Old Asbestos Roof Shingles

Asbestos siding in particular however has a tendency to chip crack and break with normal wear and tear of family life.

Old asbestos roof shingles.

This way you ll avoid the hazardous dust created by tearing the shingles off. Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. The asphalt shingle became the preferred roofing choice. The most common and least expensive solution is to leave the original asbestos shingles in place and remove only the aluminum siding.

History asbestos shingle history begins with inventor and entrepreneur ludwig hatschek who was born in the czech republic on october 9 1856. When you remove those shingles they will either come off when you pull out the nails require you to snap them off or require you to cut them. Asbestos was banned in 1989 so as the buildings that incorporated it age their roofing and siding will fall into disrepair. Instead cover the shingles with polystyrene foam insulation panels then hang the new vinyl siding using 2 in long nails.

Only a trained professional can tell for sure if your shingles contain asbestos. While asbestos based roofing shingles and siding were still available their popularity had waned drastically well before the federal ban of the product in 1989. Many asbestos roofs and siding are damaged cracked or broken. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them.

For decades asbestos roof shingles were considered an invaluable resource offering a superior inexpensive alternative to traditional roof coverings. Rarely if ever will they need to be cut and cutting is the one activity that creates hazardous dust.