Asbestos itself is actually a rock that has an fibrous makeup that looks a lot like hair or fur.
What does asbestos house siding look like.
Look for siding that looks like roof shingles.
It is very brittle and has a black tar paper like backing.
It is usually brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper.
The front appears with a grainy sandy like texture.
Asbestos cement was first developed in 1905 by the johns manville company who became one of the premier manufacturers of cement asbestos materials.
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.
Asbestos siding usually looks a lot like roof shingles.
The front may have a grainy sandy texture.
The portland cement binds asbestos fibers into a hard mass.
A brief history of asbestos cement siding.
Owners often painted cement asbestos shingle siding to make it look fresh or if it was weathered and fuzzy to preserve it.
Older style cement siding shingles were traditionally made by mixing asbestos into the cement in order to fireproof and strengthen siding.
Unfortunately asbestos siding was originally designed to mimic many different types of materials.
Look for a siding that is made to look like roof shingles.
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As the experts at asbestos siding note it is sometimes difficult to spot because it was often manufactured to resemble different types of siding in a variety of colors and textures.
These products use asbestos with a binder of portland cement.
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.
The name has its origin in the greek word for inextinguishable.
The original shingles of both asbestos cement and fiber cement usually come from the factory painted white on one side.
Asbestos cement is a mixture of portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers.
Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many materials so it won t always look the same.
Asbestos siding is a type of siding that was introduced in the 1920 s as a fire proof cladding for buildings and homes that could also resist rot and insects.
Layers of paint or finish coatings.