Artex was started in 1935, with the name Artex coming from "Asbestos Reinforced TEXtured Coating".^[1]

Artex became part of the BPB Group of companies in 1966.^[2] It merged with Blue Hawk sometime in 1997. Blue Hawk had been bought by the BPB Group in 1972. BPB was in turn purchased by Saint-Gobain, a large building products company based in France in November 2005.^[3]

It owns several brands, some of which have become genericized and are known and recognised as household words. Its brands include:

• Artex Textured Coating
• Gyproc Plasterboard
• Thistle Plaster
• Blue Hawk

It has its head office and main manufacturing base at Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, with an additional manufacturing site for texture and liquid products in Newhaven, East Sussex.

• Official website