We just bought our first home and it has the old popcorn ceilings. I have heard that if the house was built prior to the mid seventies, then it might be asbestos. This house was 1979, so I think we would be safe. Is there any way to find out that won't cost a lot of money, like a kit or a test?

almost all popcorn celings contain asbestos and were not fully phased out until 1987 so if it was installed prior to that it probably has asbestos but if it is sealed and painted it usually poses little risk but to be sure it should be removed besides it looks bad anyway huh?

I think it was banned in the early seventies. However, I would contact somebody that has professional knowledge and ask them if they could test it for you.

The simple answer I found is "maybe". Asbestos was banned for use in popcorn ceilings in 1977, so there was probably a lot of it still floating around in 1979. read the information on the epa website, and then decide for yourself what to do

http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/ashome.html

I would use extreme caution if you tried to remove it. wear gloves, long sleeve shirts, a respiratior, not just a cheap dust mask, and then clean the house from top to bottom when you are done.

you will be fine. asbestos was banned in 1970. there are tests at places like home depot or lowes, they can sell anywhere from 5-25 dollars. it depends on the accuracy, similar to a pregnancy test, but you dont have to get the cieling to pee on it. lol.

The important thing is to find out for sure if you plan to disturb the ceiling. Look in the yellow pages under asbestos testing and I am sure you will find many places that will test your sample for a modest price.

Even if it does not have asbestos, those ceilings can be hazardous when removed if you don't use good dust control techniques. That being said, it is not rocket science.

With all due respect to everyone; give the 10 to forjj.

The laws enacted banning its use might not have been strictly adhered to by vendors/manufacturing warehouse centers/contractors with their own supply warehouses/ etc.

On a light note; I personally am happy that the popcorn craze went back to movie theaters.

Remediation of asbestos based products is controlled, and has consequences to any DIY who attempts that. Certainly you can scrape a small patch and have it tested...OR just live with it and paint over. Therein lies the oddity of having asbestos based products in housing. It's perfectly legal and acceptable to paint over. A good example of that is asbestos based exterior shingles/shakes applied to housing.

I suggest contact your local agencies governing code enforcement and zoning.

Steven Wolf