How To Tell If Asbestos Siding

The age of an home or the siding on it isn t.

How to tell if asbestos siding. Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them. Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many different materials so it doesn t always look the same. And typically that s made of wood or a composite.

As the experts at asbestos siding note it is sometimes difficult to spot because it was often manufactured to resemble different types of siding in a variety of colors and textures. It is generally very brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear. It s not usually that style made of asbestos.

They can make educated guesses and may often be proven right but the only way to be sure is to have a sample of your siding tested for asbestos. Look for a siding that is made to look like roof shingles. And i didn t know if the lap board if it had asbestos in it or not. Contractors and inspectors or anyone identifying asbestos siding can t tell from just an on site inspection whether or not your siding really has asbestos in it.

Just to make things more complicated asbestos siding doesn t always look the same. The only way to be sure if your siding has asbestos in it is to collect a sample and send it to an accredited testing lab. Are there several layers of siding wall cladding extending out past the original door trim or window trim could be an indication of several layers of siding the one behind is likely containing asbestos since it was such a popular material previously.