This $20 electric paint spray gun is probably your cheapest option -

http://m.harborfreight.com/51-gph-electric-paint-spray-gun-60446.html

The reviews are 50/50 so you may need to mod it a bit to be able to use it upside down. Maybe unscrew the paint cup holder and run a seperate plastic tube into it instead to feed the paint. You'll also want some plastic drop cloths from Home Depot, they're about $2 for a 9' x 12' thin plastic tarp. Use painters tape to mask off the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling, then tape the tarp just below it to cover the wall and floor. You're biggest enemy here is gonna be overspray. Any paint that doesn't hit the ceiling is gonna fall back down and get all over your floor, walls, furniture, or whatever else. Work in sections, one room at a time but you're gonna have to mask the shit out of everything.

Or just get an asbestos testing kit and if it comes up positive boom it's your landlords problem. Pretty sure it's illegal to rent an asbestos cover place

Is it flaking off currently?

The key with asbestos is if its in good condition leave it the fuck alone. it should be easy to avoid further damage.


If you really want to paint it then Wear a full disposable boiler suit and correctly fitted/rated dust mask.

>>950994
Maybe your mom didn't know about the dangers of asbestos, or even that the ceiling had asbestos in it.

Anyway, paint roller and an extension pole.

>>951000
>paint roller

No. The pieces will be pulled off by the roller and expose the asbestos. You MUST spray paint the ceiling, non negotiable.

>>950999
I don't see it flaking off, but lately I've been hearing lots of small popping/cracking noises coming from the ceiling and walls. A few places in the apartment also have long thin cracks all the way across the room, which my mom says are left over from a big earthquake in 1994.

Holy fuck California is so full of cucks. Soak it with a sprayer and scrape it off. Wear a mask if your scared of getting dust in your face vagina.

>>951022
Its an apartment, can't scrape it off because the ceiling underneath is unfinished, as I see through a hole in a closet. Only options are paint the ceiling, leave alone and do nothing, or gtfo.

Most of these ceilings have been thoroughly painted over so they are not flaky, but parents lived here since the 70s and its still the original grey acoustic material that easily breaks off if disturbed.

>>951020

Paint will help to some extent but will not protect from cracking especially if its earthquake related.

Excessive dust and flaking are the real worries, but there is little reason you should have eiter of these.

Dont get too worked up over this. Asbestos can be dangerous but in your situation i really doubt you are at any real risk.

>>951035

I've likely been exposed to lots of dust from the many times I accidentally the ceiling throughout my life before I knew anything about it. I used to like to throw squares of cardboard across the room and throw tennis balls at the wall, an they would often hit the ceiling and knock off pieces making dust. Since I became aware of likely asbestos presence in such materials I was careful never to disturb the ceiling again.

I'm somewhat less worried now because I stared at the ceiling waiting to hear the soft cracking noise again, and seems to be coming from deeper behind, like the walls and roof settling, or expanding with the warmer Cali weather, not disturbing the ceiling finish. I live on the top floor.

>>951025
paying rent since the 70's? ov vey

i scrape and paint these type ceilings all the time, it looks fine, almost like a knock down texture. i put up plastic so the stuff drops into the center trashcan as a i scrape.

asbestos was bad for people who worked around it all the time, one ceiling wont give you mesothelioma.

First off OP, get it tested. You have no idea if it actually contains asbestos.

If the test comes back positive, have the landlords pay for it to be properly abated. You live in California, I can all but guarantee that there is a law prohibiting asbestos in rental units.

Finally, cool your tits. Asbestos isn't fucking cyanide. One tiny particulate won't fuck your lungs for life. Yeah, you want to avoid breathing it but it's not a death sentence.

Fun fact: Asbestos is totally legal in use in a lot of common items in the US today.

Not banned for these common items:

Cement corrugated sheet
Cement flat sheet
Clothing
Pipeline wrap
Roofing felt
Vinyl floor tile
Cement shingle
Millboard
Cement pipe
Automatic transmission components
Clutch facings
Friction materials
Disk brake pads
Drum brake linings
Brake blocks
Gaskets
Non-roofing coatings
Roof coatings

http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/us-federal-bans-asbestos

>>951078
In the last few days I have been hearing lots of creaking noises from all around the ceiling, so my main worry is that there are subtle shifts in the material. Now I'm not so sure its just the walls and roof. Nothing I can hear or see falling off though.

>>951117
It was banned in ceiling sprays in 1978, but not prohibited in old buildings, new renters would probably just have a "this area contains chemicals known to the state of california to cause cancer" notice in their agreement, a common phrase you see posted everywhere in California. I see this shit everywhere, but usually it is painted over so it looks like cottage cheese, not the rough gray stuff that easily crumbles.

Ok op, I was an asbestos remover for many years.
If its as old as you say, it's probably not a "little" asbestos. Probably more like 30%.
But if you haven't had it tested you don't know if it is asbestos. It may have only been up there 20 years and just looks really old.
Whatever, if it is asbestos its the landlords responsibility legally. You can call you local dept of health.
No matter what, DO NOT PAINT IT. The added weight of the paint will have it falling down in clumps all over the place. I've seen it more times than I can count. And the landlord can sue you for the damages. Including the cost of an enviornmental co. coming in and decontaminating the whole fucking building. And putting up a new ceiling.

>>950998
"Asbestos testing kit?" asbestos is tested by telegraph electron microscopy. There are like two dozen facilities able to do this in the country. It's not like a home pregnancy test."Oh look hun, we're going to have a tumor"

>>951117
Sorry, all the items on your list were outlawed in the second round of asbestos laws enacted in the mid 80s

>not saying get yer shit together and move out.

But get your shit together and move out.

Well OP here. Something interesting happened a few hours ago: I was just sitting on the floor when a small slithering bug randomly fell on my neck. So its possible that there's an infestation of termites or whatever bug that was thats making the random cracking noises that occur all over the place.

>>951792
the building is over 50 years old, and its the original ceiling. Parents lived here since late 70s, but the rest of the buildings common hallways and updated apartments have the ceilings painted over so that I can jump up and tap them and they're solid.

I am equal parts working on ways to move out and bullying my mom into asking the manager about if theres asbestos in it and to request that they paint the ceilings. She is afraid to ask for anything or to make any complaints because its a rent controlled unit and in poor condition- while the rest of the building and newer apartments were long since converted to "luxury apartments."

Definitely decided against painting it myself or having it tested by now, anything of the sort would have to be done through the landlord. One concern though is I have no idea how they would paint it- for all I know they just use a roller and crunch the ceiling pieces as they go with zero fucks given.

>>951817
working on it. Looks like my NEET days are coming to an end soon.

>>951808
It is. You take a sample of the shit amd mail it off. The kit is like $20 and each sample you want tested is like $100

>>952107
The people selling any type of kit are middlemanning you and not providing anything more that a container to put it in and taking a cut of the possessing fees.
Take a piece of it, put it in a Ziploc bag. Call anyone who does building inspections and ask what lab they're using and save yourself 50 bucks. They're preying on people's ignorance.

>>950994
Technically if the place your living in should be condemned if its asbestos. (assuming USA) if you care about your health you will make that happen. Easiest way to check to see if it is or not. Is break a popcorn off the roof and see if its grey on the inside or white. If its grey its asbestos. White. Its not.

>>952446
So many people talkin bout shit they know nothing about.

>>951117
>>951809
There's also more than one form of asbestos. It's the fibrous, needles-with-atom-wide-points variety that's dangerous. It's not a chemical toxin, it mechanically eviscerates cells and cell proteins (including DNA).

>>952491
Wow thanks for the lesson. Maybe you missed the part that said I used to do this for a living. 18 yrs.
Yes there are several different types, meaning different mineral composition. But that has nothing to do with what your talking about.
You're talking about different states or conditions the asbestos is in. Either by how it was processed or the condition it is presently in due to environmental factors or actions taken apon it.

>>950994
they make test kits you can get at most home improvement stores. if it comes back negative then scrape that shit off and sand smooth and paint

>>952446
Where the fuck did you hear this nonsense?

>>952504
>Wow thanks for the lesson. Maybe you missed the part that said I used to do this for a living. 18 yrs.
Maybe you should have mentioned that then, eh? It's kind fucking important.

>>952547
"Ok op I was an asbestos remover for many years..."
Apparently I did mention it. Maybe you need to learn to read English.

Asbestos is fine if its encapsulated properly. If it isn't its generally best practice to replace the unencapsulated parts instead of trying to reencapsulate.

Having safely encapsulated asbestos won't get a property "condemned" and usually isn't anything to worry about.

>>952063
Op whatever a contractor does with it has to be an acceptable method by industry standards.
I don't know what state you're in but many states require that a plan be submitted to the state as to how they are going to remove or encapsulate it before hand. And that needs to be approved by the state before anything is done. If they are caught doing anything besides what the abatement plan outlines they can be fined.
Unfortunately not all buildings are necessarily covered by these laws. Some smaller residential buildings aren't regulated by the laws in some states. But if this is a multi unit building it probably is covered by state laws.
Youd have to check state laws, and some cities have their own regulations beyond the state laws.
If you're hearing creaking noises it's possible there are structural issues going on landlord would need to address behind the coating.
Things like this are covered by housing laws and if your landlord is not willing to take care of this, the housing authority is the first people to contact about it.

>>952809
Yes, what that other guy doesn't seem to understand is the a building is condemned when it is unrepairable and/or unsafe.

How about slamming some 1/4 drywall right on top of that shit and calling it a day?

Buy a couple of spray cans of Kilz Primer- Orchard Supply carries it. It'll cover that up. Don't try to scrape the whole ceiling off- I watched my dad do that and it was a huge mess.

>>952967
if a small piece can break of just touching it gently, would aerosol create dust, or would it absorb immediately upon impact?

>>952965
>apartment

>>952932
>>952446

>a building is condemned when it is unrepairable and/or unsafe.
>>952809
>safely encapsulated

Parents moved in shortly after asbestos spray coating was banned, and there isn't any inspection. I recall there was a building inspection a few years ago, but they just looked around to make sure there are no fire hazards and obvious unsafe conditions. Except for a few fine cracks and lots of scrapes and nicks, no obvious damage to the ceiling so no manager or maintenance person has mentioned it. But I see that the ceiling in the building hallways and in other apartments is painted over, and if I touch it nothing breaks off.

>>952506
do they make ones where you actually test it yourself at home or do you send it to a lab?

Considering this, and also to just have my mom ask the manager if there is any asbestos, lead, etc in the original ceiling, and what the procedure of covering it would be.

>>953716 To test for asbestos it needs to be sent to a lab and tested with Telescopic Electron Microscopy (TEM).
If I understand that procedure correctly they run electrical current through the sample and observe it under a special microscope to observe the color of the electric arch which is how they can tell if it's asbestos. Well that was how it was described to me anyway. So no there isn't a home test you can do.
As far as that guy who said you can tell by color, he was full of shit. I've seen it white, grey, pinkish, or brown. The asbestos has to be mixed with some type of bonder to hold it together so it could potentiality be any color. Although it's usally white because it's commonly mixed with calcium and or silicate.

OP here again. I just noticed a silverfish, probably the same thing that fell on my head once last week, crawling on the ceiling near the balcony windows.

Is it possible that the strange noises from behind the ceiling (clicks, pops, snaps, etc) is caused by silverfish infestation inside the roof?