DIY asbestos testing

[@djyems1021]

GREAT VIDEO! REALLY great explantion and showing us how it is done and camera angles and showing us the result etc AND showing the kit you bought! Been waiting for someone from the UK to make a video like this. Too many Americans!! Keep up quality work like this! Liked and subscribed!!

[@ibrazeau3044]

Good video. Here in Canada, buildings that have asbestos in textured ceilings will commonly have asbestos in the wall joint compound also. We always test the textured ceiling as well as the wall corner joint compound. Good luck.

[@ultimatehandyman]

Thanks for sharing. Asbestos seems really common in Canada and Australia, and seems to be in lots of homes. Thanks for the comment

[@dadsinoz]

I work as a caretaker in a school and am still amazed that asbestos is still widely found in schools and public buildings. Great vid as usual chez. :)

[@ultimatehandyman]

It's amazing, when I was a kid (younger than 10 years old), I knew about asbestos- yet they continued using it in building products for another 20 years! There used to be a lot on site, mainly pipe lagging etc. but they have had a lot of it removed over the years! You can't be too careful in public buildings ;-) Thanks for the comment

[@chanman3388]

@@ultimatehandyman it was used in head gaskets in cars too, and funnily enough car brake pads too...where you know, there's a lot of dust generation

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@chanman3388 I'm old enough to remember asbestos in brake pads, it was widely used in loads of things. Cyprus had some huge asbestos mines at one point, I'm sure they made billions from it at one point! Thanks for the comment

[@sherannaidoo2712]

Thanks for the content mate. People should not panic over finding asbestos in their homes. It's completely harmless unless severely disturbed by renovations or construction work. A simple coat of pva paint will 'lock' the fibres in place and prevent them from bring airborne.

[@ultimatehandyman]

Absolutely, but it is best to test a textured ceiling before installing downlights etc. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@_tmmy_]

I was going to batten over my parents bedroom ceiling because it has cracked in a couple places due to all the junk in the loft but now that I’ve watched your video on asbestos testing I think it’s safe for me to build a false ceiling a couple inches below the artex one. Thanks for putting this video out!

[@ultimatehandyman]

You are welcome. I've put a few stud ceiling in, over the years. This might help, if you have never done it before- kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZC0npt4asZ3fas&t Thanks for the comment 👍

[@ultimatehandyman]

Before cutting or drilling into a textured ceiling, it is a good idea to test it for asbestos (if you are unsure when the ceiling was textured). I hope everyone has a great Sunday 😉

[@Goldenkid1991]

Might want to get rid of the address it can be seen 7:52.

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@Goldenkid1991 Thanks Ben, It's a false address ;-)

[@Doobie3010]

Ultimate Handyman You have a good one too man!

[@stuarttthomas7847]

Hello, can you post the scientific data please? Thankyou

[@abdultuaheb123]

Hi was looking to purchase this excellent video. I have a bedroom that had a leaking roof which as been fixed now. however parts of the artex as being damaged and is flaking off. house was built in 1950s so most likely has asbestos but will get it test just to make sure. I wanted to ask can I plaster of it or put plaster boards over it? the rest of the house the has artex on the ceiling aswell but they are fine no cracks cannl they be plastered over aswell?

[@Kumar_6791]

Excellent video! This this the most complete video on diy test collection

[@ultimatehandyman]

Wow, thanks!

[@fieldwhisper]

everybody who lives in a building should be aware of these things, thanks

[@ultimatehandyman]

Absolutely! Thanks for the comment

[@sbaxter4207]

I missed that lesson at school, if there was one?

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@sbaxter4207 I never got taught about it at school, but I worked on a farm and there was lots of asbestos, so I was taught about if from an early age.

