Old Roof Shingles Asbestos

Flat roofs often chose tar with gravel stones while pitched roofs used layered asphalt shingles.

Old roof shingles asbestos.

You can t drive screws and nails through them without pre drilling. Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof. If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them.

It is acknowledged by the asphalt shingle manufacturers that between 1963 and the mid 1970s some manufacturers did use asbestos in the fiber mat of shingles. Their width can range from 12 to 48 inches and are very simple to identify since asbestos fibers can be seen on the grained sections of the material. Shingles made with asbestos are only expected to last for 30 years. This would trigger dust and asbestos dust is a problem as i ve mentioned.

Rarely if ever will they need to be cut and cutting is the one activity that creates hazardous dust. In reality while asbestos was commonly used in many asphalt roofing materials asbestos was rarely used in the shingles themselves. Asbestos took off as a choice roofing product in the early 1900s. Asphalt shingles usually contain small amounts of asbestos.

Roofing materials widely varied as well. History asbestos shingle history begins with inventor and entrepreneur ludwig hatschek who was born in the czech republic on october 9 1856. Regardless of roof style almost all petroleum based roofing materials once contained deadly asbestos fibers. Instead cover the shingles with polystyrene foam insulation panels then hang the new vinyl siding using 2 in long nails.

However there are many that have lasted as long as 50 years and are still in good condition. Johns manville corporation who began manufacturing asbestos containing roofing products in the late 1800s manufactured asbestos asphalt roofing shingles further described as asphalt impregnated asbestos fiberglass reinforced shingles from 1907 to 1979 that contained between 35 and 50 asbestos epa 1990d. Corrugated cement panels were used for a short period of time as they break quite easily. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear.

The most common and least expensive solution is to leave the original asbestos shingles in place and remove only the aluminum siding. 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 shingles are relatively strong but brittle. It should be remembered that the danger arises once the cement layer starts to disintegrate and the asbestos fibers surface.

Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely.