# Old ceiling tiles - remove? repaint?



## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

Welcome aboard! I too have 1 bedroom with ceiling tiles installed. Mine wre put up because the plaster had fallen years ago, they put in a drop ceiling, using metal brackets or tracks to hold the tiles. YES, some of these tiles CAN contain asbestos. If there is any doubt, you can send a sample to a place, and they can check it for asbestor. I sent a sample of plaster a few months back, and mine came out negative. There are places located all over the country, but the place I sent my sample was a place called Accukits. They can be contacted on the web at accukits.com They charge $25 of the testing per sample, so it might be worth your while. Now, if the tiles are still in god shape, it might be better to just paint over them. As long as they are in good shape, there is no danger. When I get to my bedroom with the tiles, I will probably be sending them a sample to have it checked. I plan on taking mine down to do a re-plaster job.

Bofus


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Sounds like 12"x12" stapled up to 1"x4" strips or on a grid system with "splines" holding them together. Either way, they could very possibly be asbestos. As mentioned above, they probably are covering some bad plaster or the likes. I'd definitely get it tested. It may be that they were installed after asbestos was outlawed. I know it was somewhere in the mid '70s as far as drywall products.


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## sertiphyible (Jun 2, 2008)

*Update*

Thanks for the tips, guys. I did send a crumbled sample away for testing and the tiles are asbestos-free! 95% cellulose and 5% non-asbestos other material. So I pried one away from the rest and took a few shots of the ceiling. The plaster underneath looks decent, at least in this spot. The tiles are indeed fixed (with adhesive?) to wooden strips that have been nailed to the plaster. I think we're going to move ahead with the removal and carefully pull out the nails and strips. We're just looking for a mostly smooth plaster finish so I'm sure we'll have some patching to do...:thumbsup:


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

Glad to hear there is no asbestos in your tiles. I know that the plaster above my tiles had fallen years ago, so when I remove the tiles, I'll have to redo the ceiling. Its better that you make be able to just do some repairs, rather then start from scratch.

Bofus


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## bmetzger (Aug 24, 2008)

I believe I have the same tiles you show in the pictures stapled at a project I am working on. On the tiles you removed, did they have a random drill hole pattern?


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