Asbestos In House Siding

Asbestos siding was first introduced into the us in the early 1900 s by austrian engineer ludwid hatschek.

Asbestos in house siding.

Asbestos house siding was used in many homes until the epa banned its use in new products in 1989. Asbestos cement is a mixture of portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers. A highly effective and inexpensive fire retardant material and thermal and acoustic insulator asbestos was used extensively in home construction from the early 1940s through the 1970s. Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely.

This was done in order to add fireproofing and stability to cement siding so that it wouldn t crack or break as easily. Asbestos siding was made by adding asbestos a naturally occurring mineral to portland cement. We have created the most extensive single article on asbestos siding to try and answer all the possible questions that you may have regarding the material testing it removing it the associated cost and other questions we have been asked over the years with regards to this material. Thomas boni january 19 2019 at 5 19 pm.

Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s. A brief history of asbestos cement siding. What is asbestos and why was it ever used in siding given that it no longer is. We did a sears kit house that has asbestos siding on three sides and the siding wasn t even mentioned as a concern by the buyer.

The portland cement binds asbestos fibers into a hard mass. Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find. Asbestos shingles are relatively strong but. We recommend submitting questions about unique situations like yours to the today s homeowner radio show.

The house has asbestos siding. The name has its origin in the greek word for inextinguishable. From about the 1920 s until the 1970 s hundreds of thousands if not millions of homes were built using asbestos cement siding. Asbestos siding was essentially a cement siding product that asbestos fibers had been added to.

Asbestos siding takes paint beautifully and a good paint job will do wonders for your curb appeal. Asbestos ranks high on the list of dangerous substances because of its toxic and carcinogenic properties when airborne. Asbestos cement was first developed in 1905 by the johns manville company who became one of the premier manufacturers of cement asbestos materials. What a great question.

We are in louisiana. If you suspect that your siding may contain asbestos there is no need for alarm. Asbestos siding was very commonly used in buildings and homes from around the 1920s until the 1980s and can still be found in many older homes in the u s. While older homes will likely contain asbestos in roofing insulation and tiles it can also be present in exterior siding.