Disturbed asbestos

[Robinsnest6]

Hi all,

In need of a bit of advice please. I moved into my new house a few weeks ago and prior to this had a RICS survey done which suggested areas of possible asbestos. I got a survey done which identified three artex ceilings containing white asbestos. The report said these were low risk and were in “good condition” which surprised me as the landing in particular looks pretty bad with a huge crack running through it.

Anyway, we moved in thinking the ceilings were ok for now and we would either get them skimmed or completely removed in the future, but unfortunately the hallway ceiling was damaged slightly whilst moving some furniture in. I called the asbestos company who told me it should be fine as just a small area and that you can buy encapsulation paint to seal it. I wasn’t comfortable doing this myself so asked them to come out to repair it. When they arrived they said the ceilings were in a pretty bad state and that it wouldn’t be possible to encapsulate it as the whole thing would come away. We now are going to have them completely removed, but have noticed more cracks appearing in the meantime.

My main concern is that I’m here with my 2 year old running around the place. The person I spoke to on the phone seemed to think it would be fine to stay here until we get them removed (in a week and a half) but I’m so worried what with the disturbance on the day we moved in three weeks ago and all the cracks. What makes it worse is that my husband hoovered the crumbled asbestos not realising this would make things worse!

Tempted to go and stay at my parents but would the damage have already been done? I was considering getting an air test done but don’t know if that would be helpful at this point.

I’ve tried ringing other asbestos companies for advice but everywhere is closed for Christmas and new year at the moment.

Any help or advice greatly appreciated!

 

[Tigercubrider]

The risk is tiny
You’d do more damage to health by doing anything than leaving it alone

Artex had hardly any asbestos and it’s safe where it is. Worst case some duct tape over the damage is good enough. DO NOT vacuum any dust. Simply mop it up with a damp cloth and stick it in a poly bag in the bin.

Don’t worry - it would need long term exposure to the dust.
I expect that the removal company may steam it off.

 

[endecotp]

The person I spoke to on the phone seemed to think it would be fine to stay here until we get them removed

Listen to the expert.

 

[Phil473]

I have artex celings, they're fine as long as they aren't disturbed.
Can you post pics?

My understanding is that you fill in hairline cracks with a filler, and paint over normally. That's what a company told me anyway.

Could be that the plasterboard itself beneath the artex, isn't stable enough for skimming. Had a leak in my garage, a company removed the plasterboard itself with the artex. My neighbour had his whole house done this way, which was an expensive option and damaged a few lights. So an electrician had to come in afterwards. He said on reflection, he'd rather have just painted them over and saved the cash, as I chose.

So you have to make up your mind on this, to be honest it would have been better to have it done before moving in. If I ever get the artex removed I'll store my stuff in the garage, cover the carpets, get an air test after the job.

Maybe chuck the vacuum. I have one of these for DIY, it'll handle asbestos and lead paint. https://www.clickcleaning.co.uk/products/numatic-hz200-9l-h-class Then a standard Henry for regular cleaning.

Though if a large amount of artex was disturbed, or high content asbestos was the issue you'd need a professional.

In modern life, we're breathing all sorts of pollution every time we walk down the street. Try not to worry about it too much.

 

[Robinsnest6]

Thanks for the replies!

The problem is, the hallway ceiling was disturbed, and I think the others are because of all the cracks. I would’ve much preferred to have got all of this sorted before we moved in, believe me! But the asbestos company told us they were fine to be left as they were in good condition. Now that we’ve moved in we can see that they’re very much not in good condition hence my worry and the reason I’m not feeling very confident with what the asbestos “experts” are telling me

We did change the hoover filter and will definitely need to remove the artex ceilings. They can’t just be filled and painted over.

I’ve attached some pictures of some of the cracks.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The problem is, the hallway ceiling was disturbed, and I think the others are because of all the cracks.

If those photos are of the worst of it, you are worrying needlessly. Just ignore it, don't look at it, find something else to worry about.

 

[Phil473]

Thanks for the replies!

The problem is, the hallway ceiling was disturbed, and I think the others are because of all the cracks. I would’ve much preferred to have got all of this sorted before we moved in, believe me! But the asbestos company told us they were fine to be left as they were in good condition. Now that we’ve moved in we can see that they’re very much not in good condition hence my worry and the reason I’m not feeling very confident with what the asbestos “experts” are telling me

We did change the hoover filter and will definitely need to remove the artex ceilings. They can’t just be filled and painted over.

I’ve attached some pictures of some of the cracks.

In my non professional opinion, that's nothing. I'd just finger in some filler and paint over.

You'll occasionally get hairline cracks, you can see in the picture I've used polyfiller and will paint over. Excuse the black marks, they are cobwebs!

 

[Robinsnest6]

Ok thanks all for the reassurance. The asbestos company (the same ones who originally told us they were in good condition) have since told us they think they need to be removed so will need to have a think about what to do as it is expensive, but if the ceilings aren’t safe then I would rather get rid of them completely. You can’t really tell from the pictures but it does look like bits of the ceiling are just going to fall off in parts.

If it’s was just me in the house I wouldn’t be worried but because my son is here I’m naturally more concerned.