How To Tell If Siding Is Asbestos

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

How to tell if siding is asbestos.

If your siding has these characteristics then asbestos could be present. They can make educated guesses and may often be proven right but the only way to be sure is to have a sample of your siding tested for asbestos. The age of an home or the siding on it isn t. The presence of multiple layers of exterior siding can be spotted by noticing that the wall cladding extends out past the original window or door trim.

Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. Well i think he s calling he s talking about clapboard which is like a horizontal 6 inch siding. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear. 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.

We found this cement asbestos siding debris on the ground around a home that boasted new vinyl siding. Testing your siding for asbestos if your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. The only way to be sure whether your siding contains asbestos is to have it tested. These shingles are generally 12 by 24 inches and the bottom tends to have a wave like pattern though that is not always the case.

Asbestos was particularly prevalent in siding that resembles shingles or was made to look like wood grain. To determine if your building has asbestos check areas where the material was most commonly used like the roof bathroom and basement. And i didn t know if the lap board if it had asbestos in it or not. And typically that s made of wood or a composite.

Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof. Asbestos cement can be dangerous if pulverized by sawing sanding breaking etc. They then send the samples to a qualified laboratory to test and determine whether they contain asbestos. Put on a mask and scrape away some siding material into a baggie.

Also look around the siding roofing and soffit materials for small dimples or shallow craters on the surface which are signs of asbestos. The asbestos network recommends bringing in a professional to collect samples. You may choose to take a sample of siding from a damaged area of siding. It s not usually that style made of asbestos.

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.