Asbestos Siding Vs Cement Fiber Siding

Siding is cement impregnated asbestos it s going nowhere unless you grind or pulverize it.

Asbestos siding vs cement fiber siding.

Fiber cement siding was manufactured as a replacement for asbestos siding which was popular for its attributes of being fire retardant and rot and insect proof. Left on your house it s a darn good insulator and fire retardant. These materials are known as fiber cement siding and they contain no asbestos. Very hard to cut and work with.

Identifying asbestos siding is a major concern for many homeowners with older homes that have cement siding. Older style cement siding shingles were traditionally made by mixing asbestos into the cement in order to fireproof and strengthen siding. Before 1978 in the u s. Cement asbestos siding tiles do not need to be removed simply because they contain asbestos.

Since asbestos was included as an additive when siding was manufactured for many decades the odds are good that original shingle siding on holder homes may contain asbestos. Some evidence of delaminating or gapping. It is very durable and can be painted or stained. Some manufacturers use the term fiber reinforced cement for these products.

It is available in a variety of sizes and shapes to match many of the old siding shingles installed over the last 60 years. It is formulated using sand cement and cellulose fibers. Cementitious siding installed after 1973 is very unlikely to contain asbestos. The resulting product was very durable fire resistant and absorbed paint well.

I have had many houses built with fiber cement and have never seen any delaminating in 8 years. Manufacturers use asbestos in fiber cement siding although some of the earlier versions of fiber cement siding did indeed have some asbestos particles blended in fiber cement was actually designed to replace the asbestos siding products to create a safer environment for the installers and the home s residents. The common reinforcing fiber used was asbestos. Asbestos siding was made by adding asbestos a naturally occurring mineral to portland cement.

There is no legal requirement to do so nor is there significant real estate benefit. Two fire marshals i work with one in texas the other in nj have both opined that in their experience fires spread slower in asbestos clad houses than vinyl. Siding materials that use fibers and aggregate other than asbestos are properly called fiber cement building siding products. All of these products use some sort of fiber along with cement.

That cement was then pressed into siding shingles that came in a wide variety of sizes profiles and textures.