Anyone want to chime in on what type of siding this is, and the potential of hazardous material content?
thx,
tom
http://z.about.com/d/homerenovations/1/G/L/1/-/-/asbestoscementsiding.jpg
Look Familiar? Yes, This is Asbestos Cement Siding.
Public Domain; Courtesy National Park Service
http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/images/photos/ahpp_img_mswoodcock.jpg
The primary surface texture for asbestos siding shingles was an imitation of wood such as this raked cedar style.
The chance of asbestos in that siding are high. I have purchased several homes with that siding that was very popular in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. If that is the age of that home, you can count on it. There are non asbestos replacement shingle availible.
Cement Shingle Siding, probably asbestos. Common in the 30’s 40’s 50’s. Very brittle, I’ve painted many homes with this style.
This is a home built in late-70’s.
tom
Asbestos cement wall shingles were in popular use in the U.S. from the 1920’s (est) through the 1960’s (est). A mixture of asbestos fibers and portland cement the material was durable and fire resistant.
Siding materials that use fibers and aggregate other than asbestos are properly called “fiber cement” building siding products. Some manufacturers use the term “fiber-reinforced cement” for these products. All of these products use some sort of fiber along with cement.** Before 1978 in the U.S. the common fiber used was asbestos. **
In this photo of a house in New York Statewe can see both original cement-asbestos wall shingles and newer fiber cement replacement wall shingles that do not contain asbestos. But only an expert or a lab can tell the new fiber cement from the old asbestos fiber cement shingles - or you can with help of the inspection and repair tips we provide below.
If the home is late 70’s I would doubt that it contains asbestos but it should be tested at that age. This is the web site of the company that provided my replacement shingles.
1977 was it built year.
thx,
tom
I would ALWAYS be very careful saying asbestos in any case. Don’t offer wording that defines it as asbestos rather word choices such as “possible” or “may”