Damaged Asbestos 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.

Damaged asbestos siding.

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. Asbestos shingles are relatively strong but. Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find. Asbestos is a dangerous material and you would do good by calling professionals for the repair work.

Asbestos was particularly prevalent in siding that resembles shingles or was made to look like wood grain. The decision to repair and replace any siding that contains asbestos always carries a certain amount of risk with care required to not disturb and make friable any asbestos fibers. Asbestos cement siding is highly fire resistant and will not burn or melt the way vinyl and wood siding will. Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s.

Work from the top down removing the snails to keep from breaking the asbestos siding. Water helps keep asbestos fibers from becoming airborne. Avoid tearing ripping chipping cutting or grinding asbestos containing materials. If your siding has these characteristics then asbestos could be present.

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. 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. These actions create new surfaces where there is the greatest potential for release of asbestos fibers. Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely.

Do not throw or drop removed 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. Do not throw or drop asbestos containing roofing or siding materials to the ground.

When it comes to repairing an asbestos siding it is recommended to hand over the task to a certified and reputed professional. 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. And in most cases you have to inhale the dust for a long time months or years in order to suffer negative effects.