DIY asbestos testing kits are easy to use, but you must take precautions
You may not like the textured look of a popcorn ceiling in your home, but another issue should have your attention, namely, whether or not the popcorn ceiling contains asbestos. To determine if asbestos is present in your ceiling and to avoid exposing yourself to the dangers of asbestos, at-home test kits are available that measure for the percentage of asbestos. Because the accuracy of these tests is questionable, however, you may simply want to hire a professional asbestos testing service at the outset.
Start by selecting a testing kit and gathering a few items. Many kits are able to test almost any material in your home for asbestos, including popcorn ceilings; however, each area you test needs its own test kit.
Pay attention to what is included in the kit. Some inexpensive kits may lack key items, like personal protective equipment. Kits often include the cost of shipping the sample to the lab and the cost of the lab testing, but some may charge you extra for those steps. Make sure you understand what you are receiving for the cost. Expect to pay at least $50 for a solid all-in-one at-home test kit.
You need to be able to reach the ceiling and scrape a chunk of it directly into a bag. Make sure you have a step ladder that is tall enough. With most kits, you need to dampen the ceiling material before you can scrape it, so have a spray bottle with water on hand. You also need a tool with a flat blade, like a chisel, utility knife, or screwdriver, as kits usually do not include these tools.
You will be scraping a small piece of the textured ceiling to send to the lab. Read the directions for your test kit to determine the proper size of piece to take. A typical kit wants a sample size roughly equal to a quarter coin in dimensions. The layer of popcorn ceiling texture is usually one-eighth of an inch or less in thickness.
With a popcorn ceiling, some testing labs want two or three sample pieces from different locations in the room to gain a representative testing result. If you have a couple of areas with loose material or with damage, these may be the best areas to take the sample. Otherwise, try to work in a corner or along a wall away from normal traffic to make it less noticeable.
To prepare the room, follow the specific instructions for your test kit. Typically, you will want to turn off ceiling fans and place a drop cloth underneath the area where you will take the sample. Asbestos is a microscopic fiber that floats in the air when someone disturbs material that contains it. Taking a sample will potentially release some of the fibers into the air, so you will want to take precautions.
Because of the significant dangers of inhaling the microscopic asbestos fibers, you must put on PPE to do this job. These items should include:
Coveralls with a hood
A filtered mask that specifically guards against asbestos fibers
Nitrile gloves
Eye protection
Have someone put tape around the ends of the gloves and the cuffs of the overalls to seal the overalls fully.
Using your spray bottle, use a misting setting and spray the area where you want to take the sample piece. Spray enough water until you can see moisture soaking into the ceiling.
Using your flat-blade tool, carefully scrape across the dampened area of the layer of the popcorn ceiling. Hold the sample collection bag that was in your kit near the piece you are scraping loose in case it starts to fall. Pull the sample loose and place it into the bag.
If your kit manufacturer wants two or three samples, move to a new location in the room and take some additional samples in the same way. Seal the bag per the directions and complete any paperwork required to mail with the sample or create an online account.
Use the included box or envelope to mail your sample to the laboratory. Most testing kit companies will offer to email or text you with results after a few days.
If the test kit shows that you have a dangerous level of asbestos in the popcorn ceiling, you may want to reach out to a local asbestos testing company to do further testing.
If you believe the testing kit you used is accurate, then the next logical question will be, “Who do you hire to remove a popcorn ceiling?” You can reach out to a local popcorn ceiling removal company to do the job for you. Make sure the pro understands that your popcorn ceiling tested positive for asbestos.
Although you can learn how to remove a popcorn ceiling yourself, you should not do this as a DIY job when asbestos is present. Asbestos is just too dangerous. In some locations, it is not legal for homeowners to remove materials containing asbestos themselves.
The average asbestos removal cost is about $2,200, while the average popcorn ceiling removal cost is about $1,950, so the two are nearly identical. If you have asbestos in your popcorn ceiling, you can expect to pay closer to the average cost for asbestos removal.
Home testing kits for how to test for asbestos in a popcorn ceiling are relatively easy to use, but they are not always accurate. If you have concerns over being able to take the sample properly or if you are just not sure whether you can trust the kit, it will be easier and faster to rely on a pro to do the testing.
If you want to do it yourself, you need to wear PPE to keep yourself as safe as possible. If you are not sure whether you can put on the PPE correctly, do not risk it. Call a pro. A local testing company has the know-how, safety gear, and tools to be extremely accurate and safe with the test.
You will pay quite a bit more to have a professional do the test versus buying a DIY kit. The average asbestos testing cost is almost $500, but local quotes could be less for testing a popcorn ceiling. For some people, the extra cost to hire a pro from the start is worth it to yield reassuring results.
Some pros may recommend covering a popcorn ceiling that tests positive for asbestos with beadboard ceiling planks or drywall. The cost to install a beadboard ceiling averages more than $5,000, but you likely will pay more than the average for the installer to deal with the asbestos safely. Installing a beadboard ceiling or new drywall will disturb the asbestos and release some microscopic fibers, so the installer will need to take precautions.
If you know your popcorn ceiling has asbestos, you should not attempt to clean it. It simply is not possible to learn how to clean asbestos safely without potentially releasing microscopic fibers into the air that could lead to severe illness in the future. Avoid disturbing or cleaning the ceiling until the asbestos removal company can get rid of the popcorn ceiling.
Because of the danger of inhaling asbestos fibers, figuring out through testing whether your popcorn ceiling contains asbestos is definitely worth it. If the popcorn ceiling texture has asbestos, remove it as soon as possible to keep your family safe. Any home built in or before the 1980s that has popcorn ceilings could have asbestos, necessitating testing. Asbestos carries several health risks for people who inhale it, including the increased chance of developing lung cancer in the future.
