Is this Asbestos?! (120 Year Old House Renovation) 

What's funny is that recent renovations in a staff toilet found the word "CONTAIN ASBESTOS" in red lettering across the back of a piece of ripped out plasterboard ("gyprock" / "sheetrock"), that when sent out for testing, turned out to not contain any asbestos at all. When the broken pieces were later put back together, the red lettering spelt out "DOES NOT CONTAIN ASBESTOS". At least we got to laugh about it afterwards.

Actually you are being smart about getting substances tested regardless of results. I pay for peace of mind. This was an interesting video even though no building done.

This video was actually great and honestly one of the less glamorous sides of old houses. If this were a network DIY show they would have skimmed over this in 2 minutes and the problem would have been fixed. Actually seeing your process and all the concerns, and then relief, were a lot more compelling and actually informative to watch! Can't wait to see the follow up!

I worked with asbestos 50 years ago, and for the last 30 years I have been plagued with irreversable lung conditions which get slowly worse as time go's by so keep being cautios if you think you might be dealing with asbestos

The perks of Laura making a 12 min long video about asbestos: ✔️ adorable Smudo & Laura scenes 🤩 ✔️ Felix as the cameraman & off-voice just adds a lot of great interactivity ✔️ Laura reading Wikipedia articles (could also be a podcast format for your long podcast episode 😁) ✔️ So many emotions, I love it 'cause it's so human...sad Laura & happy Laura & making plans Laura ✔️ One circus dog presentation 😅 I'm happy for you that it's "just" in the exterior & am very much looking forward to the next house videos 🤩

A few years ago, shortly after moving into my own house, I pulled out all of the loft insulation. It was old, awful stuff. I had pulled it all out of the loft, dumped it on the landing (next to mine and my daughter's bedroom), through all the living areas and into the garden. As soon as I had stopped to look at it, I had a sudden pang of sheer panic, anyone that visited my house and saw it had the same concern. Although I knew there wasn't really anything to do about it, for months I couldn't stop thinking about it, it literally kept me up/woke me up in the night. I eventually had it tested and I cannot express relief that it was just a really old, nasty type of fibreglass (still not great but better than the alternative). I actually hugged the guy that came to inspect it, I was so relieved as my daughter was only 2 at the time and the thought that my carelessness could have permanently harmed her was more than I could bear. If in doubt GET IT CHECKED.

I never thought a video about asbestos could be shot so beautifully 🤣

Very wise to have the samples tested, Laura. Asbestos was the miracle product until the 1970's. My family is from the Eastern Townships in Quebec, Canada. The Jeffrey mine was the world's largest open pit asbestos mine and the town beside the mine was named Asbestos. My father got his first teaching job there in the 50's. He told me that when the mine workers finished their shifts, their cars would be all white from the dust from the pit. He said that the women in the town would always have to shake all the white dust off their laundry when they took it off the clothesline. Frightening to imagine now!

Honestly, there is nothing boring about that - there are still so many old houses containing it in one place or the other, and it is better to have an idea of what to do and not to just "go with it"... Awareness is key. So many old houses are sold right now, and before willing DIYers sicken themselves in the longterm it is a great vid to get reminded of the matter.

It’s great you posted this video. Being careful about asbestos, lead, etc. is really important for those of us that like working on old houses. Cheers

You don’t want to mess with asbestos. Years ago, in America, they found schools that had a lot of asbestos, especially around pipes. Also, love the shot of your dog in the blanket. So cute.

The news is actually good. Yes, your expenses will be more but your beautiful house will not only look good after, it will be healthy and keep you safe. Keep smiling.

Honestly this wasn't a boring video at all! So entertaining, funny and i was crossing my fingers sooooo hard, waiting to find out if you had asbestos in the house. Well done, like always!

Thanks for sharing this, Laura. The reports in total are, more or less, the best one could realistically hope for. Thanks for sharing. Thumbs up!

Laura, I feel relieved hearing at the end of the video, about you reconsidering how the wall thing went. This is the power of the community you built: we all feel involved in your projects, but even more in your safety.

That sucks to hear. Restoring house poses so many more problems than building from scratch (asbestos, mold, load bearing walls). Hope everything goes well with the removal and stay strong!

