I'm looking for someone/people to paint my apartment. I'm living in an old building where the walls are a bit crumbly and moldy, so I'd like to cover up the mess. I'm not looking for anything fancy or expensive (lead free paint would be nice), as I'm only renting the apartment and just want to cut down on the lovely dank aroma. It's 36 m2 one-bedroom apartment near the Yunnan Daxue.

Anyone have an idea of:

1) how to find some local painters/carpenters?

2) what would be a reasonable price for their services?

Thanks! I really appreciate the comments, as I was rather concerned. What you're saying about the calcium and drywall hazards makes sense. There is a little black mold by the floor sink in that room, and the moldy smell is a bit strong.

I'm going to look into hiring a some painters. Hopefully that will cover things up and last for a few months.

Cheers.

Thanks, tigertiger. Here is a photo of what it looks like: secure.flickr.com/photos/95286164@N04/8686408672

I'm starting to think that it's just mold or a calcium deposit, because this is really only present outside the bathroom, where the walls have water damage. It probably doesn't make sense to put asbestos on a concrete wall, anyway, but stranger things have been known to happen in China. It looks like there is a layer of paint, then a layer pf plaster/fuzz then the concrete most deep. If it's not asbestos, I suppose hiring some guys to haphazardly paint over everything is the way to go.

I'm moved into an old building, and I just noticed that some of the paint is peeling and has a fluffy white layer behind it. I've read that some old textured paints could have asbestos in them and am pretty concerned. Is there anyone in Kunming who can test whether my apartment has asbestos?

Dude, I am so on board.