Asbestos in Popcorn Ceilings

Removing popcorn ceiling texture seems to be one of the first projects new home buyers want to take on after purchasing their new home these days. There is plenty of information out on the web (from YoutTube to Pinterest) on how to remove popcorn textures but little information about the asbestos associated with it.

Asbestos was used prevalently in popcorn ceiling texturing in homes built before the 1980s and is found often during inspections. Because popcorn texturing is highly friable (can be turned to dust via hand pressure), it is very important to obtain an asbestos inspection before working with this material.

A minimum of three or more samples will be taken to properly inspect the ceiling textures for asbestos. Samples can than be scraped directly into a sealable polyethylene bag and sent to a laboratory for sampling.

Asbestos containing popcorn texturing should be removed by a state certified asbestos abatement contractor according to all state and federal regulations.