Ceiling Panels - 1972 Lamplighter does contain asbestos

[sherrer]

We have water damage to kitchen ceiling and it has to be replaced. Does anyone know if a 1972 Lampligher, Moduline has asbestos in the ceiling tiles? Help! We need to cut it out and replace.
Thanks!

[David Oxhandler]

I have never found asbestos in any mh ceiling. Most builders were using a thin pre-textured sheet rock. Some low end builders used plywood paneling. I don't know what that company was doing in 1972.

Asbestos was used in some sprayed coatings for ceilings from 1935-1978 and can cause health probllems. If you have any doubt, have a sample tested by an NVLAP approved testing center before getting started. If there is any asbestos, experts recommend you do not try to remove it yourself. Either have it removed professionally or cover it with a new drywall ceiling.

Taking the old ceiling down is generally counterproductive. It creates a lot of work and mess and stuff to haul to the dump. You might even find the roof insulation on the floor inside your home.

There are many types of ceilings in manufactured homes. Read Manufactured Home Ceilings - Repairing or Rebuilding. It offers some proven methods to a great week-end project. The article is by Mark Bower one of the best known hands on men in the manufactured housing industry and author of The Manual for Manufactured/Mobile Home Repair and Upgrade

[sherrer]

Thank you David. The ceiling is down to the metal roof right now. Was lucky enough to find someone that manufactered these and asbestos was not used in the ceiling board (aka fiberboard).

Good thing we took it all the way off, and yes it was a big mess! However, we found wet insullation and where someone else that had no savey tried to fix some bowed trusses and actually cut two of them and tried to fix in a cross secton with short pieces of 2X4 with no rhyme or reason to the mess. A can of worms for sure!

After taking off what they used we will be using dead man sticks to support the bowed ceiling and totally sister up the broken trusses in the way the trusses run. If cross members are needed we will determine then.

Fortunately, we found very little mold and used a solution with bleach to make sure to clean things up. We will then fill with R30 insullation, put up a 4ML vapor barrier and then get to the ceiling finish.....so much fun:)

We have already replaced all the windows with new energy efficent windows including cutting out for a slider to our new free floating deck out back. We instullated from the inside out with 3/4" T&G pine; and if we had a wall open we installed new insullation. We have done alot of work so far as it now looks like a cabin in and out. Cute little doublewide pitched roof on a hill with 8" bold trim.

Thanks again for your imput:)

[David Oxhandler]

Good for you!

Sounds like you are on the way to realizing the American Dream. Just one thing. Experts today tell use to NOT use chlorine to eliminate mold. While it will appear to immediately kill off the apparent mold. Yet, the mold can reactive while the chlorine solution is in the process of drying out.

Stop in at your local Loew's, or Home depot and pick up a bottle of a solution they carry that is specifically for mold remediation. It is reletivly inexpensive and a very samll amount can be diluted to make about 50 gallons... which should be a life time supply for most people.

[sherrer]

Thanks again David....will do on the mold remediation solution...we are in the process now on sistering the ceiling and all is looking good...the best thing is we own free and clear....we can not understand why people buy big over priced houses with no yard and never get it paid for. Mobiles can be a lot of work with reconstruction, have to be a bit on the handy side (jack of all trades), but the result is very appealing:)