# Painting asbestos siding



## jstickel (Jul 6, 2007)

New to forum, probably first of many questions. I am planning on repairing and then painting the exterior of my house. It is missing a number of asbestos shingles that I will replace with new fiber-cement, non-asbestos shingles, and patch up some holes etc. Then i want to paint it all. I'm thinking a good cleaning is all the prep needed and then use a good exterior latex. Using a roller probably.
Am I missing something here? We considered removing the old siding, but everything I can find out about this is that it should only be done as a last resort as the difficulty of dealing with the asbestos removal and disposal is a real hassle and/or huge expense. And most of it is still in good shape.
Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Guest (Jul 6, 2007)

Even scrubbing these shingles can be dangerous as you risk knocking fibers loose. I personally wouldn't be too worried about that though. Wear a light respirator if its a concern to you and make sure to keep it good an wet if you are scrubbing with a brush. Wet fibers don't float in the air. 
After that I'd prime with a good 100% acrylic primer and topcoat with a good 100% acrylic paint.


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

jstickel said:


> New to forum, probably first of many questions. I am planning on repairing and then painting the exterior of my house. It is missing a number of asbestos shingles that I will replace with new fiber-cement, non-asbestos shingles, and patch up some holes etc. Then i want to paint it all. I'm thinking a good cleaning is all the prep needed and then use a good exterior latex. Using a roller probably.
> Am I missing something here? We considered removing the old siding, but everything I can find out about this is that it should only be done as a last resort as the difficulty of dealing with the asbestos removal and disposal is a real hassle and/or huge expense. And most of it is still in good shape.
> Any advice would be appreciated.


*NEVER, EVER DISTURB ASBESTOS.....Especially: NEVER power wash it.*

_"Asbestos is only dangerous only when fibers become detached and airborne. No method of preparing asbestos siding can involve disturbing the surface by sanding or scraping — even power washing." - _http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tvprograms/asktoh/qaarticle/0,16588,214367,00.html


*Information about Asbestos and Asbestos Siding:*

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/general/asbestoslead/asbestos_fact_sheet.html

http://www.asbestosnews.com/html/siding.html


*1.) To remove Asbestos siding is usually left up to the pro abatement companies and local requirements.* There are VERY strict guidelines as to it's proper removal per EPA safety requirments. Thus, it can be expensive and costly:

http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/ashome.html


*2.) Other options:*

_"If the asbestos siding is in good condition, your best course of action is to do nothing. The friable material is only released when it is disturbed. If you want new siding but aren’t doing any exterior wall construction, consider simply encapsulating the asbestos siding with new siding." -_ 
http://www.toolbase.org/ToolbaseRes...ContentDetailID=1133&BucketID=2&CategoryID=17

_"Siding and roofing shingles made with asbestos cement on your house are usually on the outside and pose little danger. If your roof needs replacing, the most economic and safe way to handle these shingles is to simply cover them with the new shingles. Asbestos siding shingles are usually made of a solid board commonly called transite. If you are having new siding put on your house, then simply covering the existing asbestos siding with your new siding is safest and most cost-effective. If these siding shingles are already damaged, then an enamel based paint may be used as an encapsulant to help prevent additional fiber release." - _http://www.geosci.unc.edu/Piedmont/abstestos_home.html

*3.) Painting Asbestos Siding:*

http://www.ppg.com/ppgaf/etraining/qna/qe_aspesto.htm


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## Clutchcargo (Mar 31, 2007)

I priced it once on a house that we were looking at a couple of years ago in Wakefield, MA. It worked out to between $800/sq for removal and disposal . I'm thankful that they refused our counter offer which backed out the cost of residing from the home price.


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## Da Vinci (Jul 1, 2007)

The most important thing is to keep the asbestos non-friable. You don't want fibers floating around. I wouldn't roll it, rent a sprayer for $50, and spray a good acrylic primer on everything (a little lower pressure than normal). Also, I would think about putting a little water into the primer to penetrate deeper into the fibers.

