Old House Asbestos Siding

These materials are known as fiber cement siding and they contain no asbestos.

Old house asbestos siding.

Asbestos siding was all the rage in the early part of the 20th century. Homes built between 1920 and the 1960s are likely to contain asbestos in any cementitious siding tiles. When disturbed tiny abrasive asbestos fibers are easily inhaled which damages lung tissue and can cause cancer. See photos at asbestos siding in this document.

Cement asbestos wall shingles outside and not easily friable unless being demolished or cut with power tools. Installed before 1978 the fiber cement shingles probably contain asbestos. Asbestos shingles are relatively strong but brittle. 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.

Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s. If you are one of the folks whose house got dressed up with asbestos siding back in the day all is not lost. While older homes will likely contain asbestos in roofing insulation and tiles it can also be present in exterior siding. If it is intact and in good condition siding can be safely painted or new replacement siding can be installed over the old asbestos siding.

If you suspect that your siding may contain asbestos there is no need for alarm. Having asbestos in a house isn t dangerous or illegal but if it is damaged or begins to crumble it can post a health risk to those living in the home as well as anyone that visits. What beanie babies were to the 1990s asbestos siding was to the the 1930s. The original shingles of both asbestos cement and fiber cement usually come from the factory painted white on one side.

Well maybe it wasn t quite the same but you get the idea. This article will help you determine whether there is asbestos in your siding and give you a few suggestions for dealing with it. Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely. Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find.

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 was immensely popular. In homes built prior to 1975 asbestos is most commonly found as thermal insulation on basement boilers and pipes. Knowing the facts about buying and selling a home with asbestos will allow you to make an educated decision on whether the decision is right for you.

We now know that prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers can lead to lung disease. And see asbestos cement siding for details about cement asbestos building siding its repair removal demolition or cover over. Cementitious siding installed after 1973 is very unlikely to contain asbestos.