Asbestos Popcorn Ceiling Abatement
Ambassador Property Contractors guarantees that our abatements are safe and executed properly. Our company uses negative-air purifying units, fully sealed polyethylene containment chambers, HEPA-rated vacuums and lockdown agents to ensure that all of the popcorn ceiling comes down and zero asbestos escapes the containment.
Our contractors are experienced restoration professionals, capable of priming and painting a recently completed popcorn ceiling removal.
Commonly used in residential and commercial applications between the 1940’s and 1990, asbestos popcorn ceiling was used as fire proofing and acoustic barrier. Ambassador Property Contractors removes popcorn ceilings both with and without asbestos.
How to remove a popcorn ceiling
Many customers land on our page asking, “how do I remove popcorn ceilings?”. Let us show you how the professionals remove a popcorn ceiling. Our experience is based out of Windsor, Ontario in Canada. We have removed popcorn ceilings in residential homes and apartments, commercial warehouses and highrises, industrial complexes and institutional facilities. We have removed asbestos popcorn ceilings and non-asbestos popcorn ceilings. We have experienced the pain of painted versus non-painted popcorn ceilings of all kinds. Some popcorn ceiling is textured plaster, while some is new drywall compound, or “mud”. At the end of the day, our recommendation is always to contact an experienced professional for any project involving popcorn ceiling removal.
Our brief synopses on popcorn ceiling removal
How to Scrape A Popcorn Ceiling
First apply wetting agents then scrape test the ceiling in multiple areas to confirm if scraping the texture smooth is plausible. If it cuts like butter like you’ve seen on HGTV, your ceiling is a drywall compound texture that has not been painted. Wear an n95 mask or apply wetting agents liberally such that dust is completely mitigated. At Ambassador Property Contractors, we also implement a HEPA air scrubber with the exhaust ducted out the window to further mitigate dust and keep the working environment safe. Dust barriers to protect the property are also recommended.
How to Sand A Popcorn Ceiling
If scraping will require too much time, effort or repair work, move to the industrial sanders. If you also have triangular powerheads for sanding you will save hours hand-sanding the corners and edges. Do not use powered sanders on drywall or plaster without a full-seal respirator. N95 masks do not suffice — silicosis can present symptoms after just one prolonged exposure.
In our professional opinion, the only dust extracting drywall sander worth purchasing is the FESTOOL drywall sander, and respective FESTOOL dust extractor.
How to Skimcoat A Popcorn Ceiling
If sanding is not a possibility, consider a skimcoat coverup. Professionals use the appropriate materials and compounds to skim the ceiling texture over with a fresh, level surface ready for light sanding and painting. Ensuring proper adhesion to the popcorn surface requires experienced assessment followed by the relevant procedure. Skimcoats are not a DIY friendly task. The procedures required are determined by paint, plaster, drywall compound, texture and asbestos variables.
What solutions are available if scraping, sanding and skimcoating are not an option?
If a skimcoat coverup is not a possibility, the drywall must come down. Beware, when you pull your drywall down be careful to keep the vapour barrier intact if there is one present or you will also be cleaning up and re-installing new insulation above the ceiling. The studs will have to be de-nailed, and hauling out drywall debris to a disposal bin is easier in your head. If the popcorn ceiling was installed on plaster, you can double your expected cleanup time and disposal weight.
Removing popcorn ceilings with asbestos
Almost every Province, Territory and State in Canada and America have regulated procedures regarding asbestos removal that necessitate performance by a licensed professional. Keeping workers, the property, and the environment safe requires an experienced execution of procedure and should never be performed by an unlicensed individual, regardless of regulation.
All popcorn ceilings installed in Windsor before 1990 should be tested for asbestos. In the City of Windsor, contractors continued installing asbestos building materials even after Canadian federal regulation started tapering the usage of asbestos in 1980. Our company has tested original materials installed in 1989 that returned positive for asbestos.
Consider that if you have popcorn ceilings installed in multiple rooms, they may all be installed at different times with different materials. Take asbestos samples of each room with popcorn ceilings, and two would be better.
Contract a licensed professional to execute your popcorn ceiling asbestos abatement