Acoustic, popcorn, and spray-on textured ceilings were applied across millions of American homes from the 1950s through about 1981. The binder usually contains chrysotile, and the texture itself is friable — meaning it crumbles under hand pressure and releases fibers directly into the air the moment it's disturbed.
The single most common illegal homeowner DIY in North Carolina is scraping a popcorn ceiling without testing it first. The fibers don't stay in the room. They settle into the carpet, the HVAC return, the duct interiors, and every soft surface in the house. Cleaning that up after the fact costs more than the abatement would have.
We test first, contain the entire room, scrape wet under negative pressure with HEPA filtration, double-bag the waste to a licensed landfill, and clear the air before anyone re-enters.
Cary's 1970s and 1980s subdivisions still carry their original interior finishes more often than homeowners realize. Popcorn ceilings, vinyl tile in laundry rooms, and the occasional run of transite siding all turn up in routine renovations.
Each one of these we've cleaned up after homeowners or unlicensed contractors did the math wrong.
The texture is friable on contact. Without containment and wet methods, the fibers don't stay in the room — they migrate through HVAC, settle in carpets, and contaminate areas that were never supposed to be touched.
Asbestos waste must go to a licensed Class II landfill with a manifest. Construction-debris dumpsters are not legal disposal. Homeowners who skip this step are personally liable.
Painting over the ceiling can be an appropriate stable-state solution — but the moment renovation, water damage, or a sale puts a tool to that ceiling, the encapsulation buys nothing.
Most residential popcorn rooms close out in a single day. The protocol is rigid because the material is rigid in what it requires.
We collect a small bulk sample of the texture and send it to an accredited NVLAP lab for PLM analysis. Confirmation usually returns within 24-48 hours, which is the gating step before any disturbance.
Critical barriers seal doorways, supply and return registers, and any pass-through to adjacent spaces. Negative-pressure HEPA air filtration runs throughout the work.
We mist the ceiling with amended water until the texture absorbs, then scrape it down onto poly sheeting. Wet methods drop the airborne fiber count by orders of magnitude versus dry removal.
Waste is double-bagged in 6-mil poly with proper labels and manifested to a licensed disposal facility. Air sampling at AHERA clearance levels (0.01 f/cc) confirms the room is safe to re-enter, finish, and live in.
Real reviews from homeowners and contractors across North Carolina.
“We bought a new to us 1964 home last December and to no surprise, we had asbestos popcorn ceilings. We decided to remove the ceilings altogether versus just scraping them. To complicate things even more, we had a plumbing leak in a room that had previously been encapsulated, so we had to deal with insurance to cover a portion of the asbestos removal. Rusty and the whole team at Remtech were such a help from the first moment we spoke! They were responsive, flexible, and knowledgeable. They helped us get insurance what they needed. They even worked with us to do the removal work while we had to be out of town. Asbestos removal and dealing with insurance, especially as we were brand new to the home, was incredibly stressful. Working with Remtech was the opposite – they were helpful and easy to work with that I barely had to think about the work being done. It was a nice break for my brain! They also did a great job. We came home to a CLEAN house with no ceilings! While I’m hoping we never have to go through such a big project again, I know we’d be able to handle it because we can rely on Remtech.”
“Very fast, professional and responsive. Did floor asbestos abatement for our house for a very reasonable price and they were very quick to schedule to keep us within our very close timeline.”
“As a General Contractor specializing in Bathroom & Kitchen remodel, we complete in excess of 250 bathroom upgrades each year. Regardless of our remodeling and construction experience and capabilities, when it comes to addressing the unforeseen hazardous and environmental conditions posed by mold, asbestos, and lead paints, we have a responsibility to our customers to partner with the best abatement specialist possible, and as proficient in abatement as we are kitchen and bath remodeling. Remtech has proven to be that reliable and trusted partner for both our customers and company. We highly recommend the Remtech Team.”
“A few months ago I used Remtech Envir. to remove asbestos from the ceiling of my home, and to this day I’m still amazed with their service that I’ve been meaning to write a review, and today’s the day! The whole process went through so smoothly because of their professionalism, punctuality and care. At the end of each day I received an update from Rusty who was the project manager which was super helpful, and because of their expertise I knew the job was getting done correctly. There was a lot of asbestos to remove, and they showed up and delivered hard work to get it done within the time frame that was initially discussed. So grateful we used their services! I would highly recommend!”
“Our church basement flooded and the old asbestos tiles curled up and had to be removed. Jeff Brewer came over to look at our problem, explained what they would do. He furnished a quote very quickly with a fair price. After checking with two other companies, Jeff’s instructive conversation, ease of manner, willingness to help and a fair price won him the work. As a former contractor, I know how backed up companies can be in their schedule. He told us of a target time about 4-6 weeks off, which was fine. He called a couple of weeks later and had an opening in his schedule and wanted to come earlier. That was great. Their staff arrived on time and delivered a very quick, professional and clean project. This allowed us to get our Fellowship Hall floored and back in operating condition prior to the start of the school year. It is a pleasure to work with a company that communicates well and delivers their service in a superior way.”
“I have spoken with Bryan on many occasions about growth strategy. He has always been open to communicate. I look forward to future conversations.”
“Remtech came in and did a removal of asbestos when our home developed a leak and the sheetrock ceiling had to be removed. Got right to work, kept us informed every step of the way and did a great job of cleaning up. Would use them again in a heart beat!!”
“The cost was higher than expected, so I did not move forward at that time. I will use Remtech when I am ready to have the work done. They are very professional and take the time to answer any questions. The rep arrived on time, explained the process and provided the estimate. A very positive experience.”
The conditions that surface asbestos in one material often overlap with other materials and other environmental concerns. We address them under one roof.
Two decades of work on Cary-area properties produces the same handful of questions. Here are the short answers — the long versions are a phone call.
If the texture was applied before 1981, assume it does until a lab confirms otherwise. After 1981, asbestos use in textured ceilings phased out, but stockpiled materials were used into the early 1990s in some cases. The only honest answer is a bulk sample and PLM lab result.
A typical residential room — 200 to 400 square feet of ceiling — is a single-day job: containment in the morning, scrape and clean by mid-afternoon, clearance air sampling and demobilization the same evening. Multi-room jobs run a day per major room.
Not usually. Containment isolates the work area from the rest of the home, and HVAC zones to the work area are shut down or sealed. We do ask occupants to stay out of the work area itself, and we coordinate timing with families that have small children or respiratory sensitivities.
Sometimes. Encapsulation is appropriate for stable, intact popcorn in a room that won't be touched again. It's the wrong answer if you're about to renovate, expand, repair water damage, or sell to a buyer whose inspector will flag it. We'll tell you honestly which side you're on.
Square footage, ceiling height, accessibility, and whether the HVAC system needs sealing or post-job cleaning. The single biggest swing factor is whether the homeowner has already disturbed the ceiling — disturbed material requires HVAC remediation that untouched material doesn't.
Tell us what you have, when it was built, and what's going on around it. We'll tell you whether it needs the lab, the abatement, or just a coat of paint.
If you can include the year of construction and a photo of the ceiling, we can usually scope the job from your message and have a quote out the same business day.