In the past, asbestos was a common construction material. Owners used to add it to the sidings and exterior walls of their buildings and homes. The reasons behind the extensive use of asbestos siding include its durability and the ability to add strength to the walls and sidings.
Currently, the raising concerns regarding the effect of asbestos on the environment and human health lessened its use. However, if you live in an old house then the chances of the presence of asbestos sidings are significant. People who live in the old house, having asbestos siding, often wonder if they can paint asbestos sidings or not.
Yes, it is possible to paint asbestos sidings. Surprisingly, the painted asbestos sidings last longer than the non-painted ones. Asbestos siding provides a surface for the paint to stick with, resulting in a quick and easy painting procedure. Also, painting asbestos sidings is cheaper than removing or replacing them.
In this article, you will learn whether it is safe to paint over asbestos sidings or not. Also, you will find out the safety precautions needed to be taken while painting asbestos sidings. You will also discover the best paint and primer for asbestos sidings. Moreover, you will also learn how to prepare asbestos sidings for painting.
Is it Safe to Paint Over Asbestos Siding?
The safety of paint over asbestos siding is among the highly debated topics. Experts have different opinions regarding the safety of paint on asbestos sidings. Many experts, however, agree to the fact that it is safe to use paint over asbestos siding.
Due to the safety of paint over asbestos, experts suggest painting over removing it. While removing asbestos siding, one can break them, resulting in direct exposure to asbestos fiber. Asbestos fiber is dangerous for the environment and human health. Hence, to avoid exposure to asbestos fibers, it is a good idea to paint the asbestos elements rather than remove them.
To ensure safety, it is essential to inspect the siding properly before painting it. The cracks in asbestos siding increase the risk of exposure to asbestos fibers. If the asbestos siding is damaged, cracked, or broken, you must first repair it carefully before painting it.
Moreover, the safety of paint over asbestos siding also depends upon how you paint it and the type of paint used. Paint that is not eco-friendly or is composed heavily of noxious gases compromises safety. So, you must be careful when choosing the paint to apply over your asbestos siding.
Lastly, to ensure the safety of paint over asbestos, one must be very careful. Remember to handle asbestos siding with care and treat it like a fragile material. Roughly handling the asbestos sidings breaks them, resulting in direct exposure to the asbestos fibers, which is not considered safe.
How To Prepare Asbestos Siding Before Painting?
The first thing everyone needs to do while thinking of painting their asbestos is to determine the surface preparation.
The importance of preparation before painting can be estimated from the fact that paint lasts longer on the surface prepared before painting than on the surface that is painted without any preparations.
Preparing the asbestos sidings before painting is a crucial thing to do. Preparing before painting makes the painting process easy and helps provide superb results. To prepare your asbestos siding before painting, you need to conduct the following steps:
1. Clean The Asbestos
Cleaning asbestos to get rid of dirt and other impurities before painting is a great idea. Cleaning asbestos is advised for many reasons. You can either wash your asbestos or can clean it using a soft damp cloth and cleaning solution.
However, remember to be gentle while cleaning the asbestos sliding. Don’t scrub the asbestos sidings as doing this will break them and expose you to asbestos fiber.
2. Fix The Damaged Asbestos
Before painting, inspect the siding properly and fix the cracks if any. Doing this is appreciated as it helps in limiting exposure to toxic asbestos fibers.
These fibers are extremely dangerous for our environment and when inhaled can prove to be dangerous for human health. So, it is advised to seek professional help and to take all the precautionary measures while fixing the damaged siding.
3. Test The Paint You Will Be Using
Not all paints go well with asbestos siding. Many paints don’t stick well with asbestos or give a very glossy look. So, it is advised to patch-test the paint prior to applying it on the whole siding. Paint on a small and hidden portion of the siding and leave it for a few hours. Continue painting if you are satisfied with the results, or else find a new paint.
Many people ignore preparing asbestos siding before painting just because they are unaware of its importance. Not only preparing makes painting easy, but also provides a smooth finish, and helps in dealing with the threats associated with asbestos fibers.
Do You Need To Prime Asbestos Siding Before Painting?
Primer is used widely before painting to provide a base for the paint to stick onto. Primer helps guarantee a smooth finish while adding shine to the paint. Impressed by the benefits of a primer, people often wonder if they need to prime the asbestos siding before painting.
The answer to this question is Yes. Applying primer creates a layer on asbestos siding, hence helping to limit direct exposure to asbestos fibers. Primer also seals the cracks and clogs the pores on the siding, which threatens human health.
Using primer also prevents paint peeling from asbestos siding, hence increasing the durability of the paint. However, the need for priming asbestos surfaces depends on the paint you will use. Many paints already have primer added to them, keep this in mind while determining the need to use a primer or not.
What is the Best Primer For Asbestos Siding?
To reap the benefits of primer, it is necessary to choose primer carefully. With many primers available in the market, it can be difficult to choose the best one. Asbestos sidings are not much popular today, hence finding a primer that is best for them is not an easy task.
People often use the primer on metal or wooden surfaces on asbestos sidings. Doing this ruins not only the finished result but also damages the asbestos sidings. Generally, water-based, thick, and acrylic primer is good for use on asbestos siding.
Some of the greatest and recommended primers for use on asbestos siding include:
- KILZ Adhesion Primer: KILZ is a highly reputed brand, so the quality of its primer can’t be doubted. KILZ adhesion primer is a latex-based primer that provides a strong base for paint to stick onto. This primer can be used on all types of surfaces, but its use of asbestos siding is highly appreciated.
