Asbestos

Gorgeous_George

I guess that removing asbestos for a living (24/7 or whatever) is many times more hazardous than removing it from your own home once or twice in a lifetime.

I also guess that specialist firms will play on peoples' fears.

As for artex ceilings, I find that scoring them, pasting with wallpaper paste and then, after the moisture from the paste has been absorbed, scraping the stuff off with a wallpaper scraper, does the trick.



GG

Mr_Proctalgia

The most common form of asbestos in buildings is in the form of Asbestos Cement - Typically "Crinkly Asbestos Roofing" it contains usually less than 12% asbestos in a cement mix and can be removed on a DIY basis. It is commonly found in 1950's housing in the soffits and gutters as well. I was advised to remove it on a wet/ damp day, double bag it and take it to my tip (Which will accept asbestos)

The nasty stuff is the soft stuff that was typically sprayed onto piping, That will be either pure blue or white asbestos and DOES need expert removal.

There are some good pdf's here

HTH

eco-friendly_2

As for artex ceilings, I find that scoring them, pasting with wallpaper paste and then, after the moisture from the paste has been absorbed, scraping the stuff off with a wallpaper scraper, does the trick.#


Says him with the :eek: complexion !

littlesos

We've got this problem too.
I spoke to a specialist asbestos removal firm, who said they could test samples of the artex for asbestos and could remove it, however he said that because of the age of the property he was 99% certain there would be asbestos, so to save my money from having it tested, just assume it's there. I asked if he would come and remove it and he told me I could do it myself as asbestos in artex has recently been downgraded and it is now perfectly legal to remove it yourself. He advised there was little risk if you make sure you keep everything damp, you have to double bag everything and mark it up, and you can take it to the local tip. You can buy protective suits/breathing masks from loads of places, these too need to be double bagged and marked up.

Asbestos in roofs is another issue though.

p_mc_2

These materials should be sampled before you commit yourself and definitely before you carry out any work - its the soffit boards that may be a problem.

Much of what has been said above is true apart from the "scaremongering" messages ... this is a real risk and 000's are still dying from asbestos related illnesses each year.

You need to distinguish what is the less harmful "white" asbestos and what is the more harmful "blue" or "brown" asbestos which is not as simple as you think as the colour has little to do with it.

If you have a look on the HSE website there is a document that outlines where you might find asbestos in a building and many guidance booklets on asbestos generally.

If you want to pm me I will let you have a couple of consultants who will quote for taking samples and analysing them ... don't trust this to an asbestos removal contractor - use somebody who will be independent from the work that is or may be required.

There again ... speak to the surveyor who did the survey to see if it was a real concern for him or whether it was just a "standard clause" in his report for a property of this type/age.

Hope this helps!

shelovestobuystuff

http://www.asbestoswatchdog.co.uk/residential/documents/FactSheet-TexturedDecorativeCoatings_000.pdf
read this

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shelovestobuystuff wrote: »

http://www.asbestoswatchdog.co.uk/residential/documents/FactSheet-TexturedDecorativeCoatings_000.pdf
read this

I've read through that site before and they have a more balanced approach. I learnt a great deal there.

Pepstar_2

Given the age of the property it is highly likely that asbestos is present in the ceiling artex - however if you decide you do want to test, make sure you know how many samples they will take. Artex is extremely difficult to sample as the application is not spread evenly - you could sample one section and not have a positive sample but a section in another part could turn up some. When I have previously surveyed for asbestos (for commercial premises), regardless of what our samples turned up, we always stated that there is a high likelihood of the artex containing asbestos (especially if the property was from the 60s era).

In terms of the soffits if they are undamaged and you are not needing to do any work (i.e. renovating etc) near them, that would result in you disturbing them, the best thing you could do is leave them - they are excellent fire protection.

In terms of the garage roof - do you mean ceiling panels (internal) or asbestos cement (external) - if it is asbestos cement then it can be fragile, although you don't need a licence to work with it (commercially or otherwise) - there are laws around how it should be disposed and guidance on how to work with it - just check with the HSE.

Like it has already said, the best thing to do if it is not damaged is to leave it alone - encapsulate it with a paint etc, what you don't want to do is release the fibres!

Have a look at this link if you want more info (from a government source)
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/Planning/DoingWorkYourself/DG_10022562

Pepstar_2

Forgot to add if you are talking about asbestos ceiling tiles then this is a whole different matter as it is likely that they contain the higher grades of asbestos (blue/brown) - so if they are damaged then you would want to talk to a specialist about removing them.

popptart

Hi
I had the same issue when I had my survey done. Surveryor believed asbestos could be present in the artex. I would 2nd the asbestos watchdog site as I found it v useful.
From my own experience I spoke to several people on the matter and the only person who was insistent on me having it tested was the person who was going to charge me £4K to remove it!
A few weeks later I received some paperwork from the solicitors which contained an asbestos survey (they rated it the lowest risk and to monitor yearly). You may receive this info too at som point.
Would also agree with who ever mentioned (GG?) about wallpaper pasting the area before doing any DIY. Either that or you can hire a specialist vacuum thing which will suck up any particles.