"tenplay" wrote in message
. ..
The old house that my elderly mother lives in in California was recently
found to have traces of asbestos from behind the popcorn ceiling of her
living room. There is a 4" x 6" patch where the popcorn has come off. But
there are no openings/holes in the ceiling. Taking out and replacing the
ceiling would be a major job, that would require her to move out while the
work is being done. Because of her frailty and dementia, we would rather
not put her through such an unsettling experience. I've heard that an
alternative would be to put wall board over the ceiling and then paint it
as a temporary but long-term fix. Is the information re the wall board
correct? If so, how much time and expense would it entail? Can any
contractor do it or must they be certified to do asbestos work? We are
looking at the ceilings of two 9X12 rooms. Thanks for any information or
suggestions.

How nice must it look? Using spackling compound, one can patch various
textures (followed by paint) for a decent appearance. There are folks who
are very good at this.

My mother-in-law (now deceased) had senile dementia and her
counselors/doctors unanimously advised us to minimize changes in her life
style and upsetting her daily routines.

The asbestos thing is way over-blown.