So there you are, a licensed contractor,
preparing a bid on that fiftiesera
ranch that the new owner wants to
update, and you’re wondering what all
that hairy-looking stuff on the family
room ceiling is. And what about the
wrappings on those pipes in the basement?
They’ve got hairy-looking stuff
in them, too.
A nasty surprise is waiting for you —
the ceiling has been sprayed with
asbestos, and the pipes are wrapped
with insulation that contains asbestos.
Back in more naive days, asbestos was
considered the new miracle fiber, and
people were using it for everything.
They didn’t just insulate with it, they
did things like spray it on their ceilings
for sound abatement and even
decoration.
Now we