Don't Remove Your Popcorn Ceiling Without Watching This First

Leah demonstrates how to test your popcorn ceiling or walls for the presence of asbestos.
Link to EPA Booklet "Asbestos in the Home: A Homeowner's Guide" nepis.epa.gov/...
Link to Inspectapedia Guide to Asbestos in The Home: inspectapedia....
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• Don't Remove Your Popc...
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[@nipped]

This person was actually like “make sure you test for dangerous chemicals” instead of “smack that sub button with your forehead!!” What a legend

[@PaulPeck]

Great video Leah! My drywall and painting company has been doing popcorn removal professionally for 20 years. Before I ever do any scraping of a popcorn ceiling that was applied before 1980. I always have it tested. I know 1978 was the cut off for asbestos products. But manufactures were allowed to keep a backstock. So they mass-produced these products and had about two years worth of them left to sell to the public. If a popcorn ceilings asbestos test comes back positive there are a few options for a homeowner: 1) You can have an asbestos mediation company come in and remove the popcorn at a very steep price. 2) If you don't want to do anything but make your popcorn ceiling look better. You can encapsulate your ceiling with primer and paint. Then everything will be fine as far as the asbestos. 3) if your popcorn ceiling looks really bad you can encapsulate it with a skim coat using all-purpose joint compound. Prime, paint and you got a new ceiling with no risk of asbestos exposure. Hope this helps,-Paul

[@SandiRose2008]

Great information, Paul. Leah makes some great vids and you just took it a step further with your comment! Thank you.

[@Mr05Chuck]

Good to know, as my house was built in 1978. I had a notion that they could have used back stock. If I remove the PC I will have it tested.

[@igfoobar]

My house was built in 1991 and is full of popcorn-texture ceilings. Not likely to be asbestos?

[@GarrettMoffitt]

I just researched this last month. There are reports of some people have been using popcorn material as late as 1985 from back inventory.

[@seejanedrill]

Hey Paul, Thanks for sharing your experience. The many thumbs-up is an indication of how your comment is appreciated.

[@onysitv3671]

we just bought a home this month, a fixer upper, and we're doing a lot of our own remodeling, and everytime i have a question for myself, i search on youtube and you seem to have the answer for everyone of them. thank you!!

[@SkyKing101010]

Wow! It never occurred to me that there might be asbestos in that. My wife wanted the popcorn finish taken off the bathroom ceiling. I was dragging my heals on that job because of the intensive overhead aspect of the project. When I saw how readily the plaster came off after it was misted my first thought was, "It's THAT easy?!" Now I can proceed... after testing. P.S.: Who ever thought that a popcorn ceiling was a good idea in the first place, ... at all...ever.

[@MaioFourpaws]

Yesterday I went to see a home built in the 70's with my real estate agent. It had a popcorn ceiling in a few rooms. I was unsure as to whether to keep it on the list or omit it. I went to bed last night not knowing what to do because it had some very strong positives as well as negatives. This was the first video I saw today. I think it was the sign I needed. It's now off "the list". I don't want to even go through with testing etc. I just want a safe move-in-ready home. Thanks Leah! I had no idea that popcorn ceiling could contain asbestos (which caused the cancer my grandfather died from).

[@calikokat08]

now all you have is hidden mold and radon to worry about :/

[@iRonlMoNKleY]

It's safest if you look for homes which are dated earliest in the mid 90's to present day. Asbestos was widely used in homes prior to that and when renos come along, you will save yourself from all the headache or worrying, testing and possibly abatement.

[@MD-en3zm]

I had mine tested. It was positive. Had it professionally removed. This is a real concern and not something to take lightly. Glad you are mentioning this and raising awareness. I always cringe when I see videos on DIY popcorn removal without any testing.

[@LesterElm1]

Reminds me of when I purchased my house in 2007 (it was built in 1956). I had popcorn ceilings and tile flooring that I wanted to remove and sent samples to our metro safety lab for testing. I paid the required fee online and shipped off my samples. One week later I received verification that the samples were asbestos free so I did the demolition. Two weeks later I received in the mail the samples that I had sent. They were returned in the original unopened package which was stamped return to sender. I sure hope the materials I removed did not contain asbestos, but no way of knowing for sure now.

[@seejanedrill]

Hey Lester, Always nice to see you in the comments.

[@autumnspring6624]

What a rip off! Hope you got your money back so that you could used towards a reputable testing lab.

