Dealing with Asbestos Properly
It is a little-known fact that the material used by builders to produce the stippled look for ceilings sometimes contains asbestos, a very hazardous material with serious potential health consequences.
Asbestos is most hazardous when it is friable: meaning it is actively releasing its fibers into the air. Sprayed-on asbestos insulation and ceiling stipple are highly friable, but asbestos floor tile is not. Damage and deterioration will increase the friability of asbestos-containing materials. Water damage, continual vibration, aging, and physical impact such as drilling, grinding, buffing, cutting, sawing, or striking can break the materials down, making fiber release more likely.
Because it is so hard to destroy asbestos fibers, the body cannot break them down or remove them once they are lodged in lung or body tissues. The fibers remain in place where they can cause disease (Asbestosis, Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma are the diseases mostly commonly associated with exposure to Asbestos fibers).
At Fine Finish Wall Systems, we care about health and safety. We think it’s important that homeowners know about the health risks of the materials used to build their home. Because of demand, we now offer Asbestos testing for your ceiling, through an accredited laboratory that will tell you if your stippled ceilings contain asbestos. Results can be collected in as little as 24 hours.
If we discover asbestos in your ceiling then we will not sand it down, due to the health risk. Instead we will seal the ceiling and apply a level 5 plaster system directly over it. This is an advanced technique.
Asbestos Lab Testing Cost: This includes collection of sample, delivery to lab, emailed report.
5-day turnaround $250
24-hour turnaround $450
