling were covered in artex that was surveyed and found to contain asbestos. The asbestos removal experts provided us with RAMS, told us what products and processes to use, set up air quality monitoring and let us get on with it as the risk was perceived to be so low.

You want sad bastard. I treated myself to a nice set of chisels. They arrived today, my wife is threatening to put me "on the ban" if I don't stop honing them and cook dinner / put kids to bed.

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They will certainly not be used to lift floorboards them

I'll maim any fucker wot triez.

Ah good shout. It’s only a test fit, so there’ll be some shuffling around yet.
My hammer gets amazingly little use, so front centre probably isn’t the right place either.

It’d be rude not to give them the attention they deserve - the chisels that is ;)

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A recent convert to big fixed open tool boxes with everything poking upwards (got a milwaukee one, because it clips onto top of stack of power tools and screw boxes so it doesn't all roll around in car/van on every other corner). Always seen others with them and never understood, finally I get it, makes life so much easier.

Guys, there is no one best toolbox. Eventually you have three versions of every type on the go and still there is never one to rule them all!

I'm quite keen on the small veto one. Contents look like one of the other bags I've built up recently, that one doesn't stand up though. The backpack seemed too heavy to start with but I had in mind cycling with it which creates a lot of extra considerations.

Do you have a Tormek?

Does anyone have a plumber/central heating installer and tiler recommendation for South London please?

Yes but I tend to use it for grinding the primary bevel once the secondary bevel has got too big.

Also it's no good for lapping the rear of the chisel.

Yep, just plasterboard here. These look spot on, thanks.