One of the first things that you can do modernize any space is removing that dreaded acoustic ceiling pejoratively called “popcorn” or “cottage cheese” and we are here to help you get this task accomplished.
The Ultimate Handyman has done so many popcorn ceiling removals that we created a system to do it efficiently, fast and most importantly the right way!! Yes, There is a system for Acoustic Ceiling Removal, and we know it best.
People just hate popcorn ceilings, some hate just as much as having an old kitchen or bath. It gives the house a dated appearance and remodeling floors and walls will not get that dated feeling out! To make it even worse, these ceilings also affect the value of your house.
Besides devaluing your house, acoustic ceilings are also dust traps and hard to clean, because any attempt at cleaning it can dislodge some of the acoustic material, clearly damaging the ceiling and making it look much worse.
How Dangerous Can Acoustic Ceilings Be?
One of the dangers of popcorn ceilings is that in some instances, one of the main ingredients of this material is asbestos.
If you want to remove an acoustic ceiling, you’ll need to determine if it contains asbestos.
Asbestos was used in many construction materials before 1978. Then it was banned after the cancerous properties in asbestos were discovered.
But don’t freak out! You can test for asbestos by submitting samples to a laboratory.
We help you with it for a $150 fee per sample.
Acoustic Ceiling Removal Should Only Resume After Testing
The health risks such as cancer and respiratory disease, are some of the factors that makes lab testing to be so necessary.
We do it for you for about $150 per sample, but you can also get it done yourself for much cheaper by sampling and taking to the right labs. The cost is minimal and labs are listed under “Asbestos Testing Laboratories.”
If your home was built before 1979, chances are that your popcorn ceiling contains asbestos.
In fact, it’s not uncommon to find asbestos in acoustic ceilings installed in the 1980s because existing inventories were sold years after the 1978 ban.
Before Any Acoustic Ceiling Removal!!!!
Using a spray bottle, get four small ceiling areas wet with water mixed with a bit of liquid detergent.
Using a putty knife, scrape about one square inch of “popcorn” from each area into a zip-lock bag. If the lab results are negative, meaning less than 1% asbestos was found in the first sample, the EPA recommends testing three additional samples to confirm the results, hence 4 samples…
If You Get Bad News: ASBESTOS!
Three Ways To Handle It:
When your sample comes back, you may be lucky and get a negative result: No Asbestos or less than 0.1% worth of it. But if it comes back positive for asbestos, there are only three ways to deal with it safely and legally:
You can encapsulate the asbestos with a new layer of non-asbestos acoustic sprayed over the top of the existing. This is a solution for asbestos problem, but you will still have that horrible acoustic popcorn ceilings.
You can also encapsulate the existing ceiling with drywall sheets installed right over the popcorn ceiling, tapped, mudded and sanded smooth. This is the most efficient and economical way of dealing with the asbestos, no scrapping!
The pricier solution is to have us abate the asbestos per APA guidelines and then have the wallboard re-textured and painted.
Cost for having this asbestos professionally removed vary but, on average, a 15-by-20-foot room can cost you in between $4,000 to $6,000.
What a waste of money! That is why we don’t believe in new miracle products, because asbestos was once called a miracle product!
Removing Acoustic Ceiling That Contains Asbestos Is Not A DIY Activity:
Now, if in the unlikely possibility that you decide to remove the asbestos-impregnated ceiling yourself, you’ll need to use special HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter full-faced respirators, disposable protective overhauls, rubber boots or disposable booties and sealed eye protection.
In addition to your astronaut-suit, you must use special containment bags for all debris and dispose of them only at sites licensed for asbestos. Also there are special ways to seal each bag and store in special container for transporting.
Consult your state’s health departments or air-quality agencies before you collect any of this bad stuff in bags and leave in your yard!
You can encapsulate the existing ceiling with drywall sheets installed right over the popcorn ceiling, tapped, mudded and sanded smooth.
This is the most efficient and economical way of dealing with popcorn ceilings, specially if they have asbestos.
We are really cheap when it comes to removing the popcorn ceilings. Call us and we can help you no matter if we need to abate asbestos or only get rid of acoustic textures without asbestos in it!
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