Painting Asbestos Siding

A brief history of asbestos cement siding.

Painting asbestos siding.

Paint for asbestos cement siding works by creating a permanent polymer based barrier between the asbestos and the elements. One concern when repainting this type of siding is the small gaps between the shingles. Unfortunately asbestos never remains truly untouched because of nature. Allow the primer to dry completely.

Painting asbestos siding is often a much better alternative than trying to remove it. We have rarely seen this material in a worn friable condition but should that occur one might paint the surface also to stop fiber shedding and to preserve the material. Begin painting the siding with your choice of brushes and rollers making sure to check often for runs. Asbestos cement is a mixture of portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers.

It s not difficult at all to paint asbestos siding as one of its benefits is that paint easily adheres to it and it is very durable and can last for decades without chipping or cracking. Unless asbestos siding is disturbed it doesn t pose a significant health hazard and does not need to be removed. Our method of choice to first apply zinsser peel stop triple thick primer which is a water based acrylic binding primer designed to penetrate and stop previous coatings from peeling. Untouched asbestos is just as safe as any other siding or insulation.

Painting cement asbestos siding or non asbestos fiber cement siding is in part a cosmetic decision. Painting asbestos siding compared to other similar hardie board or fiber cement siding there is not much difference in terms of painting asbestos siding after you prepped and cleaned the surface. The first is the possible and almost certain presence of lead based paint on the siding and the second is the asbestos in the siding itself. Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find.

Besides the need to create a good surface for painting asbestos siding there are two other areas of concern. The portland cement binds asbestos fibers into a hard mass. The danger of asbestos lies in the particles that escape and can be inhaled. Both the epa and the vinyl siding institute recommend not disturbing asbestos if at all possible.

When you are done cleaning paint the siding with a suitable primer. Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely. Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s. Installing vinyl siding will require disturbing the asbestos by nailing into it.

Painting asbestos siding once we have cleaned and prepared the surface then there is really no difference when it comes to painting. Asbestos cement was first developed in 1905 by the johns manville company who became one of the premier manufacturers of cement asbestos materials.