Does my co-workers house have asbestos?
If the ceiling does contain asbestos, it’s not something to fool around with. From the site linked by nanojath: If the material is identified as Asbestos Containing Material and it is in good condition, the APCD recommends leaving it alone. If the ACM is damaged, or if renovation, repair, or remodeling may disturb the material, you should hire a California state licensed asbestos abatement contractor to remove it in a safe and legal manner. An asbestos removal contractor list is available through [your county’s] APCD or the Contractors’ State License Board or check in your telephone directory under “Asbestos Abatement and Removal Service.
Previous thread on popcorn ceilings that I’m linking just to credit an interesting idea if it is asbestos: Cool Papa Bell’s comment in that thread suggests wetting and pressing the popcorn to produce a kind of Venetian plaster effect. If she’s up to try this, no need to test for asbestos, as she wouldn’t have to scrape (in addition to which, scraping has a good chance of revealing an uneven ceiling, which is why popcorn texture is applied).
I can’t imagine that there is any liklihood that the popcorn ceiling would have asbestos as opposed to the walls and roofing system. Popcorn ceilings (eww) are basically pneumatically sprayed joint compound (and/or plaster). There’s no reason for fireproof ceilings if the walls aren’t treated, if you get my point. I’ve never heard of asbestos popcorn, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Worst case scenario, she lays some furring strips over it and drywalls/drop ceilings it and gains a thermal break and a prettier ceiling w/o having to rip off the god forsaken popcorn.
TomMelee: Sorry, you’re wrong. Popcorn ceilings were noted for their high asbestos content. I did some research on asbestos and construction materials (since I’m considering buying a 70-year-old house), and was amazed to learn how long it’s been in use. Bluntly, either leave the stuff alone (because it is very, very likely to contain asbestos), or get it removed professionally. As exphysicist345 notes, if it’s undamaged, it’s usually safe to leave in place.
