Painting Asbestos Siding Shingles

Paint for asbestos cement siding works by creating a permanent polymer based barrier between the asbestos and the elements.

Painting asbestos siding shingles.

Normally you d scrap down the old paint from your siding but doing that with asbestos can release dangerous particles into the air. Besides the need to create a good surface for painting asbestos siding there are two other areas of concern. Begin by analyzing a paint sample for lead content. The first is the possible and almost certain presence of lead based paint on the siding and the second is the asbestos in the siding itself.

Our method of choice to first apply zinsser peel stop triple thick primer which is a water based acrylic binding primer designed to penetrate and stop previous coatings from peeling. Painting asbestos siding once we have cleaned and prepared the surface then there is really no difference when it comes to painting. The danger of asbestos lies in the particles that escape and can be inhaled. After it dries thoroughly then it s a good idea to prime them.

One concern when repainting this type of siding is the small gaps between the shingles. When the asbestos cement siding is soiled or moldy or has an algae coating we prefer to gently clean the surface with a sprayer perhaps a deck cleaner solution. Allow the primer to dry completely. When you say asbestos shingles i presume you mean asbestos siding shingles.

Fiber cement shingles both new non asbestos product and the older asbestos cement product are provided from the manufacturer with a coated surface usually white. Untouched asbestos is just as safe as any other siding or insulation. You know the nice thing about asbestos shingles is they never rot. And after you prime them you can use a standard house paint.

Painting asbestos siding is often a much better alternative than trying to remove it. These are easily prepared and easy to repaint. 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. Prepping your asbestos siding for repainting requires a lighter touch one involving lots of water to prevent dust from wafting up around the shingles.

You can power wash any loose paint or simply scrape and remove any.