How to Safely Remove Asbestos Siding

1. Obtain a Permit

   Apply for an asbestos removal permit. Your local building permit office may issue these. Or, they can direct you to the agency that does. Without a doubt, your area will require a permit of some type.
   

   The cost of the permit may be based on an estimate of the volume of debris your removal will generate. It may range from less than $50 to several hundred dollars depending on where you live and the nature of your removal project. The permitting process may also involve notification to the state department of health.
   

2. Prepare the Site

   Post signs warning any “drop-in” friends, family, and other visitors, of the work taking place. Lay a 6-foot-wide strip of 6-mil sheet plastic along the side of the house where removal is to occur. Try to work in the shade so the wet siding will remain wet. Create an entrance/exit “transition” zone to the work area by laying down an additional 6 x 6-foot piece of sheet plastic in a convenient location next to the plastic strip along the wall. Keep a plastic disposal bag at this location.
   

3. Protect Yourself

   Suit up with your disposable coveralls. Also put on gloves, goggles, boots, and respirators equipped with HEPA filters.  
   

4. Keep the Asbestos-Cement Siding Wet

   Hose down about 10 square feet of siding. Mix approximately 1 teaspoon of liquid dish-washing detergent with water in the pint-size spray bottle or about one-half cup of detergent in a garden pump sprayer. As you work, spray down the siding with this solution to keep dust from becoming airborne.
   

5. Start Siding Removal

   Remove pieces of siding by pulling nails or cutting nail heads so as to minimize breakage. If necessary, carefully lift siding pieces with a pry tool to expose nail heads. If siding should begin to crack or crumble, immediately wet the cracked or broken areas with the pint-size spray bottle or garden pump sprayer. Breakage can potentially release asbestos fibers. Wet the back of each piece of siding as it is removed. Lower removed siding to the ground. Do not throw or drop it. Keep all debris on the plastic strip and keep on wetting it.
   

6. Remove Siding Pieces

   Load wet debris and other contaminated materials into sturdy containers, such as cardboard boxes or burlap sacks. If cardboard boxes are used, line each box with 6-mil polyethylene and leave enough excess plastic to cover the debris and seal the plastic-covered debris with duct tape. Boxes should then be wrapped in one or more layers of 6-mil plastic or inserted into a single pre-marked asbestos waste disposal bag.
   

7. Double-Bag the Asbestos

   Double bag or wrap filled containers in pre-marked 6-mil asbestos waste disposal bags. Twist the top of each filled bag, bend the twisted part in half, and seal it with duct tape. If containers are to be wrapped rather than bagged, use 6-mil polyethylene plastic and ensure all seams are sealed with duct tape. Affix an asbestos warning label to each sealed package.
   

8. Clean the Work Area

   Re-wet any debris on the strip of plastic next to the wall. While continuing to stand on the plastic strip next to the wall where the removal is being done, double bag or wrap all debris as described above. Then wrap or roll up the strip of plastic along the wall, working your way back to the entrance/exit “transition zone” strip of plastic. Step onto the transition zone plastic and double bag or wrap the last of the strip plastic.

   While standing on this last piece of plastic sheeting, spray yourself (or each other) with water to wet down any asbestos debris/fibers on the outside of your respirator and disposable coveralls.
   

9. Remove Clothing

   Remove boots. Then remove your disposable gloves and coveralls by peeling them off and turning them inside out as you remove them. Leave these contaminated items on the transition zone plastic for disposal. Step off the last plastic sheet.

   Take off respirators and remove their filters for disposal. Then wash off and wipe down the tools used in removal, along with your respirators, goggles, and boots. Move each item off the plastic as it is cleaned.
   

10. Remove Debris From Area

    Double bag remaining debris, transition zone plastic, and disposable items in properly labeled asbestos disposal bags or double wrap them in 6-mil plastic sheets. Seal each bag or package tightly with duct tape. Use wet rags for any further clean-up. Take a shower to rinse off any stray fibers that might still be clinging to you.

    Asbestos debris from an asbestos project must be disposed of at disposal sites or transfer stations licensed to receive such waste. You will probably be charged a fee to handle this material.

    All debris must be sealed in two layers of 6-mil polyethylene plastic. Remember, siding pieces have sharp edges that can perforate this plastic material unless the siding is first loaded into sturdy containers. Packaged debris in punctured plastic will not be accepted by waste disposal sites. You must write your last name, address, and date of removal on each container. Check with the disposal site for any additional requirements.
    

When to Hire a Professional

The process for removing asbestos-cement siding is not technically difficult. But because the mineral asbestos fibers can be dangerous when airborne, removing this type of siding requires some special handling techniques—a process overseen by government regulation. In most communities, homeowners are entirely allowed to do this work themselves, but for many people the mere thought of handling potentially carcinogenic materials makes it very attractive to hire a professional abatement company to do this work.

If you want to remove asbestos siding with the help of a company, it will be expensive because that one word—asbestos—changes the rules dramatically. No longer are you merely hiring a general contractor who strips the siding and tosses it in a roll-off container. Now you'll also be paying for a regulated specialty contractor who needs to meet state licensing requirements. Among other requirements, asbestos abatement company workers suit up, wear respirators, shield the area, and use liberal amounts of water to hold down the dust.

Professional remediation costs for asbestos-cement siding is usually based on the square footage of the wall areas to be removed. One national contractor networking service lists the national average for asbestos-cement siding remediation at $8 per square foot. This means that even a small house can easily cost several thousand dollars to have the siding safely removed.

You can find a list by searching for certified asbestos removal companies," and then narrowing it down to a local county, city, or state website (often designated with a .gov domain suffix).

Another option is to hire a siding replacement company that is familiar with collaborating with abatement specialists. In this way, you can coordinate with a single general contractor who will work with the abatement specialist as a subcontractor. But be prepared for a bigger project cost, as the siding contractor will certainly pass along the abatement costs to you.

The Encapsulation Option

Because asbestos-cement siding is a relatively stable building material—and because professional removal is so expensive—the better option is often to encapsulate it. This can be done by simply installing the new siding material, such as vinyl lap siding over the old siding—a job that should be performed by an installation team familiar with working around asbestos. Another form of incapsulation involves a professional team coating your siding with a latex masonry primer followed by a high-quality latex paint that will prevent the release of asbestos fibers. This form of encapsulation costs from $2 to $6 per square foot.