popcorn treatment removal

[Melinda Preston]

Hi - we're on the verge of buying a house that has what I assume to be popcorn treatment on the walls and ceilings. We're interested in removing it, but apprehensive about the cost if it is found to contain asbestos. We have no idea when the work was done - the current owner said it was there when he moved in. Some of the walls have glitter mixed in. My question - is glitter a relatively recent addition to this particular treatment? And if you've removed popcorn that contained asbestos, was it staggeringly costly?

thanks,

**melinda

[Mark Harris]

The ceiling popcorn can EASILY be removed with water sprayer and a wallboard blade. I did about 10 x 12 room in 2 hours. The remaining ceiling is left pretty much intact, only needing to be finished/touched-up.

Mark

[Edwin Pawlowski]

You can easily remove the stuff yourself. Do a search on Google Groups for this and you will find many threads about it. Dampen it, scrap it, sponge it. Easily done.

Asbestos has not been used since 1978.

[m Ransley]

Well everyone forgot to say if its been painted it wont come off easy or cheaply. You will need a complete skim cote. Asbestos no, never heard of it in texture.

[George E. Cawthon]

Your "assumption" means that you really don't know. There are all kinds of textures from fairly smooth to fairly rough. Popcorn is extremely rough and even if painted with a coat or two of paint will compress--it is soft. If it won't compress when pressed on with the finger, it likely isn't popcorn but a texture that uses texturing mud. Popcorn on walls may be common somewhere but I think popcorn texture on walls would be highly unusual because of its softness. Glitter is not new, it has been used on popcorn (and other) ceilings before 1970.

I can't address costs of removal, but you can "encapsulate," one of the standard treatments, by painting it. If you paint it, you should spray it as any other method will require huge amounts of paint.

Aga>

[Mark Harris]

Actually, the popcorn PAINTING will not really affect the removal process. The coverage is not very good. The ceiling I removed had been painted no less than THREE TIMES and still came off with ease...

[Bob]

off easy or

heard of

I paid $1200 about 12 years ago to have asbestos laced popcorn ceiling removed from 2 rooms. It then cost me $600 to have the origional plaster properly repaired.

Take a small chip from the ceiling and have it tested.

Bob