Cutting Concrete Asbestos Siding

Wet the surface down and use the tin snips to cut and break off small sections at a time.

Cutting concrete asbestos siding.

Remove asbestos cement siding. Don t cut it just break it up with hammer. Cutting sanding or breaking asbestos cement tiles poses a distinct health hazard. If cement shingles have to be cut use the manufacturer s recommended cutting tool not a power saw that will make a lot of dust.

Line up the nail holes between the old upper layer cement asbestos shingles and the new fiber cement shingles to be secured underneath. Smooth off jagged edges with a sharp carpenter s rasp to keep asbestos particle sizes as large as possible. There is no legal requirement to do so nor is there significant real estate benefit. If you absolutely have to cut it do not use power tools.

Asbestos dust which is what would be created by sawing it is the dangerous part. For a slow but virtually dustless way to cut siding use power shears. To keep dust to a minimum use a circular saw that s equipped with either a dust collection bag or electric fan that blows dust into a bucket. As a rule the greatest hazards occur in enclosed or indoor spaces.

It ll fall the ground in whole pieces no dust. Disturbance of asbestos cement pipe through cutting drilling and other activities may result in elevated levels of airborne asbestos fibres. The intention of these work procedures is to provide a guideline for performing the work in a manner which will protect workers from airborne asbestos fibres. Place a trim board overthe extended open space between the roof and the first course of siding.

While these are obviously terrible diseases the risk associated with exposure from asbestos cement siding isn t that great unless you re cutting drilling or removing damaged siding. Mark the cut line with a pencil and straightedge. Asbestos siding as it is on a house is perfectly safe. The fibers are only released into the air when the siding material is damaged or cut.

Cut asbestos cement corrugated roofing material with a pair of heavy dolphin nosed tin snips. Once cut open the concrete will release mineral fibers into the air exposing any unprotected workers or bystanders to significant health risks. You seriously could run yourself into a lot of legal and expensive trouble. However the situation changes when a repair removal or modification job calls for the cutting of asbestos impregnated concrete.

This is because exposure happens when the fibers are inhaled into the lungs. Cement asbestos siding tiles do not need to be removed simply because they contain asbestos.