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How to deal with textured walls that contain asbestos?

Hi there,

Both my textured ceilings and walls tested positive for asbestos, would I be able to install new plasterboard to cover it up or do I have to get a certified asbestos removal company to remove ACM material from the wall? An asbestos company quoted me $20,000 for removing 110sqm area. Is there any other cheaper way to deal with it?

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Jason

Hi @mike1360,

As asbestos is very commonly found in homes in Australia and New Zealand, I'm sure our helpful community will be able to assist with advice for you.

I would also like to remind all readers never to take risks with asbestos to save money. Your health and the health of others around you is paramount. The Australian Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency asbestossafety.gov.au has a range of resources to be asbestos safe. You can watch their video, read their brochure designed for householders and home renovators to be asbestos safe, or give them a call on 1300 326 148 for advice and information.

Jason

EricL

Hello @mike1360

There have been a few discussions about asbestos here in the community - How to cover asbestos exterior walls? by @larahall and FIbro asbestos-built beach shack cottage - what are the potential issues? by @wendalls. Cladding over the asbestos is one way to cover it up without disturbing it, however, even with the cladding, you'll need to be extra careful every time you drill a hole in your wall when you are trying to hang a picture or attach a shelf.

If you think about it on a long-term basis, removing the asbestos now, will save you money later on, should you decide to sell the property. Asbestos removal in the future will be much more expensive and the buyer will always hold this fact over you every time they make an offer. Should you pass the property on to your family as an inheritance, you'll have peace of mind knowing that the property is safe and free of asbestos.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your wall and ceiling revamped and ready for use.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

mike1360

I made a similar post in the past and got recommended by Bunnings team member to get the artex paint removed. I had a few quotes from asbestos removal companies, they asked me around 10k to get it removed and we have to move out of the house for 2 weeks during the process of removal. 95% of the paint was still in very good condition, and only 5% paint bubbled up due to the moisture behind the wall However, the majority of the artex paint was painted on concrete block and they'll have to use a grinder to get it off. even after all this, they can't promise they can get a 100% clearance rate on the concrete block, they'll have to seal it with paint. My question is Is it worth doing it? are there any other ways to deal with this sort of artex paint? ground floor walls-1.jpg ground floor walls-2.jpg ground floor walls-3.jpg ground floor walls-4.jpg ground floor walls-6.jpg

MitchellMc

Hi @mike1360,

Typically there are two ways to deal with asbestos; remove it or bind it so it's stable. Removing it provides peace of mind that the issue is resolved. Binding it resolves the immediate issue of friable asbestos being disturbed. That quote sounds quite reasonable for the removal of the asbestos-based paint, and I'd imagine it would be far less than the depreciation on the value of your home from leaving it.

If you are not interested in removing the asbestos, I suggest you contact a company specialising in binding and encapsulating it. They'll likely be able to coat the walls with a binding agent. As a secondary precaution, you could have the walls sheeted over with plasterboard. I suspect that by the time you've had it bound and plastered over, you'll be looking at close to your original quote.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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