How to tell if you have asbestos (and what to do next)
You usually can't identify asbestos by eye. Here's where it hides in older buildings and how to find out for certain.
Where asbestos turns up
In buildings built or refurbished before 2000, asbestos can be in artex, garage and shed roofs, soffits and gutters, floor tiles and their adhesive, pipe and boiler lagging, insulation board and water tanks. Many of these look like ordinary building materials.
Why you can't tell by looking
Asbestos was mixed into products in varying amounts, and finished materials often look identical to non-asbestos versions. Guessing is risky — the only certain answer is a survey or a laboratory sample test.
What to do
If you suspect a material, don't disturb it. Arrange a survey for a whole property, or a single sample test if you just need one material confirmed. We'll tell you what's there and whether it needs to be removed or can be managed in place.