Does My Popcorn Ceiling Have Asbestos? What to Do Before Removal
Renova Maintenance Services · Updated
Many popcorn ceilings applied before the 1980s contain asbestos, and you can't tell by looking. The EPA advises leaving suspect material undisturbed and having it tested by an accredited professional before any work that would disturb it.
Why it matters
Asbestos that's left alone and intact is not the hazard; the fibers released when it's disturbed are. Scraping, sanding and drilling a textured ceiling are exactly the activities that release them.
Sprayed-on acoustic and decorative ceiling textures were one of the common uses of asbestos. The chance is highest in ceilings applied before the 1980s, which covers a large share of the condos and townhomes in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Vero Beach.
You can't tell by looking
Asbestos-containing texture looks the same as texture without it. The only way to know is a lab analysis of a sample, and the agencies advise having a trained, accredited professional take that sample rather than doing it yourself — collecting a sample disturbs the material too.
The order to do things in
- Don't scrape, sand or drill the ceiling to "check" it.
- If the texture may date from before the 1980s, have it sampled and tested by an accredited asbestos professional.
- If you're in a condo, ask the association whether the building has already been tested — earlier results may answer the question.
- Negative result: removal can go ahead as normal.
- Positive result: the ceiling needs an asbestos abatement specialist. Leaving intact, undamaged texture alone is also an option the EPA recognizes.