How To Spot Asbestos Siding

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.

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. 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. It is generally very brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper. Identifying possible asbestos materials 1.

While an expert lab test using polarized light microscopy may be needed to identify the specific type of asbestos fiber or to identify the presence of asbestos in air or dust samples many asbestos containing building products not only are obvious and easy to recognize but since there were not other look alike products that were not asbestos a visual identification of this material can be virtually a certainty in many cases. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear. Look specifically for any printed information that identifies the siding manufacturer or date of. Some homes have vermiculite attic insulation that contains asbestos.

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. You can look at asbestos pictures and photos of products containing asbestos all day without learning to identify it. Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. Check the manufacturer and product name on the insulation label and do a web search to find out if.

The presence of multiple layers of exterior siding can be spotted by noticing that the wall cladding extends out past. Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many different materials so it doesn t always look the same. Look specifically for any printed. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them.

There is simply no manner of telling without testing. Look for a siding that is made to look like roof shingles. It s found in loose fill attic and wall insulation and there s also asbestos in stucco siding. The presence of old dirty demotion materials may suggest that old asbestos cement shingles have been removed from the.

On the outside of buildings asbestos sheets were often joined together with aluminum runners. 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. Just to make things more complicated asbestos siding doesn t always look the same.