Asbestos Free House Siding

Testing your siding for asbestos.

Asbestos free house siding.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that in the past was used as a flame retardant strengthening agent that provided heat insulation. Do not throw or drop removed asbestos siding. The name has its origin in the greek word for inextinguishable. Insulation common in homes built.

The first step in any situation where you fear you may have asbestos in your home or business is to have a sample tested by a professional lab. Roofing shingles and siding. Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s. Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find.

You can easily send a sample to a lab is you suspect that. Asbestos ranks high on the list of dangerous substances because of its toxic and carcinogenic properties when airborne. Many manufacturers made their products to look like asbestos free products so it is not really possible to determine if your siding contains asbestos just by looks. 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. While older homes will likely contain asbestos in roofing insulation and tiles it can also be present in exterior siding. Asbestos siding removal isn t free but if you re having it replaced with something else you just might be able to get a good deal with the company you end up choosing. A brief history of asbestos cement siding.

The portland cement binds asbestos fibers into a hard mass. Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely. 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. Asbestos house siding was used in many homes until the epa banned its use in new products in 1989.

Asbestos cement is a mixture of portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers. If your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. If you suspect that your siding may contain asbestos there is no need for alarm. Asbestos siding was essentially a cement siding product that asbestos fibers had been added to.

Asbestos cement was first developed in 1905 by the johns manville company who became one of the premier manufacturers of cement asbestos materials. There s no way to tell from simply looking at any material if it contains asbestos or not even if it was manufactured prior to 1989 when the epa officially banned the use of asbestos.