It’s generally best to test. When we had the asbestos abatement company at my dad’s house for estimates, he just told us what we should get tested and helped collect the sample. Some of the flooring he thought was worth testing came back positive and some came back negative. He was an expert in asbestos removal, and he couldn’t tell by just looking.

This house is an old pitman's house. In the Rhenish hill country, these houses were traditionally clad with slate shingles. This style of building extended into the Sauerland region. Unfortunately, the slate shingles were often replaced by Eternit shingles during renovations. Normally, the upper third of the façade of these houses was covered with slate shingles.

Laura, here in the USA, these cement board shingles can be just covered up, and a house wrap covering the old shingles, as long as they are not crumbling apart. you can build over it. this is what they did to our old house that was built around the 1920s. Our family, live in it for 65 years until our parents and uncle passed away.

I'm SO relieved you got it checked. As a former construction worker who worked mostly on old houses, I've been thinking about it since you bought the house. And just to reassure you, This was NOT a boring video! 😁

Did you test the plaster? We found some in the old paster (and lathe) walls. It isn't terrible; we had to hire an abatement firm to remove it and clean the building. They dealt with everything I wasn't allowed to continue work until that team was done. For me it wasn't the 1632 plaster but the parts of the house that had been updated (since the 1900s)

I'm in the middle of buying a house built in 1908 so this is actually really helpful. We're going to test everything but I still feel like I'm going into this with so little information. THANK YOU!

I still find it amazing that it is enough to snip off a few small pieces, send it to a lab and in less than a week(!) you get a full report about what's in there as well as a mandate to properly get rid of a harmful substance to ensure you don't hurt yourself or others. All the best with your project and thanks for still taking comments seriously, even though I'm sure it is sometimes exhausting to read through all these opinions with very little opportunity to check if someone's an actual expert in the field or just trolling. Schöne Grüße aus dem Nachbarland rauf in den Norden und weiter so! :-)

You have a truly endearing way of taking your viewers through the ups and downs.

I’m glad you took this seriously and got it tested. Asbestos is no joke. Gets in the lungs and kills people later in life. Best get it sorted. Good luck

Very happy you didn't leave us hanging for the reply. I am glad it is only the exterior of the house.

Smart and responsible actions taken. You are such a good person Laura. Also loved hearing you speak German. Your accent is familiar; i lived in the Rhineland Palatinate for six years.

Ich arbeite in einem Uni-Rasterelektronenmikroskopielabor für Baustoffe in Deutschland, das Untersuchungen dieser Art auch durchführt. Das ist wirklich ein verbreitetes Problem mit dem Asbest. Der Mist wurde bis in die frühen 90er Jahren auch in Fliesenklebern verwendet. I work in a SEM laboratory for building materials in germany. We have specimens like that regularly. Asbestos is a really widepsread problem in gemany. That stuff was used until the early 90ies in germany in tile adhesive. Edit: you cant smell asbestos! Never ever rub and smell suspicious material!! :D

I'm really glad you got everything tested :) Much better feeling to watch the future videos on the house.

I had exactly the same exterior Cementous tiles which contained asbestos. We were legally able to "lock the asbestos down" by painting the tiles. This keeps the asbestos from becoming fibrous. So, unless you were planning on disturbing your exterior tile siding you should not have to remove them. Of course, things are different in each country. Good luck!!!

Very informative, thank you! When we bought our 1930s house we needed to sign a waiver saying we accepted the asbestos that was found in the inspection. Luckily it's only in the roof of our shed, so no hurry in replacing it. I wonder what will be today's "asbestos" in 50 years - microplastics probably...

hey, not a boring video. It's a good "imma drink some coffee before having to leave for classes in 20m" or "let's enjoy this coffee break with a video"-length.

Hello!! Thanks fore a super nice super good channel !! I had a house from 1880 that was clad with eternit. In Sweden you have to remove eternit yourself .. my husband and I did it early in the morning when it was windless, covered the ground with corrugated cardboard and dressed us in full-covering clothes and a mask. It was not a difficult job to do and we managed to remove most of the tiles in whole pieces, which is important for the asbestos. We placed all waste on a covered trailer which we then drove to the recycling center and left. Brushed the entire facade when it was clean from eternit. Then it was just to put a new panel on the facade. We threw away all the clothes and shoes we used afterwards. Another thing we discovered was that we had eternit pipes for all the valves that we had to replace as well ... Good luck with your nice house !! 💗

Your positive attitude is wonderful. I liked this video because it was very informative. I restored a house built in 1894 and had many of these same problems. It is important to share the information, but also to help people understand things can be managed and knowledge, not fear should influence decisions making. Keep going! You are awesome!

