How Do You Know If You Have Asbestos Siding

Asbestos shingles are relatively strong but brittle.

How do you know if you have asbestos siding. The only way to be sure if your siding has asbestos in it is to collect a sample and send it to an accredited testing lab. Contractors and inspectors or anyone identifying asbestos siding can t tell from just an on site inspection whether or not your siding really has asbestos in it. Some of the areas around the sheets that may contain asbestos include light bases cover traps and vent covers. Some states offer free testing for residents while others charge a nominal fee of 20 or less for testing services.

Buildings made between the 1940s and the 1980s are very likely to have used asbestos materials. While older homes will likely contain asbestos in roofing insulation and tiles it can also be present in exterior siding. You can t drive screws and nails through them without pre drilling. Asbestos wasn t always added to cement siding and there s no way to tell from a visual test or physical inspection on site if siding really does have asbestos in it.

The only reliable way to know if your home contains asbestos is to hire an environmental consulting firm or asbestos building inspector for asbestos testing. Look online for a lab near you to have a test performed on your siding and ensure the safety of your home and family. 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. An asbestos testing and abatement company can help determine whether the sheets contain asbestos.

Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find. They ll take fingernail sized samples and test them in a laboratory. Asbestos ranks high on the list of dangerous substances because of its toxic and carcinogenic properties when airborne. Cement sheets in older houses also most likely contain asbestos.

Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely. Exposure to and breathing asbestos fibers can result in lung problems and cancer. You can easily send a sample to a lab is you suspect that it may contain asbestos. The use of a pressure washer for maintenance can crack the siding and lead to moisture intrusion if the pressure setting is high enough.

The date of the building or material can also tell you a lot about asbestos risk. Asbestos cement can be dangerous if pulverized by sawing sanding breaking etc. Asbestos siding is composed of asbestos fibers mixed with portland cement. It is very brittle and has a tendency to crack and break when nailed which can release asbestos fibers into both the air and ground.

Asbestos testing always test first to see if you actually have asbestos in your shingles or siding as many manufacturers made similar looking cement siding that in fact contains no asbestos whatsoever.