Giving Your Asbestos Siding A New Look – Safely

Does your home have asbestos siding? Would you like to give your home a new look without going to all of the trouble and expense of removing the siding? Here, you will learn how to safely paint your asbestos siding and give your home a fresh, new look with a lot less trouble.

You will need:

• Pressure washer
• Liquid sanding solution
• Paint scraper and/or putty knife
• Ladder
• Paint brushes, rollers and trays
• Tarps and/or drop cloths, buckets and bins
• Safety glasses or goggles
• Respirator
• Masking tape
• Exterior oil-based paint and primer

Protect Vegetation

Start by protecting the trees and plants around your home. Pull back the large branches of trees that may touch the house and hang a tarp over them. Cover small plants with tarps, buckets or bins. The better job you do protecting the vegetation around your home before you get started, the less work you will have to do later to get them looking nice again.

Prepare the Siding

Before you can begin painting, you must remove any peeling paint from the siding. This is done with a pressure washer and paint scraper. Start out with the pressure washer to remove as much as possible. If any peeling paint remains and won't come off with the pressure washer, use the paint scraper to do it by hand.

Note: Use caution when scraping the paint by hand. Wear a quality respirator to protect your lungs from any asbestos that may become airborne. The asbestos siding only becomes dangerous if you cause the asbestos to become airborne. Scrape only the paint – do not dig into the siding.

Areas where the peeling paint won't come off with either the pressure washer or the scraper need to be treated with liquid sanding solution. This will soften the paint and make it easier to peel off without damaging the siding underneath. The label will tell you how long to let the solution sit before spraying it off with the pressure washer.

After all of the peeling paint has been removed, you must let the siding completely dry before continuing to the next step. Failure to wait for the siding to dry will result in bubbling or cracked paint when you are done. There cannot be any moisture remaining in the siding when the first coat of primer is applied.

Tape Off Windows and Doors

You can use the time in which the siding is drying to tape off the windows, doors and trim with masking tape. Take your time to get the tape as straight as possible using the lines on the trim, windows and doors.

Get Painting

Finally, it's time to give your siding a new look. Before you apply the paint, you must apply a coat of oil-based exterior primer. The primer will help the new paint to stick to the siding and cover up any imperfections. Just be sure not to apply too much at one time – this will lead to drips and runs that will be more visible than you might think.

Allow the primer to dry fully before you begin painting. Once dry, apply the paint using brushes around the trim and rollers in the open areas.

If you don't feel confident in your ability to complete this project safely or beautifully, talk with a local painting contractor such as LaPlace And Eagan LLC for assistance.