Aging Exteriors And The Hazards That Lurk Outside Your Door: 3 Tips For Dealing With Asbestos And Other Hazardous Materials When

As your home ages, it will begin to show signs of wear and need repairs. Renovations of older homes often require dealing with old finishes, which sometimes contain hazardous materials like asbestos, lead paint, or mold. Lead and asbestos are in building products used in older homes, while mold growth will be found in any home with serious moisture issues. Here are some tips for dealing with asbestos and other hazardous materials when renovating:

1. Leaking Exterior Finishes That Have Hidden Mold and Mildew Problems

Leaks around exterior finishes can be serious because they are most likely to go unnoticed. Over years of water getting in behind siding, brick or seals around windows, the structure of your home will begin to rot, or you may even develop a mold problem. Regularly inspect around areas that are likely to leak, such as caulking around windows, siding that has been damaged, and cracks or joints in masonry. This is a common problem around old brick chimneys.

2. Older Building Materials That Are Made of Hazardous Asbestos Products

Sometimes, the hazards of your home's exterior may be in what original building products were made of. Products that contain asbestos have commonly been used for building materials, but they usually are not a problem on the exterior of your home. If asbestos is on the exterior of your home, it becomes dangerous when you move it or do other improvements that disturb the materials and cause dust. For renovations with asbestos materials you have two options; you can remove the materials to ensure there are no dangers or you can cover the old materials with a new finish and leave them undisturbed.

3. The Old Lead Paint and Other Hazardous Finishes on Exteriors of Homes

With homes that have years of paint on them, some of the layers of paint may be a hazard. Lead paint was commonly used during the 20th century and should be handled with care. If your exterior has painted features that you think have lead paint, it is probably best to have the paint tested and any lead paint removed. Lead paint is commonly found on historic homes that have features that have been painted repeatedly.

Renovations are essential to maintain your home, but you should be aware of the potential hazards you could find. Contact a construction rental service to get scaffolding you need to do renovations, inspect materials and have hazardous materials removed from your home. You can also check out websites like http://www.allstareq.com/ for more information.


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