Asbestos Ceiling Removal Best Done Professionally

By: Barry Stone

Dear Barry,

My home has textured ceilings in the living rooms and bedrooms, and the material has tested positive for asbestos. A home inspector I know says he removed his asbestos ceilings by himself and that it was simple. He just wetted the surfaces. The asbestos material turned to mush and was easily removed. But when I tried to wet my ceilings, the water wouldn't soak in. Why did this method work for my friend but not for me? - Allen

Dear Allen,

During the 1980s and early '90s, removal of acoustic ceiling texture was commonly done for environmental safety reasons, because breathing asbestos fibers was known to cause various lung diseases. That practice became less common when it was realized that asbestos ceilings pose no health hazards if left alone. Air contamination, it was realized, only occurs when the material is disturbed, causing the release of asbestos fibers. In more recent years, removal of acoustic ceiling texture has become popular because the cottage cheese look makes a home appear dated.

When acoustic texture material is wet, asbestos fibers are withheld from release into the air. Therefore, wetting is part of the prescribed method for safe removal. But in some cases, as you've found, this procedure is not possible. The water resistance of your acoustic ceilings is probably due to paint on the surface. Unpainted acoustic spray readily absorbs water. When wetted, it assumes the consistency of oatmeal and is easily removed with a drywall knife, without releasing asbestos fibers into the air. However, many old acoustic ceilings have been painted, thereby encapsulating the asbestos-containing material and rendering it waterproof.

If you proceed to scrape the acoustic texture while it is dry, asbestos fibers could contaminate the air in your home. Therefore, removal should be delegated to a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to ensure safety. Unfortunately, the cost of professional asbestos removal is prohibitive. Because of this, some homeowners have opted to install a second layer of drywall over the asbestos surface, as this can be done for less money than asbestos removal. Drywall application over an acoustic ceiling can cause abrasion, however, resulting in the release of asbestos fibers. Therefore, such work should only be done with the advisement of an asbestos abatement contractor.

Copyright 2004-2006 Barry Stone. Distributed by Inman News.