[@HowieDouglas]

Absolutely should be taught in schools. A couple years back we removed some parquet flooring in our home built in 1996. The original owner had stuck the flooring to vinyl floor tiles underneath so inevitably when pulling the flooring up the tiles came with it, some intact and some broken. We had no clue that vinyl floor tiles could contain asbestos until a family member told us (after we’d already removed them). Suffice to say we still had some of the rubbish in the garage and sent some to be sampled which confirmed they did in fact contain asbestos and we had been removing them with no protection. There isn’t a lot we can do now and thankfully we have been informed it’s the less severe type of bonded asbestos but it’s still very disconcerting and a shame we had to learn in the way we did. Asbestos didn’t even cross our mind with it being a relatively new build house, so baffles me that this info isn’t publicised more and hopefully lots of people come across this video

[@Benzknees]

There’s no effective risk as long as the asbestos remains encapsulated within the tile, lino, artex, cement pipe, pipe lagging, rope seals, cement board/panels, corrugated cement roof sheeting, pin board, fire blanket, toilet seat, etc.. Only when the material cracks, is damaged or is broken up is there some risk of asbestos fibres being released. And as the most dangerous brown & blue types were banned in 1985, and the white stuff in 1999, you’ll be v.unlikely to find it in any newer finishes/boards/pipes, etc..

[@David-mb3eq]

Correct me if im wrong but you should never dispose of asbestos or suspected asbestos waste in a normal bin thats including wipes, gloves, overalls masks ect even when taking samples as may contain it until results come back, it should be doubled bagged in asbestos bags or labled and taken to local waste disposal that accepts it.

[@ultimatehandyman]

I guess the instructions with the kit missed that bit out! Thanks for the comment

[@ryanh3285]

Most people rightly get scared and paranoid if they think they are dealing with asbestos but don't use the same caution when braking or disturbing concrete.Silica dust from concrete is almost as dangerous as asbestos dust so please use the same caution with both. See so many people dry cutting concrete even on tv show's they are poorly informed.

[@ultimatehandyman]

Hilti seem to be doing a lot now to prevent dust when drilling/cutting concrete etc. Thanks for the comment

[@dangdang8106]

Its crazy how people overreact to asbestos. Yet they use pesticides, herbicides, rodent bait, ammonia, or they dont wear respirators when the use grinders or welders or crawl under the house or in the ceiling.

[@Caprivlogs]

This is airborne people have very right to be worried

[@CRBAnalyseServiceGmbH]

Hello Ultimate Handyman, Also in Germany there is unfortunately a massive lack of education when it comes to asbestos - also and especially with regard to possible occurrences. Like you say there is a whole range of materials that can contain asbestos. These can be crush seals made of copper, spacers made of double-walled glass flasks in thermos flasks, brake linings, individual components of electrical appliances and much more. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to reconstruct which building material was used in each building, for example. In order to create certainty and thus safety in handling, therefore, only a test by a certified laboratory can actually provide help - therefore thanks for demonstrating how easy sampling is! Stay healthy!

[@ultimatehandyman]

Thanks for the comment 👍

[@Mech747able]

Thanks for a very informative video, also would doing this not release fibres?

[@ultimatehandyman]

That is why you have to wear the disposable overalls and mask, although any scrapings are caught in the sample bags. Once the sample area is sealed over with paint, it will be perfectly safe ;-) Thanks for the comment 👍

[@sbaxter4207]

i thought you'd scratch the paint off first into a bag for the bin..Then take a fresh sample from the ceiling after the paint had gone? or is it the outer white that is in question? I was thinking it was the boards that make up the ceiling, quite like plaster boards.

[@ultimatehandyman]

It's the white stuff that contains the asbestos, not the plasterboard beneath. Some people know it as Artex/textured coating/ popcorn ceiling etc. Thanks for the comment

[@sbaxter4207]

@@ultimatehandyman Thank you. Wow, i did not know it could be so close to the air that is breathed. I always imagined it deeper in to the wall or ceiling. Although i'm sure it can be also.

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@sbaxter4207 It's perfectly safe, as long as you don't go drilling it etc. They have used asbestos for centuries, even the romans used it and were well aware that the people that used to weave it became ill- yet they still used it until 2000 (they still use it now in some countries). Thanks for the comments

[@RexBanner_]

So if you have a textured ceiling containing asbestos, what is the best/most cost effective way to go from that, to a smooth ceiling? Can you not just plaster over it?

[@ultimatehandyman]

As long as you do not have to knock off any of the "high spots", you can just PVA the ceiling and plaster over it. I only tested these ceilings as I was going to fit downlighters, obviously I'm not going to do that now- I'll install a false ceiling and install the downlighters in that (eventually).

[@RexBanner_]

@@ultimatehandyman so if the ceiling contains asbestos and you plaster over this. If you want downlights at a later date, would you still have to do like you've done and create a false/suspended ceiling?

