Anchorage, AK

The 2010 Anchorage Folk Festival takes place from January 21st through 31st this year. Every January, over 120 musicians and other artists from Alaska and around the world come to Anchorage and Eagle River to share their knowledge, experience and talent for free to the public. Singers, storytellers, musicians and dancers perform both traditional and original material that includes bluegrass, Celtic, jazz, folk music and more. Just some of the artists expected to perform include Sweet Sunny South (a bluegrass band), Brother Mule, Little Fiddler and Friends, Oldenweiser, Acoustic Banana, The Lost Riders and many, many more. Square dances and a Marti Gras dance will take place at Romig Jr. High, UAA and the Snow Goose. Every Friday night, the Spenard Roadhouse (1049 W Northern Lights Blvd) will be hosting a late night jam with Brother Mule and Sweet Sunny South. All musicians are invited to bring their instruments and themselves down to the Roadhouse to join in on the fun.

In addition to the talented artists performing, there will be free workshops available to the public that include:

• Alaska City Folk Arts
• Teen Jam Session
• Rhythm Guitar, Bass and Mandolin
• Lead Instruments: Fiddle, Mandolin and Guitar
• Brother Mule Ensemble
• Slow Jamming
• Band Workshop with the Sweet Sunny South Band
• Harp Improvisation
• Guitar Maintenance and Care
• Exploring the Acoustic Baritone Guitar
• Fiddle Tunes for Kids
• Native American Flute
• Introduction to Bag Pipes and Drums
• Beginning Banjo
• Cajun Dancing
• Waltz Workshop
• Clogging
• Songwriting Exercises
• Singing

There's even a Banjo Contest to be held on January 23rd. These are just a few of the fun workshops available throughout the festival. To find out more about the 2010 Anchorage Folk Festival, please visit their website at http://www.anchoragefolkdfestival.org. It sounds like a good time for everybody in Anchorage.

Pauline Hofseth, your Anchorage real estate expert

will purchase homes, at discounted price...

all cash offfers. must be fixer upper(s). . ..

in the greater Anchorage , Eagle-River, Wasilla area.

bed-room / bath does not matter.

be it in : foreclosure- fsbo- we will purschase it...

email for more details, please

No asbestos? Fresh paint can help ...
If there is no asbestos present, there are other ways to deal with popcorn ceilings that fall short of removal. One option is to freshen them up with a new coat of paint.

Think twice about using a roller because acoustic ceilings are very porous and will absorb a great deal of paint. Also, using a regular roller makes it nearly impossible to achieve even coverage.

The most efficient way to put new paint on a textured ceiling is to spray-paint it with flat latex. Spraying is a difficult job, and unless you already have most of the supplies, it may be cheaper to hire a professional. After all this is done, however, you're still left with that same outmoded look.

Taking it down yourself
You can do it! But it's hard work, and not particularly pleasant. It's a dirty, nasty, long job.

Here are the basic steps:

• Clear the room of all contents, including any hanging fixtures. Place wire nuts on any exposed wires and turn off these fixtures at the breaker to avoid electrical shock.
• Guard walls and floors with a lightweight plastic drop cloth, covered with a layer of six-millimeter plastic sheeting.
• Soften the acoustic material with a light water spray; a pump garden sprayer works well.
  Scrape the popcorn off with a wide-blade taping knife.
• Let the drywall dry overnight. The next day, repair any imperfections with drywall joint compound, then sand with a sanding pole using 100-grit sandpaper.
• Apply texture to match the wall finish.

The final steps are to seal the ceiling with drywall primer and paint.

Use a good primer. Finish with a flat latex paint, because sheen will accentuate any imperfections in the ceiling.

Then throw a party and enjoy the fruits of your hard labor with friends and family. :)

Want to modernize your home? Look up. If you have the dreaded acoustic ceiling called "popcorn" or "cottage cheese," you can start there. They give them house a dated appearance and affect a house's value. Buyers just hate them.

More than an eyesore
If you want to remove an acoustic ceiling, you'll first need to determine whether it contains asbestos. Asbestos was used as a binder in many construction materials before it was banned in 1978 for posing health risks such as cancer and respiratory disease. You're not required by law to test for asbestos, but the Environmental Protection Agency strongly recommends it.

If your home was built prior to 1979, the chances are very good that your popcorn ceiling contains asbestos. In fact, it's not uncommon to find asbestos in acoustic ceilings installed in the 1980s because existing inventories were exempt from the 1978 ban.

You can test for asbestos by submitting samples to a laboratory. The cost is minimal and labs are generally listed in the Yellow Pages under "Asbestos -- Consulting and Testing."

Obtaining a ceiling sample is not difficult:

• Using a spray bottle, thoroughly wet three or four small ceiling areas with water mixed with a few drops of liquid detergent.
• With a putty knife, carefully scrape about one square inch of "popcorn" from each area into a sealable plastic bag.

If the lab results are negative, meaning less than 1% asbestos was found in the sample, the EPA recommends taking two additional samples to confirm the analysis.

If you have asbestos ...
there are only two ways to deal with it safely and legally:

• You can encapsulate the asbestos with a new layer of non-asbestos acoustic sprayed over the top of the existing ceiling. This is the most economical solution to the asbestos problem, but still leaves your home with that dated look.
• The pricier solution is to have a certified asbestos-abatement company remove the finish and then have the wallboard retextured and painted. Cost for having professionals remove asbestos can run into several thousands of dollars.
• It is illegal to paint an asbestos-containing acoustic ceiling because rolling or spraying can release the harmful fibers into the air, where they can then be inhaled. Paint is not an efficient way to encapsulate asbestos fibers, according to the EPA.

While it is not illegal to remove your asbestos-positive ceiling yourself, there are no known safe levels of asbestos exposure and the EPA recommends strongly against doing so. If you decide to remove it on your own anyway, you'll need to use special HEPA filter respirators, disposable protective clothing, rubber boots and eye protection. And you must use special containment bags for all debris and dispose of them only at sites licensed for asbestos. (Full guidelines are available from most state health departments or air-quality agencies.)

What if the sample comes back clean? More to follow...