Asbestos in popcorn ceilings: testing and removal

What it is

Popcorn, stipple and other sprayed or trowelled ceiling textures were popular from the 1950s into the 1980s. They hid imperfect drywall joints, absorbed sound and were quick to apply. Some of the products contained asbestos fibres, added for strength and fire resistance.

Asbestos was phased out of these products over time, but old stock continued to be used. As a working rule, any textured ceiling applied before about 1990 should be treated as suspect until it has been tested. The age of the house is a guide only, because ceilings are often re-textured during renovations.

You cannot tell by looking

Ceilings with and without asbestos look the same. Colour, sparkle, the size of the texture and how soft it feels tell you nothing reliable. Only laboratory analysis of a sample does.

Is it dangerous?

Asbestos causes harm when its fibres are breathed in. Health Canada’s position is that asbestos in good condition, left undisturbed, poses little risk. The risk comes from disturbing it.

Ceiling texture is a particular concern because it is friable. It crumbles easily, so it releases fibres with very little force. Things that disturb it include:

• Scraping it off
• Sanding or drilling
• Cutting holes for pot lights, fans or speakers
• Water damage that makes it sag or fall
• Scrubbing it to clean off mold or stains
• Children’s bunk beds, or anything that rubs against it
• Demolition during a renovation

Getting it tested

1. Do not scrape a sample dry. Testing is itself a disturbance.
2. The safest route is to have samples taken by someone trained to do it, such as an environmental consultant or an abatement contractor.
3. Several samples are normally needed. The texture may have been applied in batches or patched later, and results can differ from room to room.
4. Samples go to an accredited laboratory. Results commonly come back within a few days, faster for a rush fee.
5. Keep the report. It is useful to future contractors and buyers.

If a homeowner takes a sample themselves, the generally recommended precautions are to wet the spot first, keep others out of the room, wear a suitable respirator, catch the material in a sealed bag and clean up with damp cloths, not a household vacuum.

Your options if it contains asbestos

Leave it

If the ceiling is in good condition and you are not renovating, leaving it alone is a legitimate choice. Do not drill or sand it, and deal with any damage promptly.

Cover it

The ceiling can be enclosed with new drywall fixed over it, or sealed with paint. Covering avoids the disturbance of removal, but the asbestos is still there. Anyone who later cuts into the ceiling needs to know. Fixing new drywall involves driving screws through the texture, so it is still work that needs precautions. Painting a ceiling that has never been painted can loosen it, so spraying is preferred to rolling.

Remove it

Removal is the permanent answer and is usually chosen before a renovation, after water damage, or when the ceiling is deteriorating.

How removal works

Ontario Regulation 278/05 sets out how asbestos work is done by employers and contractors. It classifies jobs as Type 1, 2 or 3 by the material and the amount. Sprayed texture is friable, so removing it falls into the higher classifications, and removing more than a small area is generally Type 3 work, the most stringent.

For a typical ceiling removal that means:

• The room is emptied, and what cannot be moved is wrapped
• Heating and cooling to the area are shut off and the vents sealed
• Walls and floors are covered in plastic sheeting to form an enclosure
• The enclosure is kept under negative pressure with HEPA-filtered air machines
• Workers wear respirators and disposable coveralls and leave through a decontamination area
• The texture is wetted thoroughly, then scraped off
• Waste is double bagged, labelled and taken to a site licensed to accept it
• Surfaces are HEPA vacuumed and wiped
• For Type 3 work, air testing confirms the area is clear before the enclosure comes down

Should I do it myself?

The regulation’s requirements apply to anyone you hire. They do not apply to an owner working in their own home, but the health risk is the same, and so is the risk of contaminating the whole house and its ductwork. Health authorities advise leaving asbestos removal to trained people. A do-it-yourself scrape that goes wrong is the most common way a contained problem becomes a house-wide cleanup.

After water damage

A leak from the roof or a bathroom above often brings a textured ceiling down. If the texture has not been tested, treat the debris as suspect: keep people out of the room, do not sweep or vacuum it, switch off the furnace fan and have it tested. Where asbestos is confirmed, the cleanup and the water damage repair are planned together.

Buying or selling a house with popcorn ceilings

A suspect ceiling is not a defect in itself. Buyers who plan to renovate should budget for testing and possible removal. Sellers who have a test result, either way, should keep it to hand.

More: asbestos removal and abatement.