- INSL-X Acrylic Waterborne Bonding Primer: Priming asbestos can be a hard task, well, not with the help of INSL-X primer. Being water-based, this primer is best for all challenging surfaces. Also, you can coat any paint on top of this primer, which further makes it the best choice. Its affordability and ease of cleanliness are worth mentioning.
- Zinsser Bulls Eye All Surface Primer: Zinsser bull’s eye primer, with its stain-resistant technology, is among the top-rated primers for use on asbestos sidings. This primer even helps in smoothing a non-sanded surface. Also, it is easy to apply and takes less drying time than other primers. You can topcoat any paint on this primer, making it a popular option.
- Ames Super Primer: Ames super primer is also among the list of the best primers for asbestos siding. This primer is highly affordable and provides a lasting effect as compared to other primers. Ames super primer strengthens the surface, limiting exposure to asbestos fibers.
The choice of primer also depends on the paint you will be using on your asbestos surface. If you are not able to find a perfect primer according to your paint, then consider seeking professional advice. Remember not to compromise on the quality of primer as doing this will ruin the whole look of the surface painted.
Which Paint is Best For Asbestos Siding?
What is the best paint for asbestos siding is a commonly asked question by people having asbestos siding in their homes. Asbestos is a critical element, and determining the type of paint that will stick to asbestos siding is difficult.
There are many different types of paints available in the market, including emulsion paints, lead-based paints, chalk paints, water paints, latex, and oil-based paints. All these paints have supreme quality, but not all of them are for use on asbestos siding.
One fact that makes the selection of paint for asbestos siding tricky is that asbestos is now banned in many areas of the world. So, the paints specifically designed for asbestos are now not available in the market. Luckily some paints are good to go on all surfaces, making it possible to paint asbestos siding.
Some of the paints that are best for use on asbestos siding include:
- Encapsulant Paint: Encapsulant paint is the best paint to cover asbestos. This paint creates a layer on the siding hence helping in avoiding the accidental inhaling of asbestos fibers. Experts suggest the use of encapsulant paint as it is less expensive and non-toxic. Also, this paint makes the sidings resistant to fire.
- Latex Paint: The other best option for painting asbestos sidings is water-based latex paint. The coat of latex paints allows air to pass through, hence resists moisture from getting to the sidings, which then results in cracking the painting. Latex paint is easy to apply hence is best for the use of complex surfaces.
- Alkyd Paint: Alkyd Paint is another popular type of paint widely used for painting asbestos sidings. People use this paint because it sticks to all types of surfaces and delivers high-end results. The availability of alkyd paints in different colors makes it possible to paint asbestos sidings to match the theme of the building. Also, this paint is easy to clean and lasts longer.
Safety Precautions to Know When Painting Asbestos Siding
Asbestos siding is not an easy thing to paint. The fiber present in asbestos siding is noxious. To maintain the environment’s safety and avoid accidental inhalation of asbestos fiber fumes, it is essential to follow some safety precautions.
Some of the things that you need to do while painting asbestos siding include the following:
Wear Mask and Google
To avoid accidental inhalation of asbestos fiber and fumes, you need to wear a mask. Paint fumes and asbestos fiber can also cause eye irritation. To protect your eyes, wearing safety goggles is a must.
Don’t Sand the Siding
Sanding is the process of removing impurities from the siding and balancing the surface. Sanding is widely done before painting. However, sanding asbestos siding is not suggested at all.
Sanding includes scrapping the siding to balance it. Scrapping the siding may result in breaking or cracking it. Hence, resulting in exposing the painter and environment to toxic fumes. Therefore, sanding the asbestos siding should be avoided.
Don’t Put Pressure on Sidings
Putting pressure on asbestos siding while painting is not a great idea. Asbestos sidings are often very fragile, and you can break them by putting even slight pressure. Remember to be very gentle and careful while painting the asbestos sidings so that you don’t break or crack them.
Wear Gloves and an Overall Disposable Suit
Getting in contact with asbestos fibers and paint fumes can contribute to causing skin cancer. To avoid the risk of skin allergies and skin cancer, make sure to cover your body while painting the asbestos sidings. Remember to throw the gloves and disposable suit after painting properly.
Stay Away from Heat Sources
The majority of the paints are inflammable, so using them near heat sources is not advised. To ensure safety while painting asbestos, stay away from heat and fire sources. Also, avoid painting the siding directly under the sun.
FAQs
Sanding asbestos siding is not considered safe, so you should never sand asbestos siding. Sanding asbestos is not advised because while sanding, one may break the siding resulting in exposing the environment to threats of asbestos fibers.
Yes, you can use diluted bleach on the asbestos siding. Bleaching is a common practice for removing permanent stains from the sidings. It is advised to mix bleach with water and apply it over the siding using a spray bottle or soft cloth.
To seal the asbestos siding a sealant is used. Sealant blocks the openings of the asbestos sidings. Also, it generates a layer over the siding and binds with the sidings to prevent fibers from getting released into the environment.
Verdict
The presence of noxious fiber in asbestos siding has contributed a lot to declining its popularity. Still, it is used in many homes and buildings to add durability and strength. As asbestos sidings are used in exterior walls of buildings, they are more likely to get filthy and stained. To give a new look to asbestos sidings, painting them is a popular option.
By choosing the right type of paint to cover asbestos you can reap all the benefits of sidings. However, remember to be very careful and follow the safety precautions while painting asbestos sidings.