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Old Drywall Texture? Test First.

Pre-1980s texture may hold asbestos. Get a licensed inspector to test before anyone scrapes.

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Drywall installer carrying a sheet into a framed Silver Spring basement

Popcorn ceilings and asbestos safety: the rules

Popcorn ceilings in Silver Spring homes from the 1960s and 70s may hold asbestos. Not all of them do. But the rule is simple. Texture old enough to be suspect gets tested before anyone touches it. No exceptions.

Why asbestos was in texture

Asbestos made old building goods tough and fire-safe. It was cheap, so it went into a lot of things. Ceiling texture used it a lot into the 1970s. The ban came later.

The safe sequence

  1. Test. A licensed inspector samples the texture. Results in days.
  2. Clean test: normal removal. Wet scrape, repair, refinish.
  3. Positive test: licensed abatement. A licensed abatement firm handles containment and disposal. We are not an abatement contractor — we handle the drywall rebuild after clearance.

Do not DIY this

Scraping an asbestos ceiling yourself turns a contained problem into an airborne one. The fibers are invisible. The test is cheap. The risk is not worth saving a few dollars.

See popcorn ceiling removal. Call (301) 679-9193 for a free visit.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do all popcorn ceilings contain asbestos?

No. Asbestos was common in texture before the mid-1980s. Later texture is usually clean. Testing tells you for sure.

How is popcorn ceiling tested for asbestos?

A licensed asbestos inspector takes a small sample and sends it to a lab. Results usually come back in days. Get it tested before anyone touches pre-1980s texture — we will not scrape until a clean result is in hand.

What if my ceiling tests positive?

Then the removal has to follow asbestos abatement rules — full containment, wet methods, licensed disposal. We are not a licensed abatement contractor, so we do not perform abatement. A licensed abatement firm must handle it. We handle the drywall rebuild after abatement is complete and cleared.

Is it safe to live under a popcorn ceiling?

Undisturbed texture is generally fine. The risk comes from disturbing it. Do not scrape or sand it yourself.

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