Asbestos Wood Siding Shingles

Testing your siding for asbestos.

Asbestos wood siding shingles.

Installing vinyl siding will require disturbing the asbestos by nailing into it. The use of asbestos siding shingles was a popular one that was used in the us from the early part of the 20th century until the 1970s. Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear.

Repair and removal. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them. If the asbestos material is in good shape and will not be disturbed do nothing. The siding may also contain asbestos if it is old with a wood grain texture to resemble cedar.

Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s. You can power wash any loose paint or simply scrape and remove any. Latex paint is peeling off and the whole thing looks like crap. These are easily prepared and easy to repaint.

Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find. It has been manufactured with textures intended to simulate the look of other cladding materials such as wood grain. Weatherside fiber cement siding is the 1 and only solution for replacing or repairing old asbestos siding shingles. The first layer is wood shakes some of which are rotten and termite damaged.

It is fairly easy to clean and maintain. Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. Asbestos cement siding is highly fire resistant and will not burn or melt the way vinyl and wood siding will. Both the epa and the vinyl siding institute recommend not disturbing asbestos if at all possible.

Unless asbestos siding is disturbed it doesn t pose a significant health hazard and does not need to be removed. Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof. It resists termite damage. The siding was made by combining cement with asbestos which is a naturally occurring mineral that is fibrous in nature and fireproof.

When you say asbestos shingles i presume you mean asbestos siding shingles. Say you have an old 1930s home. If it is a problem there are two types of corrections. It s available in a variety of sizes and shapes to match many of the old siding shingles installed over the last 60 years.

If your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. The pieces are about 20 x 10. Asbestos shingles are relatively strong but. Asbestos cement roofing shingles and siding products are not likely to release asbestos fibers unless sawed dilled or cut.