How To Spot Asbestos Siding

Older style cement siding shingles were traditionally made by mixing asbestos into the cement in order to fireproof and strengthen siding.

How to spot asbestos 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. Asbestos was also put into cement used on the exterior of buildings to help insulate the. If a siding company removes an outer layer of siding and finds an older layer of asbestos cement siding beneath the standard procedure is simply to cover it over with new siding rather. Contact our company for an estimate today.

Cement asbestos wall shingles outside and not easily friable unless being demolished or cut with power tools. See photos at asbestos siding in this document. The siding specialists at pj fitzpatrick have experience identifying asbestos siding. As the experts at asbestos siding note it is sometimes difficult to spot because it was often manufactured to resemble different types of siding in a variety of colors and textures.

However there are ways you can determine whether it is likely that your shingles contain asbestos. 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. If your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. Roofing and siding shingles are among the most common materials to contain asbestos and will readily release fibers into the air if broken.

It is virtually impossible for anyone but a trained professional with a high powered microscope to tell definitively whether a shingle contains asbestos. Damaged asbestos siding however could release the hazardous fibers that cause lung disease. The reported costs for such projects range from 500 to 4 500 while the typical cost for asbestos siding removal is generally between 1 000 and 2 500. Testing your siding for asbestos.

Most older cement board products contain asbestos. We re available to discuss your asbestos concerns and perform siding repairs or replacements. The siding may also contain asbestos if it is old with a wood grain texture to resemble cedar. Asbestos was used to make several exterior materials.

Identifying 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. Because fiber cement siding manufactured in north america after around 1978 was made without using asbestos in those later products and because those non asbestos fiber cement shingles included products that by eye were an exact visual match for their older asbestos containing brothers and sisters already installed a building built. Most siding companies are well experienced at techniques for covering over existing asbestos cement siding with new vinyl aluminum or fiber cement siding.