Stripping wallpaper - asbestos?

Andybooth23

Hello,

Here I am having a great time scraping 4 layers of wallpaper (with paint on top)! in our bedrooms before someone comes to re-skim.

It suddenly hit me that the property was built in the 30's/40's and some of this wallpaper will be very old.

I have no idea how to tell if a wall/wallpaper contains asbestos and was wondering if these pictures would shed any light? 

tacpot12

Unless the paper has a vinyl coating, I don't think it will have any asbestos in it. This article might  help you identify whether you have any wall paper that might have asbestos in it: How to Identify Asbestos in Wallpaper | Asbestos 123

A good respirator, like this one, JSP Force 8 Mask Respirator with Press-to-Check Filters P3 | Reusable Half Masks | Screwfix.com will give you some protection against any asbestos that might be present. JSP say that only their Force 10 full mask should be used when you are removing asbestos, but you don't know if there is any asbestos present, so the cost of full face mask isn't really justified  IMHO. 

Just in case, I would suggest that you use a steamer to remove the wallpaper, as the water will trap any asbestos fibres, and fibres that don't get into the air can't get past your mask. I would bag up the wallpaper before it can dry out. A steamer will make the job much easier and possibly safer if there is any asbestos present. 

Andybooth23

Brilliant. Thankyou.

I've been wearing a P3 filter just in case, my worry is more the asbestos being under the plaster as you can see here it's a bit damaged!

https://imgur.com/a/z1mK8vl

We've been wetting it before taking it off. But it's been so laborious we're getting a steamer in the morning!