How To Tell If Asbestos Siding

Put on a mask and scrape away some siding material into a baggie.

How to tell if asbestos siding.

Layers of paint or finish coatings. Look for a siding that is made to look like roof shingles. Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear.

Asbestos was used to make several exterior materials. Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many different materials so it doesn t always look the same. Asbestos cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped cracked or broken. Inspect exterior building materials.

Installed before 1978 the fiber cement shingles probably contain asbestos. Age or date of installation. You may choose to take a sample of siding from a damaged area of siding. It does have some characteristics too look for.

While older homes will likely contain asbestos in roofing insulation and tiles it can also be present in exterior siding. If you suspect that your siding may contain asbestos there is no need for alarm. The use of a pressure washer for maintenance can crack the siding and lead to moisture intrusion if the pressure setting is high enough. 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.

Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them. 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. Continue reading below our video of the day.

Asbestos was also put into cement used on the exterior of buildings to help insulate the. Roofing and siding shingles are among the most common materials to contain asbestos and will readily release fibers into the air if broken. Asbestos was particularly prevalent in siding that resembles shingles or was made to look like wood grain. Asbestos ranks high on the list of dangerous substances because of its toxic and carcinogenic properties when airborne.

It is ususally in a shingle shake form 12 x24. The only true way to identify asbestos siding is to have it tested. If your siding has these characteristics then asbestos could be present. It is generally very brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper.