Taking Proper Safety Precautions
Let others in the neighborhood know you’re working with asbestos. Talk to your neighbors and let them know the work you’ll be completing in the coming days. Ask them to close their windows and doors so dust doesn’t blow into their homes. Post a few signs in your yard that say you’re removing asbestos as a constant reminder to the other people in your neighborhood.
Lay plastic sheeting on the ground where you’re removing shingles. Cover the ground around your home with the plastic so it extends 10 feet (3.0 m) away from the exterior walls. If you have any debris, the sheeting will prevent any particles from absorbing into the ground. Purchase a roll of plastic sheeting from a hardware or home improvement store.
Wear rubber gloves and disposable coveralls. Asbestos is carcinogenic and could cause serious illness if you’re exposed to it. Purchase coveralls with a hood that you can easily dispose of once you’re finished with the job. Tuck the rubber gloves into the sleeves of your coveralls to make a skin-tight seal. Coveralls and rubber gloves can be purchased at a hardware store or online.
Cover your face with goggles and an N100 respirator. Fit the respirator over your nose and mouth, and make sure it is tight to the skin. Covering your face will help prevent any asbestos exposure or inhalation while you’re working. Asbestos is a carcinogen and is known to cause mesothelioma in the lungs over time.
Keep windows and doors closed on your home. Make sure all entrances and exits are tightly closed so asbestos doesn’t get into your home. Avoid going in and out of your home as best as you can since particles may stick to your clothes or shoes. Never bring clothing you wear while working with asbestos inside your home.
Removing Nails and Shingles
Wet the shingles with a solution of water and dish soap using a pump sprayer. Mix 8 parts water with 1 part dish soap in a sprayer. Use a low-powered sprayer to dampen the shingles before you start working with them. Use a slow back and forth motion to completely coat the shingles. Dampening the shingles helps prevent dust from spreading in case the shingles break.
Start on the top row of shingles. Since shingles are layered, the top shingles will be the easiest to remove first. Work your way from the top to the bottom if you plan on replacing all of the asbestos shingles on your home. Remove the shingles in the rows above if you’re only replacing a small number. Working from bottom to top increases the chances of shingles breaking and creating particles.
Loosen the nails with a chisel and hammer. Hold the end of the chisel next to the head of the nail. Hit the handle of the chisel gently with your hammer, working around the head of the nail to loosen it from all sides. Over time, you’ll see the head of the nail loosening itself from the shingle.
Grab the nail with a pair of nippers and pull it straight out. Open the nippers around the head of the nail and clamp it shut. Gently wiggle it as you pull it out from the shingle. Ease the nail out from the shingle and dispose of it in a plastic garbage bag. Nippers resemble a pair of pliers and can be purchased at any hardware store or online. Avoid bending or twisting the nails since they may break other shingles below it.
Slide the shingle off of your home once the nails are removed. Carefully hold onto the bottom edge of the shingle and pull it off of your home. Set the shingle down gently on the plastic sheet. Don’t let the shingle drop to the ground since they are brittle and will break apart easily. If you’re replacing roofing shingles, hand the shingles down to another person or put them immediately in a bag rather than throwing them to the ground. Don’t pry the shingle off your home since it could break easily.
Place the shingles in heavy-duty garbage bags. Use large black garbage bags to get rid of asbestos shingles. Fit as many as you can into each bag without tearing them open to protect yourself from any exposure. You can spray the shingles again with a water and soap mixture once they are removed to further prevent dust from forming.
Installing New Shingles
Use new cement fiber shingles that are asbestos-free. Asbestos isn’t used as a building material any more due to the health risk it poses. Find cement fiber shingles that are reminiscent of your current shingles if you only need to replace a few, or choose a new style of shingle if you’re replacing them all. Do not cover old asbestos shingles since it could lead to home damage. Cement fiber shingles can be painted to match your current siding.
Start working from the bottom row. Shingles need to overlap so no rain or moisture gets trapped underneath them. Start on the bottom row of shingles and work your way up towards the top of the wall or the tip of your roof.
Stagger your shingles so none of the edges or slots line up. Each row should be offset from the ones above and below it. If the edges of any shingles are in line with one another, water can easily penetrate through the shingles to the walls or ceiling and cause lasting damage. Keep the spacing even so the shingles look uniform and don’t leave gaps.
Place a bead of caulk on the left and right sides of the shingle. Use a caulk gun for easy application of the caulk. Place a coin-sized dab of caulk on either side of where you’re placing the shingle. This will help secure the shingle in place so it doesn’t move around when you nail it. Caulk guns can be purchased at hardware stores.
Hammer each shingle along its top edge. Place the shingle against the wall or roof, making sure it is pressed in the caulk. Use a nail gun or hammer to drive nails into the shingle. Keep the nails 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the top of the shingles and space them around 12 inches (0.30 m) apart from one another. Don’t nail through existing asbestos shingles since this could cause harmful dust to get airborne. If you need to reuse existing asbestos shingles, put new nails through the existing nail holes.
Cleaning Up
Seal full garbage bags securely with duct tape. Fold the opening of the bag over so it is sealed shut and then wrap it closed with duct tape. Make sure there are no openings for dust or particles to escape from the bag. Keep bags of asbestos shingles away from the rest of your garbage so you don’t forget there are hazardous materials inside.
Dispose of any clothing you wore while you removed the asbestos. Once you’re finished removing all the shingles, remove the coveralls and clothes you used while working on your home. Wrap them in a garbage bag and seal the bag with duct tape. This helps prevent any asbestos from entering your home. Wash rubber gloves and boots thoroughly with soap and water before bringing them back inside.
Wash and clean the tools you worked with. Use a mixture of water and dish soap to clean your tools. Scrub them entirely so there’s no residual dust left on them. Once they are dry, you can put them away.
Contact waste management to learn how to properly dispose of the asbestos. You may be able to throw away the shingles with the rest of your garbage, but there could be requirements to throw away hazardous materials. Contact waste collection to determine if there are any special procedures you need to follow.
Shower after working with any asbestos. Once you’ve finished cleaning the area you were working on, clean yourself thoroughly in the shower or bath. Make sure to scrub your entire body to remove any particles that you might have come into contact with you. Rinse off with a hose outdoors before entering your home if you’re worried about trailing asbestos inside.
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