Sehr cool, dass Du uns so detailliert mit auf die Reise nimmst. :)

It was over 2 decades ago, but it used to be ok in Arizona to caulk all the seams, have a high quality paint primer, and 3 additional top coats of paint to seal it all in. I have no idea if that’s even legal any more. Nor do I live in Arizona anymore. But it might be worth it to check out if thats a legal safe solution where your at Laura!

Always respectful to have products tested. Great work

It has been said before, but it is worth repeating. You learn more from your mistakes than your successes. Thank you for being woman enough to accept that you can and invariably will make those mistakes and hold yourself accountable. God bless you.

So happy to hear that none of the stuff you already worked with contains it. 💜

If nothing else, your video raises asbestos awareness. That's never a bad thing... Hope there are no more nasty surprises with the house. Thx for the video :)

If it smells like Asbestos, tastes like Asbestos... pardon me? I have how many years are you giving me to live, Doctor?

So smart to get tested!! And I speak English natively and I still can't spell to save my life so I am so impressed that you can!!

"Such a boring video." Any video starring Smudo is a good video! :)

this is not a boring video I love to watch you it lets into your life and who you are

Laura, you are my hero! And I loved be able to see you in a day that nothing worked. I could feel that you didn't want to leave the couch. That's happened to me a lot those years and knowing that even you can go through this make me feel human, normal. Thank you for the courage to show it. Kisses from Brazil

Safety and health first. This is much better news than it could have been. 💝🙏💝

I was bumming out along with you. Thanks for the comic relief of the Max trick. Made me LOL.

This was actually super interesting! Seeing the process of what you did to get it tested, how the results come and that you have to get certified company to remove and dispose is good info. Thank you for sharing!

Great that you followed got process, slowed down, got the tests done and listened to the results.

You got this! Now you know what it's good for and where to look for it. I'm enjoying your journey though this and learning about German building technics from when your house was built.

Hey, ist doch super! Die 3.000-5.000 Euro holst du locker wieder damit raus, dass du viel selber machen kannst. Ich freue mich auf jeden Fall, dass du kein Asbest im Haus hast und du hast auf jeden Fall alles richtig gemacht: Besser testen als krank werden! Ich freue mich schon auf die nächsten Videos der Hausrenovierung!

I am curious, did the laboratory do a smell test on the shingles, or use a microscope? It's good to have information so you know how to proceed safely! Good luck, it will be worth it to get back to the original look.

The vid is not boring it's good to make people aware of it many of us jump head first into projects like this.

I think it's worth being careful and testing the insulation as well if you plan to do any projets where you open a wall/go to an attic (even if it's just running electrical cables or something). Vermiculite insulation was frequently used in walls and attics and it's mostly asbestos fibres, super easy to disturb, therefore warrants proper care and handling.

So happy to hear you’re safe inside the house and can continue with the work within your home! Thank you for sharing your adventures in making your house the home of your dreams!❤

Das Video ist überhaupt nicht langweilig. Vielen Dank für das Video. Ich habe ein Garagendach mit Asbestplatten und weiß daher wovon du sprichst. Hatte auch eine Probe eingeschickt und dann erfahren das Asbest enthalten ist.

Best of luck to your friend who got a jolly good sniff of the external asbestos.

Hey Laura, Enjoying following along, and happy you made this "boring" video. (it wasn't) Noticed my comment was among those you highlighted. I didn't mean to scare you, just wanted to make sure you were aware and could take the appropriate steps. I'm so glad to see that you did, and happy to hear most of the things came back clean. Best of luck with the renovations, looking forward to following along as you do!

Where I live you can order a goverment asbestor removal kit with all the things you need to remove it yourself (masks, bags, airtight suits, instructions) and afterwards to can dispose of it at the recycling center. A shame you dont have it in Germany because it saves quite a bit of monney. Also Laura i find it admirable how you deal with youtube comments!

Du bist die beste Hausmeisterin und Meisterin im Prinzip! :)

My great, great, great grandfather invented linoleum! He had an apprenticeship at a paint factory, got bored and started playing around with old paints in a shed and created lino.