[@ultimatehandyman]

I'm not an expert on what exactly to do, but I just leave it alone and install a false ceiling. You probably could cut out the holes safely, but you might need special equipment for dust extraction etc. There is a video here from Australia, where they drill a small hole in asbestos sheeting kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJnEk6mhZ7Nlpbc I'm sure thousands of people have drilled holes for downlighters/vents in textured ceilings containing asbestos, but it's important that everyone knows the risks involved. Thanks for the comments

[@RexBanner_]

@@ultimatehandyman cheers UH

[@jamesnelson3926]

very interesting video, i had a recent survey carried out on a house that i am purchasing, Artex/Woodchip ceilings.. was suspected in the 4 rooms, i am worried, but your video has given me the help i need in this matter. my plan if i go ahead with the purchase was to remove the artex. and have the ceilings replastered!.. would this be dangerous! and would it be best to get the experts in who deal in Asbestos removal in a property.

[@ultimatehandyman]

Asbestos removal is very expensive. If you intend to get it removed, I would get a price before buying the property. For textured ceilings containing asbestos, most people just get them skimmed over with plaster (which covers it up) Not sure why they mentioned woodchip in the survey, as far as I'm aware, that is just made from paper and chips of wood.

[@donyurpjames.7268]

So what I seen, you through the might be contaminated whips, overall, gloves and mask in a normal bin witch might be hazardous to others.. How does that work. Anything over .1 is being exposed to it

[@ultimatehandyman]

I scraped a tiny amount of a textured ceiling into a bag, I have not been rolling around in nuclear waste 😂

[@Brandon-no3vc]

Why do you have to get it tested cant you see it?

[@ultimatehandyman]

No, you can't see the asbestos without a microscope!

[@Brandon-no3vc]

@@ultimatehandyman yes you can

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@Brandon-no3vc 😂

[@Brandon-no3vc]

@@ultimatehandyman what? You def can

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@Brandon-no3vc If you can tell the difference between an asbestos fibre and other types of fibre using your naked eyes, you have better eyes than me and 99.9% of people on the planet!

[@lufcEngland7]

Would you ever remove the asbestos or just fake ceiling over the top and if you did the second option would you just have to let future buyers know you’ve done that

[@ultimatehandyman]

First I would paint over it with neat PVA to seal it, then I'd put stickers on saying the ceiling contains asbestos, then just put a false ceiling below it.

[@matthewsmith2787]

My house was built in 1995, I recently got all the textured coatings sampled and all came back as No asbestos detected. Would there be any other ACMS? I would imagine by 1995, the dangers would be known and builders wouldn’t have used it ?

[@ultimatehandyman]

If history is correct, the Romans and Victorians knew that Asbestos was dangerous, yet it was used in building products in the UK, up until 1999 (I believe). They still mine it and use it in many countries to this day! Thanks for the comment 👍

[@justintemp]

Would you have to get ceiling professionally removed then?

[@ultimatehandyman]

No, not at all. As long as you don't go drilling holes for downlighters etc. it will be fine just left there ;-) In future I'll install a false ceiling underneath and install downlighters in that. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@mackymac3479]

Great video. However, I would advise people to lay a protective sheet on the floor as I managed to drop some of the sampled ceiling despite being really careful. I also don't understand how this is an appropriate method as I found it impossible not to touch various different things connected to it, like the outside sample pack and the envelope. This is then transported to the post office and so I cannot see how contamination doesn't occur.

[@stevem7250]

It will be less than 0.6m3 in the air over 10mins for such a little amount which is fine

[@cypeman8037]

So it's not a DIY testing kit, it's a DIY sampling kit that you send off. I've done several over the years at considerable cost. I thought was you title the video I was going to be able to do it at home.

[@ultimatehandyman]

No matter what title I use for a video, it could always be something else. Thanks for the comment

[@AdamBielecki006]

Seems like the website run out of those kits.

[@ultimatehandyman]

Yes, I was leaving feedback just last night and could not for this kit as the user seems to have closed their account (or something) Thanks for the comment 👍

[@AdamBielecki006]

@@ultimatehandyman still available on amazon tough

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@AdamBielecki006 They might have just had a dispute with eBay!

