Is There Asbestos in Stucco and Exterior Plaster?

Last Updated: 2022-02-16By Steven H.

Technically speaking, exterior stucco does not contain asbestos particles in it. Although cement board, that is used for backing of stucco on exterior surface of building can contain asbestos. It can be dangerous for human health while demolishing.

Biggest misleading factor in designated substance industry is calling materials names that don’t apply to them. Just like that, plaster siding is often called stucco. They are completely different but may look similar at finish stage.

Plaster mix on other hand may or may not have dangerous asbestos in it. Installations of this product between 1930 to 1980 have higher chance of having designated substance and have to be properly remediated by licensed professionals.

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Nothing you read about is 100% sure, and even our information has to be backed by physical evidence. To know if there is asbestos in stucco of your home, complete lab test and DDS report.

Why People Think Stucco Contains Asbestos

If debate about asbestos in stucco and similar products exist, than many of you might have thought about the possibility of it being true. In fact most of people don’t know the answer and just guess where dangerous substance is present.

We know of four reasons that some of you may think there is asbestos in stucco:

They Were Told so
Mistake It with Plaster
Stucco Backing Cement Board
Year of Installation

The job of every asbestos related article is to educate everyone around. Way too many people die from long-term deceases caused by this substance and we all want to make the number lower every year.

Understanding potential danger is first step of protecting yourself from it.

They Were Told so – the only way to know this for certain is to do a lab test. Results will show if stucco or what you think looks like stucco has inside.

Your friends, coworkers, clients or company boss can say whatever they want, but relying on their opinion can get you in trouble.

Mistake It with Plaster – stucco looks very similar to plaster on exterior walls. Home owners that have never worked in construction industry may not know the difference at all.

Plaster was and is tilled this day used in wide range of application. It can be poured into molds, installed on rough and smooth surfaces. Stucco is mixed with Portland cement and usually used only on exterior of house.

Stucco Backing Cement Board – stucco finish is applied on top of something. In colder areas rigid insulation is used as underlay, but wormer regions mostly use it on top of cement boards.

These cement boards could potentially have asbestos in it, but stucco never does. Therefore some people just say its stucco with dangerous material and not layer behind it.

Year of Installation – Asbestos was used heavily in residential and commercial construction during mid-1900s. Knowing this may scare you every time you see stucco or plaster.

Just because material was installed during the era of asbestos, doesn’t mean everything is contaminated. Check the facts with lab results and stay safe.

Difference Between Stucco and Plaster

Remodel On Point already mentioned that stucco and plaster look almost the same and nonprofessional can mistake one from another.

Now it’s time to talk about three main differences between these finishing materials for exterior façade.

Application/Installation Method
Materials It’s Made of
Potential Dangers and Asbestos in It

Trades that work with stucco or plaster for many years know the difference and how each material should be treated. Those who are unfamiliar with details can see more detailed breakdown below.

Application/Installation Method – Stucco is applied on hard surface with some type of grip. For better strength and crack avoidance, mesh is secured to exterior plywood or block wall.

Plaster can literally hold on anything. It is more like paint or glue that reacts to harden into cement base substance. Most of molds for interior and exterior design are poured plaster.

Materials It’s Made of – base of plaster materials is gypsum. It can be applied on surfaces like ceiling or wall, poured into molds or used to patch holes.

Stucco’s initial base is always with Portland cement and lime products. Fiberglass particles are added for extra strength and tight grip.

Potential Dangers and Asbestos in It – stucco by itself never has asbestos in it, while plaster can be contaminated. Don’t trust your instincts because cement board behind, insulation layer and adhesive glue can be with asbestos fibers.

The biggest problem is differentiating one from another to be safe while working on removal.

Why Was Asbestos Used in Stucco Cement Boards

It is sad to say that asbestos was used in all sorts of construction materials just 50 years ago. It was added to tiles, concrete mix, insulation, roofing and many more products.

Noon e new all the danger asbestos particles can cause to human health. That is mostly because effects were long term. Exposed workers could develop sickness 10 – 20 years later.

Too bad studies did not start few decades after asbestos was produced and used almost everywhere. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people were exposed to it.

Asbestos particles increase durability, strength, insulation level to exterior plaster. Of course it was popular in manufacturing; especially the costs of production were so low.

