Asbestos siding: Remove it? Or Cover it up?

Every year I do numerous quotes for people who have asbestos siding and want  new vinyl siding. Asbestos siding was a very popular siding on homes during the mid-1900's. It was made by combining asbestos with Portland cement. 

Given the well-documented health concerns surrounding asbestos, many home owners are concerned at the thought of having asbestos on heir home.

Asbestos siding was known for its tremendous durability. It lasts for decades and is resistant to fire, pests, and severe weather. That's why it was so popular. However, after 50-60 years it becomes very brittle, cracks very badly and needs replace.

Asbestos siding is obviously not made anymore. Below are some pros and cons about the siding.

Pros

• Asbestos cement siding is fire-resistant and will not burn or melt the way vinyl and wood siding will.

• Impervious to insect damage and rotting.




• Easy to clean and maintain.

• Unlike more porous siding materials, such as wood, asbestos cement siding will not quickly soak up paint, which allows it to be painted more easily.

  
  

Cons

• Asbestos-cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped, cracked, or broken.   

• The use of a pressure washer for maintenance can crack the siding and lead to moisture intrusion if the pressure setting is too high.

• Asbestos cement siding  IS dangerous if pulverized by sawing or sanding.

• Almost impossible to find replacement asbestos-cement siding for repairs.

• Should not be refurbished, sanded, or altered, other than painting it.

OK. So you own a house with asbestos siding and now, after 60-80 years, your siding needs replaced. The big question is...Do you cover over the asbestos or remove it? Many (and I mean MANY) companies who install siding will say to leave it and cover it over. That's just WRONG, in my opinion. After decades in this business I will voice my opinion. YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY REMOVE ASBESTOS SIDING! I will give you several reasons why you should remove it:

1. I hate layering siding on siding. It's NOT safe! If you ever have a house fire, even a small one, layers are bad. I used to be a fire fighter. From personal experience, it is a nightmare to fight a fire when houses have multiple layers of siding.

2. Do you really want asbestos to remain on your house?????? I wouldn't. 

3. Without removing the old siding, you can't inspect the sheathing underneath to see if it is in good shape to hold the new siding. If the nails don't hold, neither will this new siding.  Case in point. We happened to be doing a house with Asbestos siding in Ancaster shortly after I wrote this article. The customer made the very wise move to take off all the old Asbestos siding and this is what we found! There was a lot of rotten wood lurking underneath!

Now ask this homeowner if she regrets taking off the old Asbestos! Not only did we uncover some wood rot but some much needed repair of the old block foundation that was covered up.

4. The old asbestos is super brittle! You nail it and it shatters. You put any pressure against it and it breaks.  So imagine this, you install new siding over the top of the old siding but the old siding is now completely shattered into pieces underneath. What happens when a large piece at the top of your house lets go and falls behind the siding down to the bottom? Your new siding breaks. That's what happens. Ask me how I know? I've seen it dozens of times. 

It is easier and initially cheaper to cover over the asbestos siding, but it certainly is not safer nor cheaper in the long run.

The cons of this siding far out weigh the pros but when this siding was created, it was not known how unsafe it was.

So, how expensive is it to remove and dispose of asbestos siding? It isn't as expensive as you might think. It costs about $3 per square foot for us to remove it and dispose of it.

If you have asbestos siding and want a quote to remove it and install new siding, give us a call at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com