Asbestos Cement Siding

Asbestos siding was made by adding asbestos a naturally occurring mineral to portland cement.

Asbestos cement siding.

It is very brittle and has a tendency to crack and break when nailed which can release asbestos fibers into both the air and ground. That cement was then pressed into siding shingles that came in a wide variety of sizes profiles and textures. From about the 1920 s until the 1970 s hundreds of thousands if not millions of homes were built using asbestos cement siding. The use of a pressure washer for maintenance can crack the siding and lead to moisture intrusion if the pressure setting is high enough.

Asbestos cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped cracked or broken. He discovered how asbestos could help reinforce thin shingles made from cement. Asbestos siding is composed of asbestos fibers mixed with portland cement. Asbestos cement is usually formed into flat or corrugated sheets or piping but can be molded into any shape wet cement can fit.

Cementious siding and roofing such as fiber cement siding lap siding and fiber cement roof shingles containing asbestos may then have appeared on homes constructed between 1906 and 1980 in north america and contining later in some other countries. Asbestos cement can be dangerous if pulverized by sawing sanding breaking etc. Asbestos cement siding was a commonly used building material in the us and canada from the early to mid late 20th century roughly from the 1920s to the 1980s. Asbestos siding was first introduced into the us in the early 1900 s by austrian engineer ludwid hatschek.

Asbestos cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped cracked or broken. The resulting product was very durable fire resistant and absorbed paint well. Exposure to and breathing asbestos fibers can result in lung problems and cancer. Asbestos cement can be dangerous if pulverized by sawing sanding breaking etc.

Asbestos cement faced competition with the aluminum alloy available in large quantities after wwii and the reemergence of wood clapboard and vinyl siding in the mid to late twentieth century. Asbestos cement siding is very common in older homes as it was used widely due to its durability and resistance to fire. It s available in a variety of sizes and shapes to match many of the old siding shingles installed over the last 60 years.