How To Spot Asbestos Siding

If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them.

How to spot asbestos siding.

It s found in loose fill attic and wall insulation and there s also asbestos in stucco siding. Look for a siding that is made to look like roof shingles. It is generally very brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper. On the outside of buildings asbestos sheets were often joined together with aluminum runners.

Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many different materials so it doesn t always look the same. 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. Are there several layers of siding wall cladding extending out past the original door trim or window trim could be an indication of several layers of siding the one behind is likely containing asbestos since it was such a popular material previously. 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.

You can look at asbestos pictures and photos of products containing asbestos all day without learning to identify it. Look specifically for any printed information that identifies the siding manufacturer or date of. There is simply no manner of telling without testing. 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.

Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. How to identify asbestos siding determine the age of your home by looking at the property deed or any other records about its construction. Look specifically for any printed. 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.

The nails used to secure the shingles probably won t help. Identifying possible asbestos materials 1. Some homes have vermiculite attic insulation that contains asbestos. Just to make things more complicated asbestos siding doesn t always look the same.

The presence of old dirty demotion materials may suggest that old asbestos cement shingles have been removed from the. 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. Older style cement siding shingles were traditionally made by mixing asbestos into the cement in order to fireproof and strengthen siding.