Damaged Asbestos Siding

Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely.

Damaged asbestos siding.

You may choose to take a sample of siding from a damaged area of siding. Put on a mask and scrape away some siding material into a baggie. Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find. Because fiber cement siding manufactured in north america after around 1978 was made without using asbestos in those later products and because those non asbestos fiber cement shingles included products that by eye were an exact visual match for their older asbestos containing brothers and sisters already installed a building built.

And in most cases you have to inhale the dust for a long time months or years in order to suffer negative effects. Guide to siding over asbestos cement siding. Fortunately asbestos is usually only dangerous if you breathe in the actual fibers of asbestos which are released when the item is damaged or decayed. Work from the top down removing the snails to keep from breaking the asbestos siding.

Asbestos is a dangerous material and you would do good by calling professionals for the repair work. It has been manufactured with textures intended to simulate the look of other cladding materials such as wood grain. Do not throw or drop removed asbestos siding. When it comes to repairing an asbestos siding it is recommended to hand over the task to a certified and reputed professional.

Avoid tearing ripping chipping cutting or grinding asbestos containing materials. Water helps keep asbestos fibers from becoming airborne. A common remodeling practice is to install new vinyl or aluminum siding over cement asbestos shingle siding as well as over many other older siding materials when the old siding has become damaged leaky or cosmetically ugly. Asbestos was particularly prevalent in siding that resembles shingles or was made to look like wood grain.

Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s. Asbestos cement siding is highly fire resistant and will not burn or melt the way vinyl and wood siding will. Asbestos fibers can also settle on your clothing if you do break and disturb the material leading to the possible contamination of your home and anyone living. Wrap asbestos siding in 6 mil thick plastic sheeting and secure the plastic with duct tape or place the debris in heavy duty plastic bags.

It resists termite damage. Do not throw or drop asbestos containing roofing or siding materials to the ground. If your siding has these characteristics then asbestos could be present.