Installing Vinyl Siding Over Asbestos Shingle Siding

I ve seen house fires where the vinyl siding burned off only to reveal the superior asbestos shingles underneath which saved the house.

Installing vinyl siding over asbestos shingle siding.

Installing vinyl siding will require disturbing the asbestos by nailing into it. The easiest way to paint the asbestos siding is to use a paint sprayer. Unless asbestos siding is disturbed it doesn t pose a significant health hazard and does not need to be removed. If the job had been done right the house would have been a total loss.

In general it was a very successful siding material and continues to perform well. By the way i live in northeast nj. Alternatively if you leave the asbestos on your home you can safely seal the old siding underneath the new siding and because asbestos is an excellent insulator you will actually be adding to the energy efficiency of your home by leaving it on. Both the epa and the vinyl siding institute recommend not disturbing asbestos if at all possible.

I think even inspectors have come to realize that asbestos is safe when it is contained. Choose a paint that is mold and mildew resistant as well as waterproof. I don t see how a vinyl siding contractor would nail vinyl onto the shingles without breaking the shingles and creating weird bulges underneath the vinyl. Asbestos cement shingle siding is common on houses built or re sided from the 1940s generally through the 1960s.

Asbestos shingles are quite brittle when we had to replace some my husband had to drill pilot holes for the nails. Also if you could somehow use a pneumatic tool the shattered siding wouldn t be able to move anyways. Painting the asbestos siding will help prevent this from happening. Which may partly explain the frequency of vinyl bulges on older houses.

As for the old siding replacing it or tearing it down usually always leads to legal matters. I have used a pneumatic stapler to install siding over asbestos but the siding was hardboard not vinyl. Removing asbestos is often cost prohibitive for most people. Asbestos siding though hard can flake over time which will lead to the possibility of you inhaling the asbestos.

I put felt paper only. I m not saying that new siding over old is often preferable but there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything. 2 houses ago i did the same thing with vinyl over asbestos siding 1x3 sheets with verticle ripples.