Asbestos removal?

cubsfan · 03-22-2008, 10:30 PM

Just got the results I didn't want. That nasty popcorn ceiling that I was a few minutes from scraping is full of asbestos (glad I decided to hold off and get it tested

). It was 12%, which the lab said was high. Does anybody know of a reliable asbestos removal company in the mid-valley? I have a 1200 square foot home with popcorn in all but the kitchen and BR's. The 2 car garage also has it. It is ugly and I don't trust it. Also, how much would a ballpark figure be on removing this stuff? Thanks.

sandman · 03-22-2008, 11:19 PM

$900 Take off and re texture/broquae

Chromaflage · 03-23-2008, 06:34 AM

Here's a link to Oregon's list of licensed abatement contractors.

http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/asbestos/docs/F-contr.pdf

Atez has been around a long time and has a decent reputation as does WL Thomas.

AyeFish · 03-23-2008, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cubsfan

Just got the results I didn't want. That nasty popcorn ceiling that I was a few minutes from scraping is full of asbestos (glad I decided to hold off and get it tested

). It was 12%, which the lab said was high. Does anybody know of a reliable asbestos removal company in the mid-valley? I have a 1200 square foot home with popcorn in all but the kitchen and BR's. The 2 car garage also has it. It is ugly and I don't trust it. Also, how much would a ballpark figure be on removing this stuff? Thanks.

Good for you doing it the right way. You'd be astounded how many people know the risk, and just shrugg and say, "It won't hurt me."

Duhhhh.

rowmanholiday · 03-23-2008, 07:59 AM

I would look online or in the phone book for abatement companies. Give them the parameters of your project. They should be able to give you a pretty accurate quotation for what it will take to remove and dispose of it.

I'd make sure to let them know the total number of rooms and what the square footage is per room.

Good luck.

cubsfan · 03-23-2008, 09:40 AM

Thanks everybody. I have a little time off so I think I will start to get some bids. Thanks for the link.

Swift Fly Guy · 03-25-2008, 01:38 PM

PMed you contact info for a contractor I use several times per year.

Chrome Bumper · 03-25-2008, 01:41 PM

I vote for new sheetrock. Have them coat it in glue to immobilize it and rip out the works.

cubsfan · 03-25-2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrome Bumper

I vote for new sheetrock. Have them coat it in glue to immobilize it and rip out the works.

Had the sheetrock tested and it came back clear. I need to check the flooring out.

Chromaflage · 03-25-2008, 02:13 PM

Make sure they tested the mudded/taped joints - not just the sheetrock. If the flooring is linoleum and has felt backing and was installed prior to 1983, 99.9% chance the felt contains asbestos.

Chromaflage · 03-25-2008, 02:15 PM

Popcorn ceiling is very easy for an experienced contractor to remove and is much less costly than removing the entire sheetrock - especially when disposal is charged by volume/weight. The contractor will lightly spray the ceiling with amended water and gently scrape the texturing off the sheetrock, then spray an encapsulant on the sheetrock. This should all be done with the entire area tented off with 6 mil plastic sheeting and the contractor should use a negative air machine that is equipped with a HEPA filter and exhausted outside. Make sure the contractor has someone take clearance air samples and that the final airborne concentration of asbestos is less than 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter before taking the ventilation out and the plastic sheeting down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrome Bumper

I vote for new sheetrock. Have them coat it in glue to immobilize it and rip out the works.

Swift Fly Guy · 03-25-2008, 02:39 PM

Licensed contractor, permits, notification to DEQ, certification of workers on site, and completion certification to you are all very important. When you select a certified contractor they will hook you up. Shop the job to at least three certified companies you don't have to pay too much, it all sounds worse than it is.

johndeeregreen · 03-25-2008, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandman

$900 Take off and re texture/broquae

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Two Fister · 03-26-2008, 07:07 AM

Another option is to encapsulate the popcorn ceiling with an encapsulating paint. You would still have to make sure that nobody punched throught the ceiling, but it should be less expensive than removal. It is an acceptable process according to AHERA and DEQ regs.

If it were up to me, I'd have it removed. $900 sounds too good to be true, but if it can be done properly by a licensed abatement contractor then that would be an amazing price. It's not worth doing improperly as it will spread fibers all over your house and that'll be a lot more difficult, and expensive, to clean up.

