Clapboard Siding Being Covered Up By Asbestos

Asbestos cement is a composite material consisting of portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers.

Clapboard siding being covered up by asbestos.

Because fiber cement siding manufactured in north america after around 1978 was made without using asbestos in those later products and because those non asbestos fiber cement shingles included products that by eye were an exact visual match for their older asbestos containing brothers and sisters already installed a building built. Most siding companies are well experienced at techniques for covering over existing asbestos cement siding with new vinyl aluminum or fiber cement siding. Do not throw or drop removed asbestos siding. This is usually the preferred method of dealing with asbestos building materials.

A better strategy may be to cover it over with new siding which effectively seals in the asbestos material. When manufacturers figured out ways to produce siding made using asbestos cement it became very popular for a number of years before being banned in the u s. Multiply the length of the clapboard by the number of clapboards on the home and then divide that number by 100 and you will know roughly how much siding you need measured in squares. I have a house build in 1868 i have been doing an enormous amount of work on it since i bought it about 7 years ago.

I realize tearing off the asbestos praying the wood underneath is in good shape and bring back the house to it s original state would be. 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.