The Great Scrape of 2008
April 10, 2008
The Great Scrape of 2008 came and went without much fanfare. Our muscles are still sore, we’re still in desperate need of massages, and yet we’ve spent every night this week at the house peeling wallpaper, removing wood paneling, and dragging old, cat-pee-stained carpet out to the driveway for bulk waste collection.
Whoever the previous owners were, their passive-aggressive cat proved its dismay by relieving itself in every corner of the house. I’m not sure which I think is more of an accomplishment: completely ridding our entire home of the distinct scent of animal urine, or eradicating asbestos popcorn from all the ceilings.
We did have help with the popcorn, so we can’t take all the credit – Eddie came over on Saturday, and my dad came over on Sunday – for removing the ceiling.
The living room and dining room each have 12-foot-ceilings, and I sincerely regret not getting a picture of Roger, my dad and me all standing on ladders of varying heights, tackling the dining room. It was the last room we finished. The pride - and relief: it was finally over! - we felt when climbing down the ladder for the last time was unparalleled.
(Unparalleled, that is, until we start our next project. By then, The Great Popcorn Scrape of 2008 will just be a distant memory. We’ll think, “Awwwww, that wasn’t so bad.” But believe me: in the midst of the scraping? The dust? The hot, un-breathable Tyvek suits? The sore muscles? The having to hold my arms over my head for hours at a time? It was brutal.)
To view larger photos and more commentary, visit the Flickr photo set here: The Great Scrape of 2008
[For those interested in technical matters, it took three people to scrape 2100+ square feet of ceiling in two days (6 hours the first day, seven hours the second day). This is mostly because my dad is a machine, and no, you can’t borrow him. We spent three days simply prepping the house – by far and large, that was the more time-consuming project, and considerably easier on our bodies.
We laid 1.5 mil plastic over the floors, cabinets, sinks, vents, etc., and in some rooms laid builder’s paper over the plastic. The builder’s paper didn’t make that much of a difference – it was just extra waste to pick up after the project was done.
Using a garden pump sprayer, we wet the ceilings with water, allowed it to set for one-half hour (generally while we were scraping another area of the room), and then used 3” wide putty knives to scrape the popcorn. After several tests, it seemed the 3” blade worked most efficiently in terms of area scraped and how clean the blade removed the popcorn from the ceiling.
The popcorn came off relatively easily, though you’ll notice from the pictures that we were removing the popcorn entirely – not just changing the ceiling texture – so it required more strenuous and detailed work.
We wore full-body Tyvek coveralls with attached hoods and boots. The boots were great, but I generally went without the hood because the coveralls were so hot. Our masks are the 3M 7500 series with 2091 filters for particle dust.
We rented an air scrubber to filter the asbestos dust out of the air. The machine did an excellent job, turning the air in each room four times per hour. Considering we let it run for more than 100 hours straight, I’d say the air is pretty dang clean. After we finished the entire house, we simply rolled up the paper/plastic and disposed of it. It was a simple cleanup, followed by vacuuming with a shop vac fitted with a HEPA filter, and after that we mopped both the floors and the walls.]
Comments
Yay, congrats! What a project. That's gotta feel so AWESOME to be done!
Posted by: rosie | April 10, 2008 10:18 AM
That's cool!
~Jef
Posted by: Edge | April 10, 2008 10:46 AM
WOW, go Jes and Roger. Sad I couldn't see you all suited up on Saturday but I think I would have just gotten in the way since I didn't have a hazmat suit on hand . . . my dad has one but you know we don't carry those in the car normally.
Posted by: Katie | April 10, 2008 11:57 AM
My husband was a beekeepr for Halloween one year. He wore a similar looking suit. He could not stop sweating. But they make such great photos!
Posted by: slynnro | April 10, 2008 12:00 PM
I wonder if I wore that suit while working out if I would sweat more and lose more weight.
Posted by: eddeaux | April 10, 2008 03:07 PM
Yea! A new post from you. I LOVE the new house. The fireplace is amazing. You guys rock. I can't wait to see more photos.
Posted by: mrs. blogoway | April 10, 2008 06:58 PM
Congrats on finishing! I'd wondered how this project was going!
I'm glad for you guys that you were able to finish it yourselves. That's awesome!
Posted by: my life is brilliant | April 10, 2008 09:40 PM
Ok, I'm tired and overwhelmed just by reading about what you guys did! You make it sound easy!!!! Good for you guys and perseverance, right now I'm taking a break from cleaning my bathroom. Emptying the trash cans is as far as I've gotten and I've been "cleaning" them for 2 days. See, this is why I didn't offer to help with the popcorn, I completely lack discipline to finish a job. Well that, and I'm pretty sure they don't have suits and masks small enough for Michael.
Posted by: Erica | April 11, 2008 09:48 AM
If Jes and I have inspired you and you are considering your own popcorn scraping project...One very important thing we did for this project (which Jes didn't emphasize much) was that we turned off and completely taped off and sealed up in plastic our entire HVAC/AC system--closet, vent openings, return vents and EVERYTHING.
It was very important that we did not let any asbestos dust get in there while scraping the popcorn. If we didn't take this precaution, microscopic asbestos particles could get in our AC system and continue to recirculate through the AC ducts for who knows how long.
Even though our suits were hot and our bodies were so sore and all our muscles were aching...Jes did a lot to help with this daunting project and you would all be impressed at what a great job she did scraping.
Jes' ed. note: I am a master scraper, for hire.
Posted by: Roger | April 11, 2008 05:32 PM
Wow, Jess, you go girl~
What a project! I am really, really impressed!
And the masks are truly the worst. Whenever I have to wear mine (not often, thankfully), to avoid breathing glass dust, I absolutely hate that sweaty, claustrophobic feeling. So you doing it for two days straight...wow!
It really is fun to finish a project like that, isn't it? Kudos.
Posted by: What Happens Next | April 11, 2008 07:38 PM
1. You look damn good in a haz mat suit, girl. You could pose for a naughty calendar if you just unzip it a leeeeetle..... ;)
2. Your house is BEAUTIFUL!!! I can't wait to see more pictures as it comes along.
3. Are your triceps and shoulders looking super defined now? At least you have an excuse to wear some sleeveless shirts!
Posted by: girl from florida | April 14, 2008 07:25 AM
Whew! Sounds like a lot of work. At least it's over!!! :)
Posted by: Zandria | April 15, 2008 09:39 PM
Congratulations on the new house! We will begin our search for one as soon as my heart palpitations over moving ease up.
We had a popcorn removal party at my in-laws' cabin. Blech.
Will you texture the ceiling a particular way? It'll be soooo pretty!
Posted by: Jennboree | April 16, 2008 05:09 PM
Wow! amazing! I feel like a huge boob. We've been in our house over a year and haven't done a thing.
Posted by: V | April 16, 2008 08:36 PM
Wow! We have popcorn ceiling. I hate it, but not THAT much. You guys are committed.
Good job sister.
Posted by: Jen | April 16, 2008 09:34 PM