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Home > Archive > Home Repair forum > August 2005 > Asbestos in old wallboard?
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Asbestos in old wallboard?
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| JamesStep@gmail.com 2005-08-28, 3:22 pm |
| Is it likely (or possible) that wallboard in a 50-year-old house (built
1956) would contain asbestos?
I'm removing multiple layers of wallpaper in the bathroom, but the
bottom layer is vinyl wallpaper glued directly to unpainted wallboard.
No matter how careful I am (I'm using a perforation tool and wallpaper
remover paste), the wallboard's paper cover still tends to come off
with the wallpaper, leaving a fuzzy surface, and possibly releasing
fiber dust into the air as the wallpaper pulls away.
The wallboard is light brown with a similar-colored paper cover, and
looks like some kind of composite material.
James
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| JamesStep@gmail.com 2005-08-28, 5:21 pm |
| A clarification -- On closer inspection I don't think the wallboard
actually had a paper cover. I think it's all the same material, but
it's smooth in areas where the small wallpaper pulled away cleanly, but
rough and fuzzy in areas where the top layer is getting pulled off by
the wallpaper. But my original question about asbestos still stands.
James
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| Don Phillipson 2005-08-28, 5:21 pm |
| <JamesStep@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1125250057.247006.160200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Is it likely (or possible) that wallboard in a 50-year-old house (built
> 1956) would contain asbestos?
Most governments maintain a building standards
laboratory that is likely to have this information on file.
It depends where you live.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
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| JamesStep@gmail.com wrote in news:1125250057.247006.160200
@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
> Is it likely (or possible) that wallboard in a 50-year-old house (built
> 1956) would contain asbestos?
> ...
I'd guess anything's possible given the way they used to throw asbestos
around. What I do know is that my 50 year old house has drywall with
writing on the backside indicating it's reinforced with fiberglass. If you
can access any of yours from an unfinished area like an attic there might
be some clues assuming the bathroom walls don't use different stuff.
Mine's all the same.
Doug
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| I have never heard of wallboard containing asbestos. If you are releasing
fibers into air then wear a dusk mask. Re-wallpaper or paint to encapsulate.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about asbestos here.
<JamesStep@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1125250057.247006.160200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Is it likely (or possible) that wallboard in a 50-year-old house (built
> 1956) would contain asbestos?
>
> I'm removing multiple layers of wallpaper in the bathroom, but the
> bottom layer is vinyl wallpaper glued directly to unpainted wallboard.
> No matter how careful I am (I'm using a perforation tool and wallpaper
> remover paste), the wallboard's paper cover still tends to come off
> with the wallpaper, leaving a fuzzy surface, and possibly releasing
> fiber dust into the air as the wallpaper pulls away.
>
> The wallboard is light brown with a similar-colored paper cover, and
> looks like some kind of composite material.
>
> James
>
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| Norminn 2005-08-29, 12:21 pm |
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JamesStep@gmail.com wrote:
> A clarification -- On closer inspection I don't think the wallboard
> actually had a paper cover. I think it's all the same material, but
> it's smooth in areas where the small wallpaper pulled away cleanly, but
> rough and fuzzy in areas where the top layer is getting pulled off by
> the wallpaper. But my original question about asbestos still stands.
>
> James
>
I have no idea as to whether asbestos was ever used as part of
wallboard, but doubt it. It sounds like you might have exposed paper
that was part of the vinyl wallpaper and you pulled off only the top
vinyl coating. The smoothe spots could be plaster, or are you sure
there is wallboard? Where the vinyl has pulled away, spray the papery
stuff with water, let it soak in, spray again, and use a scraper gently
to see if it lifts off. I've removed lots of wallpaper, including two
layers with paint on each, and never found it difficult to get off.
Just messy. If the vinyl layer will peel off fairly intact, just pull
it off and then spray the bottom layer with water. The spray/soak x2
allows the paper to absorb water and soften the paste. All of the
wallpaper I've ever taken off had paste that softened easily with water
- the only trick is in getting the water to it because either paint or
vinyl are a barrier. My favorite tool is very coarse sandpaper, rubbed
gently horiz. across the coating to score it and NOT get into the
wallboard. Spray a couple of times real well, allowing it to soak in,
and start peeling/scraping. Scoring horiz. helps keep the water from
running down the wall. Let us know how it goes.
Start with a small area until you figure out what is under the paper.
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| Tom Miller 2005-08-29, 3:21 pm |
| On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 09:13:52 -0400, "No" <no@email.com> wrote:
> | I have never heard of wallboard containing asbestos. If you are releasing
> | fibers into air then wear a dusk mask. Re-wallpaper or paint to encapsulate.
> | Personally, I wouldn't worry about asbestos here.
> | <JamesStep@gmail.com> wrote in message
> | news:1125250057.247006.160200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> | > Is it likely (or possible) that wallboard in a 50-year-old house (built
> | > 1956) would contain asbestos?
> | >
> | > I'm removing multiple layers of wallpaper in the bathroom, but the
> | > bottom layer is vinyl wallpaper glued directly to unpainted wallboard.
> | > No matter how careful I am (I'm using a perforation tool and wallpaper
> | > remover paste), the wallboard's paper cover still tends to come off
> | > with the wallpaper, leaving a fuzzy surface, and possibly releasing
> | > fiber dust into the air as the wallpaper pulls away.
> | >
> | > The wallboard is light brown with a similar-colored paper cover, and
> | > looks like some kind of composite material.
> | >
> | > James
No asbestos in gypsum wallboard, however there may or may not be
asbestos in some brands of the joint cement used between the gypsum
panels. Sounds like this very small amount would not be an issue in
your situation. It wouldn't stop me. Gypsum can sometimes be
irritating to the throat/nose but it is not asbestos.
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| JamesStep@gmail.com 2005-08-30, 12:21 am |
| > It sounds like you might have exposed paper that
> was part of the vinyl wallpaper [rather than wallboard]...
Thanks for the tips, but it's definitely *wallboard* I'm exposing, I
can clearly see the wood fibers in the composite material, the nails,
the joints, etc. It's wallboard.
> Where the vinyl has pulled away, spray the papery
> stuff with water...
I *wish* the bottom layer of wallpaper would separate, leaving the
paper backing that could be soaked to loosen it. I can do that with
the newer layers of wallpaper, but not the bottom layer (which is
probably 50 years old). No matter how much I perforate and soak it, it
comes off as a unit or not at all, and it usually damages the wallboard
when it comes off. 
But it sounds like the general feeling is that it's unlikely to contain
asbestos. Thanks everyone for your advice. 
Jim
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