[@stuarttthomas7847]

I am on my game account atm, but at what levels was asbestos found? You can find trace amounts of asbestos even in the middle of the woods in the UK

[@ultimatehandyman]

Not sure about the levels found, but it contains asbestos. I know that asbestos is found in the air, but it's still not a good idea to start cutting downlighter holes in the ceiling ;-) Thanks for the comment

[@carlknight4084]

This is 29 Acacia Road, and this is Eric, a schoolboy who leads an amazing double life. For when Eric eats a banana an amazing transformation occurs... :)

[@ultimatehandyman]

At last, somebody got it 😊 👍

[@ChrisThomasenergy]

You mentioned in the video that you needed 4 per room. You only did 1 per room. Who's recommendation is the 4 per room please?

[@ultimatehandyman]

4 scrapes per room. I did 4 scrapes per room- they all go into the same sampling bag. It recommends that in the instructions. Thanks for the comment 👍

[@ChrisThomasenergy]

@@ultimatehandyman Thanks for the reply. Great video 👍

[@fastair8546]

Its called a composite sample. As its a non-homogeneous material, i.e. there isnt an even distribution of fibres through out the material you need to sample from multiple points to have the best chance of sampling asbestos fibres

[@M4rkle]

I think you’ve left your home address visible on the PDF results page mate (next to “Client Address”).

[@ultimatehandyman]

Thanks, Mark, I edited the address to a false one ;-) I thought someone might have recognised the address 😂 Thanks for the comment 👍

[@kahotamph]

The sample you've scraped off from the ceiling is quite shallow. Is it possible there could be asbestos deeper in the ceiling?

[@ultimatehandyman]

No, that was as deep as the Artex. The plasterboard could be seen, after scraping 👍

[@paulwiffin2452]

Wow. Now review a home uranium testing kit, looks like you’ve got all the kit (Ah, maybe not, you chucked it out) 😁👍

[@ultimatehandyman]

LOL The kit went in the bin afterwards ;-) Thanks for the comment

[@AJ-ms1oi]

I have a 1999 or 2000 built cookie cutter type house in the UK, would this have any in it?

[@ultimatehandyman]

It depends, according to the HSE website, it can be found in properties built or refurbished before 2000

[@HowieDouglas]

We found ours built in 96 has it in floor tiles much to our surprise with it being quite a modern style build. it also has textured ceilings that look just like ok the video so we will probably be testing them at some point now that we know

[@matthewsmith2787]

My house was built in 1995, is my house in the danger zone or all good?

[@matthewsmith2787]

@@HowieDouglas Get the textured coatings samples

[@matthewsmith2787]

@@ultimatehandyman Very unlikely, but it’s always worth a test if your going to be disturbing any material

[@danh2204]

I read a reply you sent to some1 saying they should be careful not to remove highspot's before plastering incase they have asbestos but in doing your test you had to remove highspots. So if some1 takes the same care you did on this video, does it really matter?

[@ultimatehandyman]

I was only taking a tiny sample though. Removing the high spots on a full ceiling could release a lot of asbestos fibres!

[@danh2204]

@@ultimatehandyman That's true 👍

[@danh2204]

@@ultimatehandyman Would you reccommend some1 using a product called xtex or best left to the pro's. I only have about 10 highspots that need removing.

[@ultimatehandyman]

@@danh2204 I'm not convinced by the Xtex, it says on their website that "Most artex® has been painted over the years with various coats of emulsions and this does need to be removed before you can start removing the artex®". I guess that makes the job much harder. I have heard of people painting over the Artex with PVA, then removing the high-spots, but I do not know how safe it is to do that.

[@danh2204]

@@ultimatehandyman Respect your views on it. They say there's no room for error with asbestos as it only takes a few fibre's to be inhaled to cause problem's later on. Best left to the pro's when it come's to removing it. & covering highspots with pva would only conceal the outer layer of the highspot but when it's broken the interior fibre's of the highspot would be released so doesn't sound safe either.

[@djc-ln2pq]

Most wear the same ppe to go shopping these days 😂😂 great vid as always mate.

[@ultimatehandyman]

LOL I hope they dispose of their PPE correctly when they get back from Tesco 😂 Thanks for the comment

[@ashmanelectricalservices4318]

Materials that could potentially contain asbestos including disposable overalls and gloves, should not be disposed off with general waste.

