If you’ve had some spare time on your hands lately, you may have been considering doing some renovations at home. It’s certainly something a lot of people have been thinking about, but it is important to consider how old your home is and whether you might require asbestos testing before you get started. If your home was built prior to 1990, it is certainly recommended to contact an asbestos removal company to find out whether you need their services, or if you are good to proceed with your renos.
1990 tended to be the cut off for asbestos products being used in home building in Australia, but there were some instances where it was used right up until 2003, so if you aren’t sure, it’s always best to have it looked at and tested.
So where do you go for asbestos testing?
Licensed asbestos removal companies should be your first stop. They can come and look at your renovation plans, what materials you will be removing from your home, and the likelihood of them containing asbestos. If there is a good chance, they can send a sample away for testing so that you know whether you can proceed, or whether you will have to get the area professionally removed.
What products contain asbestos?
At Icon Asbestos, we regularly get asked what materials in the home are likely to contain asbestos. You might actually be surprised to know just how widely it was used in homes prior to being banned. Most of the asbestos used in homes was bonded asbestos cement materials and common areas of use include:
- roofing
- shingles and siding (Villaboard and the like)
- exterior and interior wall cladding
- eaves
- fencing
- thermal boards around fireplaces
- water or flue pipes
Some homes will also have used friable asbestos materials, and these can be found in places such as:
- spray-on insulation or soundproofing
- lagging on hot water pipes, heaters and stoves
- backing material on floor tiles and vinyl flooring
- textured paints and decorative ceiling coatings
As you can see, there are quite a few places asbestos could have been used in your older home. If you’d like to discuss asbestos testing and removal in Brisbane, contact Icon Asbestos. With years of experience in servicing homes in and around Brisbane, we’ll get you on your way with your reno.
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