Stipple Coating

Stipple coating is a textured decorative finish applied to ceilings and walls by dabbing, spattering, or rolling a compound onto the surface to create a raised, irregular pattern. Used extensively from the mid-1950s through the mid-1980s, stipple coatings were produced by many of the same manufacturers as other textured coatings, including Artex, Wondertex, and Polycell. Like related textured finishes, stipple coatings manufactured before 1985 may contain chrysotile asbestos at concentrations typically between 1% and 5% by weight.

Stipple coating creates a distinctive surface texture that differs from the swirl, fan, or comb patterns commonly associated with Artex. The finish appears as a random pattern of raised points or bumps, resembling the texture of an orange peel or rough stucco. The coating was applied using various techniques: dipping a brush or sponge into the compound and dabbing it onto the ceiling, using a stipple roller, or applying the compound with a trowel and then texturing it with a dabbing tool. Each method created a slightly different texture profile.

The product was popular for the same reasons as other textured coatings: it concealed imperfections in the substrate, provided a decorative finish, and was relatively quick and inexpensive to apply. Stipple coating was used in residential homes, offices, schools, shops, and public buildings throughout the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand during the peak decades of the 1960s and 1970s.

Stipple coating shares the same hazard profile as other textured coatings. When intact and undisturbed, it is non-friable and poses low risk. However, sanding, scraping, or mechanical removal releases asbestos fibres, as does drilling into the coated surface. The material is often mistakenly assumed to be safe because of its relatively low asbestos concentration, but even low concentrations become hazardous when the material is pulverised during removal. Professional testing is essential before any disturbance, and removal or encapsulation should be carried out by qualified professionals.