Old House Siding Asbestos

Most homes built after the 1980s no longer use siding that contains asbestos because of its obvious health risks.

Old house siding asbestos.

The approach of removing the old shingles and replacing them with new siding is an option that many homeowners have pursued though probably not as safely as they should. Failing to notify the buyer can leave a person open to serious legal consequences but to tell the truth existence of asbestos isn t always a deal breaker. 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. The name has its origin in the greek word for inextinguishable.

A highly effective and inexpensive fire retardant material and thermal and acoustic insulator asbestos was used extensively in home construction from the early 1940s through the 1970s. 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 before 1978 and sided with cementious shingles may contain a mix of both asbestos containing and non asbestos containing cementious shingles. It may not be dangerous. Use a flat pry bar to remove the asbestos siding or roofing material starting from the top.

And see asbestos cement siding for details about cement asbestos building siding its repair removal demolition or cover over. These shingles are generally 12 by 24 inches and the bottom tends to have a wave like pattern though that is not always the case. However fixer uppers and older homes with their original siding may still contain this dangerous material. The siding may also contain asbestos if it is old with a wood grain texture to resemble cedar.

Although homes built after the 1980s are generally safe some newer builds may also have asbestos lurking in the siding. Fabrics that contained asbestos or were made entirely of asbestos were numerous and were used in a wide range of applications such as aluminized suits for fire fighters foundry workers and furnace repairmen. Scraping or brushing off old paint from asbestos siding is necessary before repainting but dangerous because it can release small asbestos fibres. Homes built between 1920 and the 1960s are likely to contain asbestos in any cementitious siding tiles.

These materials are known as fiber cement siding and they contain no asbestos. Dispose of the asbestos properly at a landfill or contact your local waste collection service to find out if they will pick up asbestos material. It often exists in older insulation material but can also be present in tiles and siding. Keep the asbestos material that has been removed wet.