# Asbestos wall board?



## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

I hardly ever do wallpaper removal, but we're doing one right now as it's connected to a large cabinet and wall painting job. Anyway, I've come across this backing board in one small section of what appears to be an older part of the house. Does this look like asbestos to anyone who might recognize it?

Also, a lot of the wallpaper backing (95% or so) is clinging pretty tightly to the backing wallboard as can be seen in the picture. Can I put a couple coats of gardz over this backing and then it'll be ready for skim coat? 

I rarely do wallpaper removal and subsequent prep so any insight is much appreciated.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Edit: I've actually just peeled some back so it appears to be just an old wallpaper that's actually directly on top of the wall sheeting.. feeling like an archeologist. Still am curious about the gardz though, as I've read great things on here about it.


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

Yikes. I'd never seen that stuff before from the pics you posted. Hard to imagine that someone actually liked that stuff on their walls at some point when a painter's first reaction to seeing it is "is this asbestos wallboard"? lol. You just never know what you're going to find behind various layers of wallpaper. History I guess.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Wildbill7145 said:


> Yikes. I'd never seen that stuff before from the pics you posted. Hard to imagine that someone actually liked that stuff on their walls at some point when a painter's first reaction to seeing it is "is this asbestos wallboard"? lol. You just never know what you're going to find behind various layers of wallpaper. History I guess.


Haha that's exactly what I was thinking.


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## Lakesidex (Oct 9, 2011)

Always a crap shoot in my opinion. Either get off as much as you can, or if you want to try and leave it, do a test area. Always had the least amount of bubbling with an oil base primer but Gardz wasn't really a thing when I was stripping a lot of paper. I think if it doesn't bubble within a day you may be alright
Usually if you work the paper for awhile you can find a system where it starts coming off a little quicker.

Good luck! .


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

Wildbill7145 said:


> Yikes. I'd never seen that stuff before from the pics you posted. Hard to imagine that someone actually liked that stuff on their walls at some point when a painter's first reaction to seeing it is "is this asbestos wallboard"? lol. You just never know what you're going to find behind various layers of wallpaper. History I guess.


I thought it was lovely, and I'm might want some.

What's the brown underneath? Old wood? And sorry, but I can't answer about the Gardz cause IDK.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

It could be coconut coir thermal/acoustical wall insulation panels.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

I put a coat of gardz on and it bubbled like crazy, so I'll just pull it off tomorrow.


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

fromthenorthwest said:


> I put a coat of gardz on and it bubbled like crazy, so I'll just pull it off tomorrow.


That seems...weird.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Joe67 said:


> That seems...weird.


That's what I thought. It wasn't that backing board that bubbled but the backing paper that was on top of it.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

Whats that hairy stuff under the black foamy looking stuff? I'd still be wearing your PPE while doing your prep work..


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

finishesbykevyn said:


> Whats that hairy stuff under the black foamy looking stuff? I'd still be wearing your PPE while doing your prep work..


I was wondering the same…at a first glance I thought it looked like coconut fiber soundproofing material sandwiched between cork as pictured on the left…or possibly a scrim/fabric wall liner or backing for the striated stuff..


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## jennifertemple (Oct 30, 2011)

fromthenorthwest said:


> I put a coat of gardz on and it bubbled like crazy, so I'll just pull it off tomorrow.


Wear a respirator!! If there is any chance that is asbestos, breathing in any fibers could be a health disaster. Undisturbed it won't hurt you but once you start tearing into it those micro fibers they become air born.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

/


finishesbykevyn said:


> Whats that hairy stuff under the black foamy looking stuff? I'd still be wearing your PPE while doing your prep work..


I think it's just the plywood wall sheathing. I'll take another look at it when I get back there.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Gardz works on paste residue, not leftover backing. Just get the backing wet, and should pull right off. Then gardz it. 

Paste reactivates with water, so you can either gardz the very top layer, preventing water from seeping in and reactivating it, or after its all gone, to seal any paste residue.


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