[@calikokat08]

who did you send it to?

[@pintorthepintor3964]

You should really look into that and sue them. They are basically taking money from people and not testing anything. Your exposure to asbestos is 100% their fault.

[@joem.7621]

So, what are people replacing the popcorn with? Flat paint, or a different texture? If you're wondering, popcorn and other ceiling texture has a functional aspect. It dampens sound and reduces the echo effect of sound bouncing around a room. So, if you just go with no texture, please be aware your acoustics will get worse. Consider that for your TV/music room. Ceiling texture was not ever intended as just a decorative feature.

[@seejanedrill]

Thanks Joe for sharing!

[@dericanslum1696]

..."acoustic" ceilings...the long lost nomenclature...

[@rickshuster2511]

it was actually done to simplify the finishing process, it prevented people from having to finish the drywall joints and paint....but we can go with acoustics too

[@MrThorMNFinest]

Thanks!

[@danielfairless6124]

If in doubt you could use dry wall over the popcorn once you’ve found the joists using a joist detecter. Joining tape and skim but that’s going to lower the ceiling by 12mm ! Keep up the good work Leigh

[@jackp9589]

Daniel Fairless did that in my bathrooms and it looks super clean

[@danielfairless6124]

Fila Kri a plasterer would carry out this work

[@lilliewheat5086]

Daniel Fairless 3

[@DD-OO]

Wish I knew about this when I messed with my last house a few years ago :(

[@ajjmunoz]

You're awesome for posting this. You're videos help people so thank you for your time and effort you take to make them.

[@billm.8220]

I removed the popcorn ceiling from one room. I found out AFTER the fact that it was level 1 asbestos. Needless to say I have not removed any more of the ceilings. Have decided that it will be more economical if I install 1/2” drywall to cover it up instead.

[@shawnmoore4292]

Some popcorn ceilings are cork based. Good advise Leah.

[@im2crafty]

i actually put up cork tiles over (or should i say under) the popcorn-didn,t want to disturb it. it muffles the sound both up and downstairs.

[@semco72057]

My brother and I decided to hire a friend who was a carpenter to remove the ceiling area in one room of our mother's house which had partially fell to the floor and needed repair. I had considered doing the job myself, but thought of how I would be able to do that with the sheet rock, but our friend used a helper to put up the ceiling and light fixture and completed the job in one day, but left us a mess. Now I have to hire someone to clean the floor of that room now and move all the furniture back in from the kitchen, and living room.

[@APRIL2862]

Hi Leah, So if your popcorn ceiling does have asbestos, could there be asbestos floating down from the ceiling and circulating in the air you breathe?

[@felixramos720]

Thanks Leah I have did it with out that precaution so I'll be more careful' thank you so much.👍

[@midnightrunner684]

Our old house in Northeast Ohio was built in 1901 ..That place was full of all kinds of suprizes and had lead paint

[@standepain]

lol Welp guess my Popcorn ceiling is staying there. Good thing I like it.

[@donaldsincennes9673]

Hi Leah! I am a professional painter in Ottawa Canada! Think twice before removing stipple? Why? I did a job today removing the stipple in a room to find underneath nail pops, joints not sanded, one coat of mud......... Don the gooseneck guy! Cheers!

[@LousyPainter]

One problem with your sample taking was that when you turned over the bag after wiping it you should have placed it on a different part of the paper towel because if when you wiped the bag the first time you could have transferred some particles off, if there were any, the bag and then when you turned the bag over... the wet bag, it could have picked up the dropped particles without you knowing and you could have exposed yourself or sent them to an unsuspecting person, other then that great video as usual!

[@MrUbiquitousTech]

Oh no! Asbestos particles! The sky is falling. Remember wetting asbestos and playing with it like clay? We all survived it.

[@hajrakhatoon5334]

Hello from NC . I alway love to watch your video . I want to know how to put wood floor in room . Any idea which brand is good . Pleas reply me

[@allandavis2023]

Good information, thank you again for this and many other helpful videos. What will I fins under my popcorn? Can I just paint over the underneath surface or is there mare I will need to do? Thanks again for all the information.

[@seejanedrill]

Most likely, some of it will come off clean, but there might be other areas where you want to repair pitting and such with a little joint compound, and then sand it.

