Asbestos Vinyl Siding

It is fairly easy to clean and maintain.

Asbestos vinyl siding.

It is very brittle and has a tendency to crack and break when nailed which can release asbestos fibers into both the air and ground. Asbestos siding is composed of asbestos fibers mixed with portland cement. In fact this method of dealing with asbestos siding is the preferred method of the environmental protection agency. It has been manufactured with textures intended to simulate the look of other cladding materials such as wood grain.

Some homeowners opt to cover their asbestos containing siding with vinyl siding sheets or other materials in order to minimize risk instead of leaving their siding untouched. For example you could cover the asbestos with an outer layer of foam insulating material and another layer of vinyl siding on top of that an option will prevent particles from getting up into the air. Asbestos cement siding is highly fire resistant and will not burn or melt the way vinyl and wood siding will. Scraping or brushing off old paint from asbestos siding is necessary before repainting but dangerous because it can release small asbestos fibres the approach of removing the old shingles and replacing them with new siding is an option that many homeowners have pursued though probably not as safely as they should.

If your siding is in good condition and intact the asbestos poses a relatively low health risk to your home and the environment. However this option can become problematic for several reasons. The first option is to do nothing.