What’s the Latest on Asbestos and Popcorn Ceilings?

A lot of homes in the 50’s up to the 80’s have used popcorn ceilings as a finish. If you see a white surface finish distinguished by extremely rough or rugged texture, then you are looking at a popcorn ceiling. For the modern eye, this style seems too garish and definitely out of date.  But it came to widespread popularity in the past because it had so many practical applications. It was easy to apply, most of these are just sprayed on or painted on to the ceiling and it was even less expensive than painting. This finish also masked flaws in the ceiling construction or carpentry. Lastly, they were popular because they had sound buffing properties. The extremely rugged texture was great for dispersing sound waves or vibrations and thus separated the bedroom upstairs from the noise of the dinning room below that had a popcorn ceiling. This is also why they were called “acoustic ceilings”.  But there is one major problem. Most of these spray on finishes had a deadly element mixed in: asbestos.

Asbestos has been regulated and banned from a lot of construction materials in the late 70’s. Scientific evidence has drawn a direct link between several types of cancers and lung illnesses with the inhalation of asbestos particles. However, this does not mean that asbestos containing popcorn ceiling products were no longer sold. Companies that wanted to avoid loses continued selling their asbestos contaminated building products until they finally sold out during the mid 80’s. This is why a lot of old houses still contain asbestos.

Popcorn ceilings are no longer fashionable today but there are still a lot of houses that have them.  If your house is old enough for you to suspect that your popcorn finish ceiling contains asbestos then you should have it tested as soon as possible and have it removed by licensed experts.

Caution on Removing Asbestos Popcorn Ceilings
There is a lot of misinformation circulating in the internet. You might find information in some webpage that provides so called “easy” step by step instructions on how to remove this kind of ceiling by your self. Do-it-yourselfers usually hate calling licensed professionals since this will cost money. Indeed a popcorn ceiling can be removed through these methods but is it worth risking your health and the health of your loved ones living in the same house. The minute fibers or power of asbestos released into the air when one scrapes off a popcorn ceiling finish can stay in one’s house for some time.