[@ultimatehandyman]

I guess it would have been good if they included that part in their instructions. Thanks for the comment

[@ratchriat1716]

found this video very informative and useful

[@ultimatehandyman]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for the comment 👍

[@gerrystewart3204]

Good video BUT, From what I read on HSE web site all contaminated waste, ie gloves, mask, overalls, must be bagged and disposed of as asbestos waste, ie via your Council asbestos collect service. NOT as shown in video by putting them directly in the bin. Also as someone else mentioned a polythene ground sheet would be recommended. It is a whole can of worms.

[@ultimatehandyman]

Try not to have anything to do with the government or councils, including their websites 😉 I remember a few years back when they were telling everyone to wear a cloth face mask to prevent you from catching the worlds most deadly virus (the one with a 99.8% survival rate) Thanks for the comment 👍

[@EM-fh2tx]

Well done this is so important. For me though, I'd be planning to remove it.

[@ultimatehandyman]

Removing it can be expensive. It's not taking any harm, as long as you don't go cutting holes in it with the hole saw etc. Thanks for the comment

[@EM-fh2tx]

@@ultimatehandyman - understood; it'd give me the heebie-jeebies! ;)

[@paradhoax]

I want to explore the brains of the ppl who put those dislikes

[@ultimatehandyman]

As soon as this video went live, it triggered someone. He posted three comments in quick succession, which I can vaguely remember- 1. F*ck off 2. Asbestos is not dangerous, just like covid 3. Asbestos is mined, you moron I approved the comments, so that people could see what it's like having a KZbin channel that set out to help people with their DIY. Unfortunately the guy had deleted them before they showed up here! Thanks for the comment ;-)

[@paradhoax]

@@ultimatehandyman thank you for your amazing job, good ppl know good ppl and appreciate there efforts.

[@ButlinsHistory]

Good luck, you may struggle finding enough of a sample to test.

[@bgirl13collier55]

VERY HELPFUL ..ThankU

[@ultimatehandyman]

Most welcome 😊

[@yusuf.alajnabi]

Unfortunately many people don't understand how dangerous asbestos is. So many DIY jobs I have seen where people blatantly disregard this sort of thing. I think more education is needed on asbestos the stuff scares me and I would rather just remove it.

[@ultimatehandyman]

It's quite common over here, but not used as much as it is in other countries such as Australia. I'm sure I watched a documentary where they were still mining asbestos and were selling it to third world countries! Thanks for the comment 👍

[@alanmangroo3656]

Come to Australia. We have whole houses built from asbestos 🤣

[@ultimatehandyman]

I'd like to visit one day, but would not like to live there. I'm not scared of spiders but them funnel-web spiders give me the creeps. I'd be terrified of going in a loft in case it was full of deadly spiders 😂 Thanks for the comment

[@Pete.Ty1]

😊👍

[@ultimatehandyman]

Thanks for the comment ;-)

[@gezimaliaj1697]

Omg I never knew about asbestos i sand one ceiling with mirkA dust free sanding maschine 😩😩😩😩

[@ultimatehandyman]

Oh crap 😱

[@butryk22]

I literally just bought a house and ripped the all the artex ceilings out of it and reboarded it. Oops...

[@ultimatehandyman]

😱

[@shifugurugaming]

"DIY" but you still have to send it to a lab :/

[@ron1martens]

We need our own labs to test opposed to sending samples off. We need to form our own biology labs so we can analyse anything.

[@ultimatehandyman]

I think that would be expensive. Thanks for the comment

[@mikm5432]

Thats not the proper way. You need to evacuate the street and setup a zone with high fence over a 12km radius. Contact border control, national security office and nasa. Shut down all services to the area just to be on the safe side.

[@ultimatehandyman]

😂

[@jusb1066]

What does it taste like in a sandwich?

[@ultimatehandyman]

Not sure, you have to ask the people that go smashing the hell out of it with a hammer, or go cutting downlighter holes without having it tested first 😊

[@АлексейКузнецов-ъ7ю8з]

Such a funny trade in fear. Shame. Giving an idea - jumping bacteria - start selling tests.

[@ultimatehandyman]

I'm not in fear ;-) Because I have a KZbin channel with quite a few followers, I have to do things as per the instructions- even that gets me trolled these days ;-) Thanks for the comment