Diystressbuster

If the frieze (border) was placed over wallpaper then the residue will simply come off when the wallpaper is removed. if placed over emulsion then if you have a wallpaper steamer then loosen with that first. then spray with a stripping solution and then work the residue off with a wallpaper scraper tool or a rough sponge. for a stripping solution try just warm water first and if that fails try cider vinegar, fabric softener or you can use proprietary wallpaper stripper. i would only use the wallpaper stripper as a last resort as i always try to avoid harsh chemicals.

I would prefer to see the job before answering this in detail. however, you state you wish to change the tiles behind the aga - if you literally mean that then the aga must be removed to access tiles behind it. however if existing tiles are splashback only they can be removed quite easily provided you protect the aga. the aga is most likely already pushed back to the wall and likely has a small inbuilt splash back of its own and you could simply tile down to that - the downside here is that the tiles may break if later the aga is removed for repair or replacement. better to simply move the aga out by 200 to 300mm (no need to fully remove), tile the splashback using a temporary strip of wood to tile up from (contact me for more details) then push the aga back. this is not difficult for electric aga's but wood or oil burners would need the flue disconnected as well - i can provide more details if contacted.

As we cannot be certain of what paint is already on the walls, i would recommend washing it off with a sugar soap solution, any that does not come off in this way can stay and can safely be wallpapered over. alternatively you could prime with a stain stop paint but i would be concerned as to whether the old emulsion is firmly adhered to the wall so i would go for the sugar soap. the caveat here is that i would prefer to see the job personally to rule out other causes such as poor pre-paint wall preparation or environmental factors. my visits to provide an estimate are free.

Lightly rub your hand over the artex and if you get a powdery coating on your hand it will mean it hasn't been painted. another indication of whether it has been painted is visible brush or roller marks in it. to avoid paint flaking, i would recommend thinning out the fist coat with water, say 15% to 20%.

but asbestos hasnt been used since about the end of the 80's (i think)..so i really think it will be ok

as regards painting it...it wont flake or peel providing you thin the first coat out a little..say about 15-20%

read more: http://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/painting-artex-ceiling.117412/#ixzz4w7wfithi

Did you choose a suitable adhesive? i am reluctant to recommend a particular grout here as new products continue to be developed. instead i would suggest you research for available grouts on the internet and at the same time research on blogs, etc as to other people's actual experience of using grouts. this would take only a little time to do - just 5 minutes of searching could yield lots of useful info. if you need direct advise then please feel free to contact me - advise is normally free.