I got a price to do the same thing on a house we were looking at about 5 years ago. The house was about 2,300 ft3 and the estimate was somewhere around $8,000. And that was from one of my contractors that I send a lot of work to. I think he may have been bumping the price a bit as we were in negotiations and he was willing to let me use his gear to do it myself, but I would be surprised if the price wasn't pretty steep. Then again, everybody is a bit hungrier these days...

TF

byebyeducky · 03-26-2008, 07:44 AM

$900 sounds to good to be true, but then again it is finally a number that seems reasonable. Removing popcorn ceiling is very easy to do. I personally would do my own which is legal to do. Popcorn ceiling (as much as I know) contains low amounts of asbestos compared to most products. When removed properly, there is no dust.

I had about 1100SF of popcorn ceiling removed and 150SF of vinyl for $5800. This was by a company that we has proven to be on the low side when we competively bid.

Chromaflage · 03-26-2008, 08:01 AM

Don't be too sure about the low content. There is no "typical" percentage of asbestos in popcorn ceilings. Typically, the asbestos was added by hand to the texturing mixture and rarely measured. It only served as an abrasive to keep the nozzle of the texturing gun clear. In the 20+ years I've been in the EHS world, I've seen popcorn ceiling range from 1% to 30%+. And, yes, you are right that removing it yourself is legal to do. But most people do not have the equipment or know-how to remove it properly. If you have kids, I wouldn't take that chance.

Two Fister · 03-26-2008, 08:35 AM

If I remember correctly, anything over 2% total asbestos is considered Asbestos containing. I'm not an AHERA guy, but that's the number that sticks with me. It can be easy to do, but it can also be easy to mess up. The fibers are microscopic and will stick to anything. Any leakage in containment can pass fibers into other portions of a house. Popcorn ceiling is about as easy an asbestos cleanup as you can find, but that doesn't mean it's an easy process.

When I was thinking of doing it myself I was going to have access to all of the latest and greatest equipment for the removal, testing and containment. I was also going to rip up all of the carpet in the house and paint all of the walls. Now that was partially because it was ready for a remodel and partially to trap any fibers that may have escaped or been previously released. The deal ended up falling through, but I was looking at a pretty lengthy process.

Kids are especially susceptible to these kinds of materials.

TF

Chromaflage · 03-26-2008, 08:56 AM

Dan, by definition, asbestos containing material is anything that contains 1% or more of any kind of asbestos. Fibers tend to remain airborne for a very long period of time and can be easily circulated around the house by natural air currents, vacuum cleaners and ventilation systems. The filtration in most home ventilation systems is not efficient enough to trap the microscopic fibers that can easily be inhaled into the lungs.

And, yes, because of their developing respiratory systems, kids can be susceptible to asbestos related issues. Also, the latency period from exposure to onset of symptoms related to asbestos caused diseases is between 15 and 25 years. Some asbestos related diseases (lung cancer, asbestosis) are thought to be dose related and the chance of contracting these diseases increases with frequency and duration of exposures. Whereas, mesothelioma, a 100% fatal asbestos related cancer, can, according to some toxicologists, be caused by a single exposure and/or even a single fiber.

I personally know about a dozen people who have asbestos related diseases. I know two who have died from mesothelioma. But both were insulators and worked with the stuff on a daily basis.

More useless, non-fishing related knowledge dispensed at no charge.

Grain of Salt · 03-26-2008, 11:13 AM

"I personally know about a dozen people who have asbestos related diseases. I know two who have died from mesothelioma. But both were insulators and worked with the stuff on a daily basis. "

just curious...did the 2 that died also smoke?

Chromaflage · 03-26-2008, 11:35 AM

Excellent question. Yes, one did smoke, the other not. However, the synergistic effects of combining cigarette smoking and asbestos exposure are more commonly associated with asbestosis and lung cancer rather than with mesothelioma.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grain of Salt

just curious...did the 2 that died also smoke?

Two Fister · 03-26-2008, 12:37 PM

Thanks CrF! 1% it is. Glad I don't work with that stuff every day.

I know two folks that had asbestos related illness. Both worked in the same brake pad manufacturing shop before getting into the remediation business. They used to joke that they had been exposed to enough fibers at the plant to render them immune. Both are now gone.

It's nasty stuff. Be careful.

TF

Chromaflage · 03-26-2008, 12:52 PM

Did you know that drag washers in many older reels contain a high percentage of asbestos? I'll be Alan Tani even has some lying around in his shop.

Chrome Bumper · 03-26-2008, 01:00 PM

The guy sitting next to me has the messy-o-thingy, from marine insulation.