[@yourpaltim]

My house was built in 1959. Had popcorn samples taken from several spots including a hall closet and testing came back negative for asbestos. However, popcorn ceiling doesn't seem to be the sort that can be soaked with water to allow it to fall off or be easily scraped off. It seems to be some sort of cement that won't even be scraped off with repeated soaking and scraping. The attic side looks like drywall, not lath. Have you heard of my situation before? What do you think my options are? Thanks!

[@seejanedrill]

I've seen that in commercial applications. It is possible that it has just been painted?

[@yourpaltim]

I don't think paint is keeping the acoustic ceiling from being so difficult to remove. I say that because I tried removing it from inside a closet where I don't image one would ever bother painting. Also, at another area, I scraped but it didn't help soaking with water to remove the popcorn. I believe the scraping would have removed any paint that might have prevented the popcorn from being loosened with water. Can the popcorn be scraped and then plastered over, or should the ceiling be removed and redone, or what? If I can live with the popcorn long enough maybe it will come back into vogue, like fat/skinny neckties. Thanks for your help!

[@JonnyDIY]

*Mmmm....popcorn! "To the Movies, I say!"*

[@seejanedrill]

🙂

[@dsandoval9396]

The asbestos gives me a warm, scratchy, feeling inside. 😚

[@Natasha-fn7te]

Looking to remove popcorn ceilings in a house built in 1990...Never even thought of this, should i be testing prior to removing? Thanks

[@lindascroggins6204]

I love all of your videos...no matter what content it's about :) Do you have a video about how you created your tool storage?

[@Recken1]

I'd like to build some of those as well.

[@kennedym2988]

Omg I removed my popcorn ceiling in my bathroom without testing it.. oh brother.. thanks for the video

[@nancybryant4325]

Kennedy M I did too. It’s an older home so hope their was no asbestos.

[@biggixer]

Great vid it's always worth it for yourself and the homeowner's safety

[@KooglaGK]

Hmm, where can I find labs in NYC that can test this sample?

[@heidilou5450]

Gamakun , you can purchase an asbestos testing kit at Lowe's or Home Depot for around $12, and then it costs like $40 for the test. The choice of labs you mail it off to are listed in the kit.

[@NforNatural]

Can popcorn walls have asbestos in them, too? My house was built in 1945. Previous owners have done a lot of updates, but I have ugly popcorn walls in my kitchen. No popcorn ceilings anywhere in the house. I’m not sure if the walls have always been like this but curious if there’s a possibility that asbestos could be in these walls?

[@autumnspring6624]

Wish you had organized your videos by category! Also can you or have you made a video for organizing garage & tools?

[@palebeachbum]

Leah, did they stop using asbestos in popcorn ceiling finishes at some point? For example, if a house was built in the 70s, 80, or 90s, can a homeowner have confidence that their popcorn ceiling contains no asbestos because of the age of the home?

[@jonnyquest9038]

palebeachbum Please know that popcorn ceilings are not the only places where asbestos was used. I didn't know this until until a few coworkers informed me that drywall mud could be problematic as well. Luckily where I was removing old wallpaper I had sound walls and used steam to remove wallpaper so I was fine. I'm thinking as long as wall was sound and it was a wet removal I was OK since any diners would not have been airborne. But I didn't learn about this until AFTER I removed the wallpaper. So folks I agree with Jane test but also know where it may occur in older homes. www.asbestosnetwork.com/Worker-Safety/Asbestos-In-The-Home.shtml

[@jtlandrum]

Yes they mandated no more asbestos in 1978. Manufacturers could continue to sell the supply they had, which was roughly 2 years. So if your home was built after 1980, you can be fairly sure you don't have asbestos. If you are right around 1980, you might want to get it tested. But after that you are fine. The video should have told people this instead of making it seem like all houses with popcorn ceilings need to be tested.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Seems like they should offer lead paint testing at the same time.

[@barbmccreary7570]

Leah you are awesome.thank you for all the info

[@Grimm_Book]

I was just going to tackle this project! Thank you

[@LARRYBROWN-oj3hd]

YOURPALTIM WE USE TO MIX 5 GALLONS OF PAINT IN A 55 GALLON DRUM OF POPCORN TEXTURE BEFORE WE TEXTURED.THAT IS WHY YOUR CEILING IS SO HARD.