Is Plaster Asbestos Dangerous?

Every type of asbestos contaminated material can cause harm when disturbed. What it means is while it sits quietly inside original material it does not pose any danger.

When plaster or cement backing board behind stucco is cut, broken or demolished in any way that creates dust, asbestos particles escape and get airborne.

Changing exterior façade becomes more challenging for workers. Most of them are not trained in handling designated substances.

Technically home owners should notify all workers about hazards and presence of asbestos is definitely one of them. There have been cases when workers sued and won cases for not being aware of dangerous substance of work.

Other Exterior Siding Materials that Contain Asbestos

Besides Plaster and cement boards, there are plenty of siding materials that can be contaminated with asbestos. There is no reason to risk your health over a tiny pay check. Do your own due diligence and find out if exterior façade you work with is dangerous.

Asbestos and other dangerous materials can be in:

Slate Tiles
Specialized Paints
Adhesive Materials
Vapor Barriers
Vinyl Siding

Newly installed materials during renovation or new construction have very low chance of risk. Nevertheless the cost to test stucco or plaster for asbestos is not high. Only for $50 – $150 you can get lab results confirming whether material is contaminated or not.

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Each building has some sort of driveway or at least should have. The main reason is for vehicles to come closer without need to walk all the way. Some homes are residential with small driveway for their car to come in and park before garage or front entrance, and others can be large commercial buildings with loading docks, delivery entrances and casual parking entrances. On Point Remodeling was asked for suggestions on residential driveway for new home construction, and we decided to write detailed article for all our readers. Using this guide you can select the material for your driveway and see what works for your budget. Here are the materials for driveway we will be discussing in our guide:

Asphalt
Concrete
Paver Stone
Crushed stone
Brick
Seashell
Gravel

To find good contractor for your driveway, you can either ask our team by email or try to find someone local that worked with neighbors or nearby buildings.

Installation process of any material surface on your driveway

a) Demolition and Excavation – Before anything is done, your contractor will get heavy machinery and scratch off old layer of driveway. They need to go down at least 5-6 inches to insure proper layering before your final layer of material is installed. b) Material Purchase and Delivery – At this point your contract is signed and you already know how the surface will look. Contracting company purchases necessary materials and delivers them to site. Double check if material is correct and not damaged. c) Preparation of Sublevel – Whatever you place as final material, it cannot just be installed directly on top soil. Gravel is the first choice of material that goes down at this stage. Other preferred material is screen sand that can go on top of gravel and works better with stone and bricks. d) Compaction of Ground – To prevent your driveway from moving and changing shapes, all the layers from bottom up have to be properly compacted. Do not leave any spot untouched while doing this or you can get small holes and cracks in driveway after installation. E) Final Installation – This is when all the magic happens. After all preparations and dirty work the final installation is made literally within hours and you can enjoy new driveway. Stone and brick is set up by hand, while other materials require some sort of machinery with manual labor to even out surface.

1. Asphalt

Probably the most used material for road top surfaces as well as driveways is asphalt. This is a mix of gravel and sand that is mixed in and combined by asphalt cement with crude oil. Pros of Asphalt Driveway

Very popular and easy to find materials/contractor
Completed in 1 day and you can drive on it after
Patches and small holes can be fixed fast

Cons of Asphalt Driveway

Easy to damage and cracks appear in few years
Almost everyone else has same surface
Oily surface and chemicals used in mix

Prepared for asphalt driveway will cost you around $5 per square foot to finish. The contractors that take care of entire process from taking out old driveway surface, install subsurface and compact the ground with new asphalt on top, will charge on average $5500 per regular size driveway at single home property.

2. Concrete

What we call concrete is a mixture of Portland cement, aggregate as well as sand with gravel. Suggested thickness of concrete for driveway is 6 inches. The mixture needs to cure without being touched or driven on top for several days. Pros of Concrete Driveway

Durable material for large weights
Long lifespan if installed properly
Winter and summer friendly

Cons of Concrete Driveway

Has marks and stains over time
Hard to repair without replacement
Super hard to DIY

To hire contractors for concrete driveway it will cost around $7-$9 per square foot. This will include site preparation with gravel spread and new concrete installation. They will order full truck of concrete (or several for larger driveways) to pour inside forming. Smoothening and curing is required after installation.

