r/newfoundland • u/fuck_me_gouda • 3d ago
Asbestos testing
What's the best place to get home asbestos testing done on some popcorn ceiling? All Tech quoted me $150+tax per sample so just looking to shop around to see if that's a typical price for this kind of service
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u/MindAdriftwood 3d ago
It's typical. What year was your ceiling done? I also had popcorn ceiling.
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u/fuck_me_gouda 3d ago
The house was built in the 70s and were unsure if the ceiling is original or not
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u/MindAdriftwood 2d ago
Mine was done in the 80's and I had it tested. It was negative, but if yours was done in the 70's it could be possible.
I was going to recommend an easy way to remove it, but if it has asbestos I have no idea. I guess you'd need a professional.
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u/Rileytheh Newfoundlander 3d ago
You can buy a test kit from Home Depot for like $10, but yeah any tech you hire is going to be around $150. That's the going rate for most house visits
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u/fuck_me_gouda 3d ago
This isn't even a home visit, we'd have to take the sample ourselves and drop it off to them haha
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u/stillanewfie 2d ago
That’s pretty standard for the industry. Typically the only time you’d see them go on site, by them I mean, environmental technicians/consultants, is when something like air sampling must be done.
If you’re not in the same city as them, the samples typically get mailed in, by mail I mean courier.
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u/mjd638 2d ago
Maybe hot take - if you are looking at removing the popcorn just take the drywall down in sheets instead of scraping it and you won’t disturb enough asbestos dust to worry about it
Tape off vents if you have ducted air systems
Asbestos is bad if you work on it a lot but for the sake of some popcorn ceiling it’s not worth the cost
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u/EbriusOften 2d ago
This would only be considered a hot take because it's incredibly dangerous to recommend, and because anyone who has any training or experience with asbestos or even construction in general would disagree with you.
Outside of that totally normal take though.
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u/mjd638 2d ago
Loads of construction experience - dealing with all kinds of hazards including Asbestos. It's all about putting in place meaningful controls and personal risk tolerance.
Unless this person intends on sanding all the popcorn off with no mask on a sub 3 hr exposure to the limited amount of air born fiber from breaking the drywall apart should only seem risky to them if they are the type of person who has never smoked a cigarette or got a 3-point harness installed in their vehicle and wear a helmet on the way to Sobeys.
My point is essentially understand the risk and yeah if its worth it and you have money to burn go get it tested and hire a 3rd party to deal with it but it'll cost a hell of a lot more than just buying a good mask or two and going a bit mad with tape and plastic with some ventilation.
Asbestos risk is a function of exposure time/concentration. I personally dont have a problem tossing on a mask and taping up all the doors and vents to pull down some sheets of popcorn ceiling and saving myself a couple thousand bucks if not more. Never got it quoted for resi work but industrial abatement is a massive cost adder.
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u/Responsible-Ebb1722 2d ago
Thank you. People act like asbestos is airborne AIDS. Nothing bad is going to happen if you put on a mask and remove your existing ceiling.
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u/Epicvisiions101 3d ago
I did all tech and got a positive. Then I had someone come in and abate it. Cost $10 a square foot ☠️
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u/BrianFromNL Newfoundlander 2d ago
$10 a square foot? Why even test! At the fee could get a 10x15 living room abated for $150.
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u/mjd638 2d ago
1500
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u/BrianFromNL Newfoundlander 2d ago
Yeah missed a zero! Still, %1500 is super cheap price for asbestos abetment.
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u/LylaDee 3d ago
That's the going rate.