Once that dries hard, the fibers are locked in and you can paint any way you want- just don't disturb that first coating.

Yes, all the data says don't touch it. But you live there now, so what's a reasonable solution. If you can't afford abatement, this is next best alternative- better than nothing.

Obviously if you can afford to remove it, you gain more equity in your house because people cringe to know it's even there.

Good Luck- obviously, I'm not responsible for your decisions here (my lawyer made me say that)...

Bob
Bay Area Painting Contractor


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## joewho (Nov 1, 2006)

Encapsulation.


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## jkrodger (Jul 10, 2007)

Our detached 2 car garage has asbestos shingles on it and our contractor told us to save money (since we're having it replaced with vinyl siding), to just spray it down with water section by section, wear a mask (we're doing this for extra precaution), and tear it down ourselves - sealing it in the appropriate 6mm mill bag and sending it to the proper location. As long as it's wet, it can't become air borne. If you can't breathe it in, it's not going to hurt you. Not to mention my doctor said it takes chronic exposure to cause any damage. 

Make sure after big storms and such that you walk around your house to check for anything that may have come loose and fallen off, promptly pick it up, seal it, and properly dispose of it.


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2007)

That's the big thing with Asbestos. I really think there is too much emphasis on how dangerous it is to deal with. If handled properly there is little risk with it even for your average homeowner. Like you say, it takes prolonged exposure to really cause any damage and if kept wet it isn't bad at all. My mechanic has been breathing in asbestos brake dust for 50 years and not a thing wrong with him. But still it's best to be as safe as possible and cover your backside, especially when doing this for other people. Thus the big safety emphasis. For a DYI dealing with it, I'd say be careful, wear a respirator and keep it wet, but go for it.


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## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

I once thought about the wetting aspect too. But if demolishing as with a garage, not sure I get th elogic. Unless it soaks completely through to the interior of the shingle, what happens when a shingle breaks?? Seems to me some dry dust/fibers would be released. I'm thinking of the hard stiff asbestos siding on my house when I say that. I have tacked a piece of plywood on it then cut them it a jig saw so as not to sling particles through the air as a skill saw might do. I prefer to leave it alone now. I did wash with a hose sprayer and spraypaint it the last time.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2007)

Keeping it wet won't completely solve the problem but it takes care of a lot of the airborne risk. When you break it though it does indeed release some into the air. When I say keeping it wet I'm thinking more along the line of cleaning it up for paint. Larges section like that would have to be removed carefully layer by layer in complete section to avoid as much breakage as possible. And respirators and goggles would be a must for that sort of work.


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## cocojambo (Nov 23, 2008)

If you are going to do this for once or twice, then you do not have to worry about asbestos exposure, typical gear like gloves, mask & full body covered are the best precautions you can take. 

Here's a useful excerpt

"The risks for asbestos exposure are not high for everyday people who are exposed to the air, water and the soil of the earth. It is occupational asbestos workers that come into contact with asbestos products on a daily basis that are at high risk of inhaling asbestos fibers. Starting from the 1940s (before World War II) and onwards, millions of American workers have been exposed to Asbestos on the job. These types of jobs include firefighters, automobile workers, drywall removers, demolition workers, insulation workers in the construction & building industry, as well as mining & shipbuilding workers."
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma



jstickel said:


> New to forum, probably first of many questions. I am planning on repairing and then painting the exterior of my house. It is missing a number of asbestos shingles that I will replace with new fiber-cement, non-asbestos shingles, and patch up some holes etc. Then i want to paint it all. I'm thinking a good cleaning is all the prep needed and then use a good exterior latex. Using a roller probably.
> Am I missing something here? We considered removing the old siding, but everything I can find out about this is that it should only be done as a last resort as the difficulty of dealing with the asbestos removal and disposal is a real hassle and/or huge expense. And most of it is still in good shape.
> Any advice would be appreciated.


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