What Does Old Asbestos Siding Look Like

The original shingles of both asbestos cement and fiber cement usually come from the factory painted white on one side.

What does old asbestos siding look like.

The front appears with a grainy sandy like texture. These shingles are generally 12 by 24 inches and the bottom tends to have a wave like pattern though that is not always the case. Asbestos siding usually looks a lot like roof shingles. It is part of the serpentine family whilst all other types of asbestos are part of the amphibole family.

Owners often painted cement asbestos shingle siding to make it look fresh or if it was weathered and fuzzy to preserve it. The front may have a grainy sandy texture. It is very brittle and has a black tar paper like backing. Amosite is also known as brown asbestos.

The use of a pressure washer for maintenance can crack the siding and lead to moisture intrusion if the pressure setting is high enough. It was commonly used in a range of materials from brake pads to roofing materials. These products use asbestos with a binder of portland cement. Unfortunately asbestos siding was originally designed to mimic many different types of materials.

Chrysotile was the most widely used asbestos and is commonly referred to as white asbestos. Look for siding that looks like roof shingles. The vermiculate look like popcorn and many of you might remember your old high school science lab with this material. Asbestos roofing mastics often contained asbestos fibers and asbestos was a major ingredient in cement asbestos slate look alike products or roof tiles or cement asbestos roof shingles.

Asbestos cement siding is very brittle and can be easily chipped cracked or broken. Asbestos ceilings can be found in many forms which include asbestos fibre cement sheet fibro vermiculite spray applied ceilings. It is usually brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper. Layers of paint or finish coatings.

Testing your siding for asbestos if your siding fits either of these descriptions you should consider having it tested. Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many materials so it won t always look the same. Look for asbestos cement shingles a mixture of asbestos fibers and cement or asbestos cement corrugated roofing which is thicker and more often found on old sheds barns and low income housing.