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Original poster

Asbestos testing - would you do it?

15 replies

hyperspacebug · 22/05/2014 11:28

We just bought house that needs renovation. The ceilings are in their 1970-80s textured glories. Most ceilings are wallpaper but master bedroom ceiling seems to be made from Artex? Builders can't tell for sure.

WWYD?

  • arrange asbestos testing and arrange expensive removal
  • just plaster over it as one plasterer recommended

The latter sounds almost icky as living next to 'well-contained' nuclear waste. I am sure some would chime in that it's OTT and that in life everything is 'toxic' to some extent.

Has anyone arranged asbestos testing in London? From where and how expensive (ball park figure?)

Thanks, as ever for all awesome advice. Property/DIY section is my favourite section on mumsnet.

OP posts:
Original poster
hyperspacebug · 22/05/2014 18:29

bump Blush

OP posts:
Moreisnnogedag · 22/05/2014 18:32

Don't know about costs but I'm in the process of getting a quote to remove the asbestos roof of the garage (survey picked it up). I just can't bear the thought of it there.

I'd get it tested definitely!

apermanentheadache · 22/05/2014 18:35

HSE advice is to leave asbestos in place if poss. If it's technically feasible to plaster over and you won't need to interfere with the ceiling (eg putting up chandeliers :) ) then I wouldn't bother testing. Just make sure whoever knocks the 'points' off the artex knows how to contain any fibre release. Usually by wetting.

Original poster
hyperspacebug · 22/05/2014 19:43

Well the thing is that we might want a new chandelier. Or install something else in the future. The thought of fibres flying...ewwww.

OP posts:
TheLeftovermonster · 22/05/2014 23:36

Asbestos is not toxic, though. It's the physical properties of the fibres that are the problem.

Emzar · 23/05/2014 11:14

We've just had the Artex walls and ceilings of a bedroom plastered over. We were advised it was safer to leave it in place and cover it than to disturb it, and you would now never know it was there, the room looks great. It's two layers of plaster, a rough first layer and the perfectly smooth second layer, so it's not like the stuff is lurking just beneath the surface or anything.

allduffedup · 24/05/2014 23:10

We took small 50p piece sized samples of our artex ceilings and took them to the local lab - it cost around £10 per sample to have it tested. We found out there was no asbestos, so we scraped off the peaks and had a plasterer skim over it.

Wouldn't recommend scraping if there is asbestos present. In that case, you'll have to remove the coving (if present), and plasterboard over.

Original poster
hyperspacebug · 25/05/2014 10:31

How long did the testing take, allduffedup?

OP posts:
specialsubject · 25/05/2014 14:28

asbestos is not a danger until it crumbles or is in pieces. So left where it is, there's no problem. It is NOT the same as living next to radioactive waste.

get it plastered over.

MrsOomBoomBoom · 26/05/2014 02:21

Asbestos Watchdog

Prof John Bridle responded to my email within a couple of hours, he's very passionate about the subject. He insisted that I had been ripped off by the company I used for testing. He also insisted that removal of the offending ceilings was completely unnecessary, the quotes I was given for such was a rip off and that I was in no danger from the cracks in the ceilings and could leave them. He said there was more danger in sleeping under low energy mercury lightbulbs. Government scaremongering. It wasn't the response I was expecting but it certainly helped our decision making!

I'm getting the ceilings plastered over though and will keep them in good condition. If you tell your electrician there's white asbestos in the ceiling, he'll charge you more but take more care.

Hope that's of help to you

Lanabelle · 26/05/2014 02:47

You should look at they type of asbestos before possibly deciding what to do, for example white asbestos is only really dangerous if it is disturbed whereas brown and blue asbestos are more dangerous. have the survey done first but if its white I would be tempted just to plaster over it. If its a ceiling, particularly a textured one it will probably just be artex.

Original poster
hyperspacebug · 26/05/2014 16:05

MrsOomBoomBoom - thank you for the interesting website. It's the thought of ceiling cracking open (subsidence, age of house, etc) and fibres potentially flying everywhere that was freaking me out.

OP posts:
allduffedup · 27/05/2014 12:03

It only took a couple of days to get the testing done - was definitely worth it for peace of mind. FYI after the mid-80s, pretty much all artex should be asbestos-free. So if you know roughly when it was done, then you might be able to figure out whether it was likely to contain asbestos.

MrsOomBoomBoom · 27/05/2014 23:17

No our porch was extended on in the 90's and the tests show white asbestos in the artex ceiling

apermanentheadache · 30/05/2014 11:47

Look very very carefully at the asbestos watchdog website and the funding behind some of the researrch it cites....

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