I had that siding on my home in Minnesota. I was told my professional installers that as long as you don't disturb the integrity of the siding, it's fine to leave it as is. If you are going to remove it, then you need to do abatement.

Oh menno, ganz genau das hatte ich befürchtet als ich das erste Hausvideo sah, ich dachte: das ist bestimmt Asbest… alles Gute für dieses Extra-Projekt.

Forgot to say, best part of video was the clever dog caching the apple, really made me laugh. Thanks

Nobody but Laura could make a 12 minute video about asbestos and make it entertaining!

I’m glad you got it checked. Asbestos lung cancer is deadly. My uncle died from it. Better to be safe than sorry.

Danke für das Video - auch wenn du hier nichts bauen konntest - es ist dennoch interessant und es ist etwas, womit viele noch immer zutun haben. Die Infos auch hier wieder Gold wert. Und nicht den Kopf hängen lassen - eine Renovierung ist zu anfangs wie eine Hydra: Du löst ein Problem und zwei neue tauchen folglich auf. Weiterhin viel Glück und vorallem Spaß mit dem Haus.

Laura - Good job! Let the Professionals get rid of the Asbestos, and dispose of it propertly. Keep up the Good work of the renovation of your home!!! Love from Los Angeles, CA

your dog trick is my absolute highlight. Made my Day!!!

The floor you are sitting on reminds me of the flooring that my elementary school had, they tore it out and left big piles they we were playing in... Glad we were not playing in a pile of Asbestos!

No need for apologies! We all just want to make sure you are safe

You are such a sweet person. I wish you much success with your new house. It will be great!! Dan, from Hebron, Kentucky.

I was born in 1971. When I was a child, for about one year, my school was in part moved to a building from the late 1950's while they finished building the new school. In the temporary building we had a concrete pillar right in the middle of the classroom. One day part of the plaster ACCIDENTALLY fell off the side of the pillar (no, we weren't trying to demolish part of the classroom) and the strands of asbestos popped out... We still went to school for a few days with the cascade of asbestos right in the middle of the classroom, until one Saturday evening a couple workers came and fixed the wall. They basically just covered all of the asbestos with more plaster. The building was completely bonificated once we moved to the new school.

Not boring! appreciate the sharing. Working on our house from 1950 I am constantly uncertain if I am unearthing leaded paint, asbestos, or other dangerous substances.

It is heart warming to see, that you, who gives so much to her community, fails to see that among your fans, there might be proffesionals of all trades. Ever thought of inviting some to come over to help you with the restauration? You would not be the first and im sure there would be people willing to. Anyhow.... do not dismiss this as a less valuable vid. It still has our fav dog in it. Plus a subject is in it, wich is hardly ever been spoken about, let alone been shown. 💯 And to the haters out there: yes i am a safety guy, no need to comment there, just be safe🤪

Considering the costs of a house these days, 3-5k is ok. And additionally you get rid of the outside 60s look. Restoring it to the original look will pay the sweat and tears off easily. I like your approach of this renovation. Doing as much as you can yourself without big fears on one side, but knowing when to stop, ask and consult specialists if needed. Looking forward to the next videos.

I’m so glad you posted this boring video. And your joyousness despite the setback is inspiring. Also, I’m going to teach my dog that trick now. 😂 Sending love from Los Angeles.

I had the same issues with my 70 year old building I bought in Detroit. It is not fun but it is a huge relief when you know its gone.

Love watching your videos...still smiling after you received the dreaded confirmation of asbestos..Don't let it grind you down.. Hope the rest of the renovation goes smoothly. 🤞

So glad you got it figured out

Hi Laura, Kopf hoch! Es ist nur Geld, dein Haus wird 1000 Mal schöner sein. Good luck

Also is a thing with old paint having lead in it. So I’m glad you checked.

Pipe insulation, mostly in the pipe bends is often asbestos. Painted eternit panels is pretty common in Sweden and eternit is a great and durable material, so if you are not planning on doing any outside or through wall construction, consider keeping it, and painting it maybe? If you want to remove the eternit its something you can do by yourself in Sweden. Remove the tiles whole of you can, pack them in double plastic bags marked with asbestos tape. Wet the tiles when working on them, then any loose fibers cant fly away. Getting a contractor to do it is very expensive

It's great to see these behind the scenes for the realities of renovating old buildings. Don't be discouraged Laura, we enjoy this part of the journey too! Especially we enjoy having feedback taken seriously. Complainers on the Internet aren't always right, but they're not always wrong either. Reflecting on your work and thinking about how to do things better shows growth as well as engaging the community.

