hello! Ive read some stuff here about removing acoustic ceilings, which is something I am hoping to do myself. <br>When I had my house inspection, the inspector told me there has got to be asbestos up there, the question is in what layer. <br> <br>Who/What do I look for in the phonebook, what kinds of tests should I have done, and any idea on an approx cost? <br> <br> In the living room there are a few places that the 'popcorn' is peeling away, it doesn't look like the standard popcorn Ive had in all the apartments Ive lived in. Instead it almost looks like textured paint by the way it is peeling. I can see drywall under there, and it dosen't look that old. Was the asbestos actually in the popcorn stuff sprayed in the ceiling, or in the insulation? It is really hard to fight the urge to just get up there and start scraping!!! Any info is very apprieciated!!! Thanks! <br> <br>verna

If you can find out from the previous owner when it was put in that would help. If it was put in during the 80's you should be OK, asbestos had been banned by then.

unfortunatly the previous owner did not put it up [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] and she purchased it in 98. Thanks anyway : )

Hey sushiqueen, <br> <br>We have the same problem - popcorn with questionable asbestos content but just in the living and dining rooms. Our house inspector recommended we "enclose" it but putting up 1/4" drywall over it and skim coating the whole shebang. <br>Our crown molding is pretty simple so we won't lose hardly any of the profile. <br> <br>Unfortunately the living room has a ceiling beam that is sagging about 2". Before we take off the popcorn we'll have to address it and when we push up the ceiling and sister in a healthy beam to solve the problem, the whole ceiling is likely to drop. Soooooo....we are procrastinating. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] I have no idea when we will be brave enough to actually take care of it so I decided to go ahead and paint anyway. Not exactly the right way to do things but at least I have pretty rooms until we get around to the popcorn problem. <br> <br>Barbara

Hello. I'm not sure if the original poster will ever see this reply, but I'll share my experience for anyone else who might be seing this thread for the first time. <br> <br>I needed my ceiling tested, and didn't know where to start either. I ended up finding an asbestos testing lab through a Google search. <br> <br>I found a lab in my area (So. Cal.) that has 24-hour turnaround on test results, so I was able to get my results quickly. I scraped a sample on day one, mailed it on day two, and had my results (via email) on day three. Can't complain, can I? The company that I dealt with has a website: www.asbestos-test.com.

Thanks Anon [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I have been searching and found a testing place in my city. They wanted me to take a sample by taking a chisel to my ceiling, all the way to the wood! And they wanted threee samples for accuracy. Does this sound what like you had to provide. I only want to scrape my popcorn, and then paint the drywall underneath, I'm sure I will have some mud and tape work ahead of me [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] But I dont want to put three dents in my ceiling to the frame. One day I would like to remove the dryway and try to see if the plaster remains, but not for a loooong time [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] <br> <br>Thanks for the reply and answeres if you see them <br>verna

Ooops, I forgot to sign in, that was my post up above

Asbestos testing has come a long way in the last few years. You can now test for asbestos the same way you would for mold. A certified tester or company that tests for asbestos can now cut a sample out and send it to a lab, or you might be a lucky person and get a company with the ability to test the air with a gauge. If asbestos is found it is best to report it to your insurance company as they will inspect and replace it. Have you heard of using angies list to find quality testers?

I personally would hire someone to take care of it for me. Unless you are trained, you could wind up missing some of it, and it's just not worth the health risk.

unfortunatly the previous owner did not put it up [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] and she purchased it in 98. Thanks anyway : )

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