3. Paver Stone

The most luxurious material that you can use to create driveway path with is paver stone. It is made out of natural stone with uneven rough shapes that have different line patterns. Paver stones are very heavy and are perfect for weights on top of them. Almost every city in Europe has roads and walks made out of stone that were installed centuries ago. Pros of Paver Stone Driveway

Creative designs can be done
Personal looks, can match the house
Can replace single stone in minutes

Cons of Paver Stone Driveway

Weeds growing through
Stone can move over time
Most expensive material

There is wide selection of stone that can be purchased for your driveway. On average we recommend settling with $17-$20 per square foot for stone with installation included. Working with this material is very intense labor and we recommend hiring professionals that do this type of work every day.

4. Crushed Stone

Our readers sometimes mistake crushed stone with gravel, but this is not the same material. Crushed stone material is achieved when machine is mechanically crushing larger pieces of unused stone for this specific purpose. It is larger than gravel and can have smooth finish. Crushed stone can also have a mix of colors, which is much pleasant to eyes than gravel. Pros of Crushed Stone Driveway

Low maintenance required
Fits rural area style
Can be reused for other purposes

Cons of Crushed Stone Driveway

Gets very hot during summer
Can be messy after many drives
Hard to remove snow and ice

Buying crushed stone and installing it on your driveway is as easy as it gets. Similar to other rough materials discussed in this post, only small tools like shovels, dolly and buckets are required to spread it on the road. The cost of crushed stone driveway is between $4 and $6 per square foot from professional local contractors that can finish the job in several days.

5. Brick

The same brick we see being used in wall construction can be installed as top driveway surface. Brick is manufactured by compressing clay with plastic mass. It is heated to extreme temperature and dried up to become as solid as you know it. Pros of Brick Driveway

Variety of selections in shapes and shades
Bricks are recyclable
Slip resistant with rough top part

Cons of Brick Driveway

Needs regular maintenance
Change color over time
Old fashion looking

Installing brick on driveway costs $10 per square foot, which is not too far from masonry brick laying as part of the wall. To save money you can use or purchase old brick, that was part of a wall before. Do not mix these two jobs and contact landscaping professionals instead of masonry contractors that work with bricks.

6. Seashell

This material is popular on the coast line where shells can be found near the water. Construction companies use seashells to add in other materials as well as spread them on driveway in rough condition, without adding anything else. It usually comes in white or pearl color and darkens within year because of mixing with sand and dirt. Pros of Seashell Driveway

Environmentally friendly
Has natural drainage
Creates worm vibe of beach house

Cons of Seashell Driveway

Break and crack under light weight
Sharp and very hard to walk on
Gets stuck in shoes and tires

To deliver and spread seashells on driveways costs below $4, which is only slightly more expensive than rough gravel. As you go further from coast line, cost of material increases due to delivery. This material is elegant and very soft. We recommend adding edge lines with darker color landscape material to create visual path.

7. Gravel

This material is used in other construction mixes and underlayment systems. It’s literally fragments and small crushed stones that are put on top of soil. It is easily spread out by hands and anyone can do it. Pros of Gravel Driveway

Cheapest of them all
Easy DIY Job
Can install another material on top

Cons of Gravel Driveway

Needs to be graded very often
Will mix with dirt and leaves
Washes up with heavy rains

It is rough material and can be purchased in bulk (by metric tons or cubic meters). The cost of driveway with gravel should not exceed $3 per square foot, but you can save tons of money by purchasing materials and doings installation by yourself. You do not require specific tools or heavy equipment for the job and delivery of gravel can be arranged directly to your project.

Conclusion

To properly finish any and all of these driveways requires skills and experience. There is no way you can complete any of these projects without heavy equipment and tools that regular home owner’s just store in their garages. Most of those who will read this post will prefer to install asphalt driveway, because of its popularity and low costs. We want to encourage home owners to go for personal preference and what matches your house, rather than getting the most affordable and popular items. Driveway jobs have to be completed fast; otherwise you will need to park elsewhere while the project is running. To not overpay, ask us for quotation sample on material you prefer in specific region where the work need to be done and our team can provide some numbers.

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