Painting Asbestos Siding Problems

Normally you d scrap down the old paint from your siding but doing that with asbestos can release dangerous particles into the air.

Painting asbestos siding problems.

You can roll it or brush it on but make sure you get under the small lip at the bottom of each asbestos siding shingle. Old asbestos shingles on your house aren t dangerous unless you start breaking scraping or otherwise disturbing them. In general this siding material can be painted using normal house paints. The danger of asbestos lies in the particles that escape and can be inhaled.

Other problems caused by high moisture in fiber cement siding are detailed at siding fiber cement moisture levels but sometimes the asbestos cement or fiber cement shingles just look soiled and do not clean up enough to satisfy the homeowner. Untouched asbestos is just as safe as any other siding or insulation. Scraping or brushing off old paint from asbestos siding is necessary before repainting but dangerous because it can release small asbestos fibres. The primer creates an adhesive surface for the paint and helps seal the color of the old paint.

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. That said you ll still need to take some precautions if you decide to paint your asbestos siding. Allow the primer to dry completely. This presents a problem when it s time to repaint the exterior of the house.

Unfortunately asbestos never remains truly untouched because of nature.