La Mesa Asbestos Removal takes on asbestos popcorn ceiling removal in La Mesa, CA, whether the job is one bedroom or every ceiling under the roof. Sprayed popcorn and acoustic ceiling texture was applied in the decades when much of the city was built, and some of it contains asbestos. The coating, any paint over it and the drywall behind it are sampled as separate layers, so removal covers only what tested positive and only where you plan to work.
Popcorn ceiling removal and acoustic ceiling removal describe the same sprayed coating, whether the house is in La Mesa or elsewhere in San Diego County. We plan this work in La Mesa and in surrounding communities, including Lemon Grove and Santee.
The bumpy texture was sprayed onto drywall or plaster as a separate coat, which is why a lab can find asbestos in the coating and none in the board, or the reverse. EPA is clear that appearance cannot confirm either way. Once results are in, you decide between removing the coating and leaving a sound ceiling for a new finish, or replacing the board as well if the remodel calls for it.
An acoustic ceiling may have been rolled with paint at least once, and older repairs around a moved light or a roof leak may use a different texture mix. Paint makes the coating harder to wet, and a patch can test differently from the original. Each sample is tied to the room it came from, so a positive result in the hallway does not automatically decide the bedrooms.
A ceiling in a unit is still part of a building. When the building has five or more units, or the complex is an installation under one association or owner, Rule 1206 applies even though the space is someone’s home: survey first, notification at least 10 working days ahead once the work reaches 100 square feet of building materials, and containment that protects shared hallways. Access, parking and hours are agreed with the HOA or manager.
Recessed cans, a ceiling fan box or a hatch for attic insulation can cut into only a few square feet of texture. Two different 100-square-foot lines matter: Rule 1206 exempts renovations under 100 square feet of building materials in a 365-day period, and Cal/OSHA requires DOSH registration once 100 square feet or more of asbestos-containing material is involved. Smaller jobs still need trained workers and wet methods. Planning several small openings together avoids paying for repeated setups.
For a detached house, a duplex, a triplex or a fourplex, Rule 1206 does not apply, so there is no APCD survey or notification step for the ceiling itself. That does not make the work unregulated. A hired crew removing asbestos-containing texture works under Cal/OSHA’s asbestos standard, which sets exposure limits and work classes, and the contractor needs the right CSLB licence and DOSH registration for the size of the job.
Where the rule does apply, as in apartment buildings, condo complexes and any house used as a business, the ceilings are surveyed first by someone holding a current EPA-approved building inspector certificate, a copy of that survey stays at the job, and the San Diego County APCD receives its notification before scraping starts. Texture is kept wet as it comes down, sealed in leak-tight bags and tracked to the landfill. Scraped popcorn texture crumbles under hand pressure, which is what friable means, so it is handled as friable waste.
If the same rooms are getting new walls, see drywall, joint compound and plaster removal; for textured exterior and interior plaster finishes that are not sprayed ceiling coats, see asbestos stucco removal. The full list of services is on the La Mesa Asbestos Removal homepage.
Tell us which rooms have the texture, whether it has been painted, roughly when the home was built and whether any lab results already exist. Mention if the home is a condo or apartment unit, and whether recessed lights, fans or attic work are part of the same project. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (619) 639-0343