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Asbestos in walls: what is behind the paint

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The wall in front of you may not be the one that matters. Look at the age of the house, the room, and what you plan to do to it.

Asbestos in walls is most often flat cement sheet, not the plaster you can see. In homes from before the late 1980s it lined wet areas, garages and extensions. It sits under paint, tiles or wallpaper, which is why people find it in the middle of a renovation.

Which walls are most likely to be suspect

Start with the wet rooms. Fibre cement coped with water, so bathrooms, laundries and the wall behind a kitchen sink were often lined with it. The board behind a meter box is another favourite. So are enclosed verandahs, granny flats and sheds added later.

Walls in the main living areas were more often plasterboard. Our page on asbestos plasterboard explains why plain gypsum board is not the problem, and what sits next to it can be.

You cannot tell from the surface

Tiles, paint and texture coatings all hide the board. Tapping it, looking at the edge or judging the thickness will mislead you. Even a trained eye cannot be certain. A material is only confirmed by a sample analysed at a NATA-accredited laboratory.

If you want a closer look at the signs, read signs of asbestos in the home. It covers condition and damage, which matter as much as the material.

Do not drill, cut or knock through to see

That is the mistake that causes most trouble. People hang a shelf, chase a cable or open a wall to see what is inside. If the lining is suspect, each of those breaks it and can release fibre into the room.

Plan the job around the answer, not the other way round. Get a sample done before you touch a wall in a house of the right age. Then, if it comes back positive, see what a homeowner may legally remove, because the limits differ by state and territory.

When to leave it alone

If the wall is sound, painted and you are not touching it, leaving it be is a fair choice. Intact bonded sheeting is generally regarded as low risk. Write down where you think it is, so the next person who renovates does not find out the hard way. For ceilings and wet areas, our page on internal wall sheeting and wet areas goes further.

Frequently asked questions

Is there asbestos in my walls?

If the house was built or renovated before the late 1980s, some wall lining may be compatible with containing asbestos. Only a sample analysed at a NATA-accredited laboratory confirms it.

Which walls are most likely to have asbestos?

Wet areas, the board behind a meter box, and extensions or sheds from the right era. Main living walls were more often plasterboard.

Can I hang a picture or drill into an old wall?

Not on a suspect lining until you know what it is. Drilling breaks the surface and can release fibres.

Where do I get the rules for my state?

Your state or territory WHS regulator sets them, and a licensed assessor can advise on testing.

Sources

What this page explains is based on these official sources. If you check one and it does not match what you read here, send it to us and the article gets corrected.

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