Hi Laura, another thing you may want to check is the presence of Radon especially in the lower level of the house. Radon is a radioactive gas which can become trapped in homes and buildings. Over time, breathing in high levels of radon can cause lung cancer. Testing for radon is straightforward. If higher radon concentrations are found there are a number of effective and relatively inexpensive remediation techniques available. In Germany this is a common problem (as far as I know mostly in the south though).

Asbestos is no fun anywhere you are in the world. It is more typical outside the house, but there is some inside uses too. so glad you got it tested. nasty stuff. Looking forward to more of your home repairs/remodeling.

Thanks for sharing. The commenters were not entirely wrong, many of those things do contain asbestos, you were just lucky 😁 you have a very talented dog, good luck with the remediation.

I can't speak for Germany, but in the US, there are certified remediation specialists you can contact that will know what areas typically contain Asbestos if any is present. Once you know, then they can help you with determining what the appropriate methods are for dealing with what you have. You should also be able to have them actually deal with all of the remediation issues that are present. Good luck!

We love you Laura. :)

Fair play on revisiting the load bearing walls.

You don’t need to, wouldn’t have to , and shouldn’t apologize. It’s your house and you’re doing it all yourself. That’s the amazing thing.

I thought you were going to put the chair in your house until you told us that it was going in your studio. I think the second chair would look so beautiful next to the door that you did for your house!! Your work is so mesmerizing and beautiful. 🪑🚪🏠

You are doing the right thing, in the long run you will be very satisfied with your restoration. Certainly enjoy all your work and videos. Cheers from MT USA

Mack is a good boy... I bet he brings out a lot of joy and contentment.. He's likely a great companion! Wishing you all the best on the restoration of your new house and am looking forward to following along with you, Laura as you work on it.. Take care.. Stay Healthy.. Hello from Canada!

I'm loving the house renovation, it reminds me of when I did mine a few years ago. Mine also had asbestos on the garage roof. The guys who removed it told me that concreted asbestos is the safest version as it's contained unless smashed, it's also the easiest (and cheapest) to remove. I'm sure it will all work out okay.

Good that you take this seriusly, not to be smug but several people pointed this out in your first video 2 months ago.

Laura's new invention: the "Mic Mug" 😍

I'm a bit late to the party here, but for a bit of background information asbestos was mined in open pits as it's a naturally occurring mineral that is an INCREDIBLE building material. It's fire retardant, heat insulating, water resistant, electrically insulating, it's stiff when it's dried (so can be used in some plaster), is workable when mixed up and wet, and it was cheap. You typically find it around fireplaces, chimney flues, external soffits, inside textured/coated ceilings and occasionally walls ("artex"), in airing cupboards around the boiler or water cylinder and in the bitumen/adhesive of some floors, typically vinyl floor tiles (also called Marley floor tiles here in the UK), as well as on corrugated sheet roofs and some external tile cladding. The most common type that was used is Chrysotile - "white asbestos" - which is the least dangerous. This is likely what is used on your tiles here. Least dangerous doesn't mean harmless though. It also used to be used in fire retardant clothing, such as those worn by racing car drivers, and this probably was how Steve McQueen got exposed to the asbestos that eventually killed him - in the fireproof balaclava. The danger comes from breathing it in. The asbestos fibres are so small that they stick into your lungs. Your body cannot naturally digest or break it down, and so scar tissue forms around the asbestos. That scar tissue will continue to expand the longer the fibres are in there, until eventually your lungs are so scarred that they cannot absorb oxygen anymore. This process usually takes more than 10 years (20-30 years normally). In addition, you're at a higher risk of lung and throat cancer. That said, so long as you don't disturb it so you can breathe it in, it's absolutely harmless - if left alone. But definitely a specialist disposal work, that needs to get taken away to specialist facilities.

This is not a boring video, because this is important info to so many of us!🙂👍 And I really dont know how a video with you in it COULD be boring!!😁 Love watching your work!!

Omg I was thinking about asbestos when you tore that floorboard up …wasn’t surprised about the exterior