Do You Have To Paint Over Asbestos Siding

Benefits of painting asbestos siding.

Do you have to paint over asbestos siding.

When you nail siding to the house remember to nail the siding. Painting asbestos siding is often a much better alternative than trying to remove it. Work from the top down removing the snails to keep from breaking the asbestos siding. Besides the need to create a good surface for painting asbestos siding there are two other areas of concern.

No installing new siding over the old asbestos siding isn t a viable option. Taking some extra time cleaning and prepping the siding before painting which is always recommended to remove dirt and mildew that may present is necessary. It s not difficult at all to paint asbestos siding as one of its benefits is that paint easily adheres to it and it is very durable and can last for decades without chipping or cracking. Now that you have your backer board up and set firmly in place you can put the siding up safely without worrying about the asbestos falling down behind the siding.

Asbestos siding poses minimal health risk but painting it will eventually prevent some potential health issues. It is recommended to paint asbestos siding in order to prevent deterioration. Since asbestos is only dangerous when it is in a friable state you will remove the paint without sanding or scraping. The first thing you need to do is wash the shingles down to remove dirt and mildew.

Start by hooking the siding on the bottom of the starter strip with the nail holes facing upward. Asbestos cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped cracked or broken. Unlike more porous siding materials such as wood clapboard asbestos cement siding will not quickly soak up paint which allows it to be painted more easily. Often since asbestos siding holds paint so well there won t be any but if there is it you must remove it before you can repaint.

Use a water blaster for the large pieces and allow the siding to dry thoroughly. Do not throw or drop removed asbestos siding. When a product containing asbestos weakens asbestos fibers may become friable and get into the air. Jomax is good product to use and all you need is a pump up garden.

Scraping or brushing off old paint from asbestos siding is necessary before repainting but dangerous because it can release small asbestos fibres. Wrap asbestos siding in 6 mil thick plastic sheeting and secure the plastic with duct tape or place the debris in heavy duty plastic bags. The first is the possible and almost certain presence of lead based paint on the siding and the second is the asbestos in the siding itself.