[@igfoobar]

If the asbestos test comes back positive, Leah says "you CAN'T do this" :)

[@TheDoombugg]

Art C asbestos is no different from smoking. Same effect. Takes forever

[@jerardysantiago966]

I started removing a room of ceiling popcorn and then searched how to remove it and found out about asbestos I had no clue. Now I’m worried and scared what should I do. It’s most likely positive because my house was built in 1887 so I’m just idk

[@bug8992]

My ceiling is falling off. I don't know if it has that in it. But i can't do anything about it. I have been in the house since it started falling i have no wherw to go.. Does anybody have advice?

[@davidjoe8455]

Can you send me the link for sample testing ?

[@livingasimplelifestyle6672]

Awesome Leah! Thank you so much.

[@seejanedrill]

My pleasure

[@markschiavone8003]

nice job Leah!!!

[@FeonaLeeJones]

If I’m a renter and the ceiling has asbestos, are they required to change it?

[@seejanedrill]

You know, Feona, that probably depends upon where you live. I would suggest trying to find a tenant's advocacy group in your area, and talking with them about it.

[@autumnspring6624]

Is it true that houses built before 1970's have aspestos?

[@DaaaveO1971]

They could. So could houses built after the 1970s.

[@ritarevell7195]

Thanks for the video.

[@mastersmoosh9496]

what year did they stop using asbestos in popcorn ceilings?

[@elained2448]

G Hal I did a quick Google search, the EPA in the United States had the Clean Air Act of 1978, but it appears to have been basically ignored up to 1999. That being said, I would follow Ms. Leah’s advice and have it tested. For the price of a dinner and enjoyment of a couple hours or the health of everyone’s lungs for their life...

[@autumnspring6624]

Elaine D So true!

[@tweedie2100]

They never did stop.

[@hongha8446]

Why do we need to test?

[@seejanedrill]

for the presence of asbestos, which is dangerous to breathe in

[@dinokivericfilms]

Awesome tips!

[@HAMRADIOJOE4178]

GREAT INFO......

[@devinherbert6997]

I’m here for a good time not a long time 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@nikkic2581]

Great video!!

[@seejanedrill]

🙂

[@Mdogbrown]

Wish I knew this earlier. I’m so pissed. I just scraped a whole room and just found this out. There is dust EVERYWHERE. I just sent off for testing. We bought the house under Usda loan and wasn’t notified about it. It was built in 1978.

[@Reina.Kluender]

I've found this thread one year later, but if you see this, would you please share an update?

[@kareno8634]

'seeJanedrill' - Leah ~ Hope all is well - Thanks! Never hurts to know this, Ugly Stuff. I Don't have it, just Old very textured Plaster. Love it, but 2 x 4 & board is holding some up; Just No Nerve Yet to 'fix'. =\

[@Shruz]

I just saw a video, "if you have this, you might be in danger" video and saw this. What!!??

[@therocinante3443]

So THAT'S where my cancer came from

[@southparklion]

IMHO Don't #1 is not to apply popcorn coating to anything...

[@ivb3tt95]

Oh my god my sister got cancer

[@williamcutt9271]

Sheesh I removed my popcorn ceiling with no testing. A better video would be how to remove it regardless.

[@GarrettMoffitt]

With a scraper attached to a pole, attached to a shop vac. Easy peasy.

[@jackp9589]

I had someone follow under my scraper with a big plastic storage box on their head. It made for almost no mess at all

[@jackp9589]

L Puma makes no difference

[@autumnspring6624]

Garrett Moffitt I feel like shop vacs blow all the tiniest particles back into the air through the exhaust/vent.

[@PlumbDrumb]

The only thing the pros use that we don't have easy access to is a negative air machine, but you can rent one. You must seal up the environment properly to achieve negative pressure, though. This is to prevent particles from escaping. Other than that it's about covering everything in plastic and keeping the plastic and the texture wet as you remove it so particles are captured by the molecules (temporarily). Wear a complete face mask (one that protects from fine particulates), making sure to cover the mouth, nose, eyes and ears. Everything needs to be wrapped up in plastic and carried through a makeshift vestibule of sorts. The pros made sure all the packages of waste were properly labeled as hazardous, and handled as such. They do this because they are exposed to this stuff every day, or so. I get risky and do it myself without the negative air machine and toss it in my weekly garbage pickup. ;D Professional removal is insanely expensive. But the whole idea is to keep the spores from flying about.

[@marchebert3872]

Wet the cieling and use a mask then throw out ur clothes after all ll good been doing this for years just be smart.

[@c.a.g.3130]

Unless your home was built in the 70s, or earlier, there is ZERO chance of asbestos.