Asbestos cement siding is a great way to add a little style and luster to the exterior of your home. Asbestos cement siding comes in a variety of colors and styles, which is why it’s one of the most sought after materials for home improvement projects. If you are considering using asbestos cement siding on your next home improvement project, or if you simply want to learn more about it, continue reading for some basic information on this popular building material.
What Is Asbestos Cement Siding?
Asbestos cement is made from a mixture of cement and asbestos fibers. Asbestos fibers are used to strengthen the asphalt and make it resistant to fire. In fact, asbestos cement was often used as insulation in the past because it is capable of withstanding exceptionally high temperatures without burning or releasing toxic fumes into the air.
Asbestos cement siding can be found on a wide range of properties built prior to 1980. It’s extremely durable and can last for decades when properly installed and maintained.
Asbestos cement siding is a building material that was popular among builders during mid-20th century. Asbestos cement siding is an excellent example of an asbestos containing material (ACM) that is not very friable. The term “friable” refers to the ability of a material to crumble easily in your hands. Non-friable ACMs tend to cause less health risks than friable materials because the fibers are bound together with cement and are less likely to be released into the air.
Asbestos cement products were produced by many manufacturers for many years. Some of the more common brand names include:
Acme
Alcoa
Johns Manville
H.H. Robertson Company
Masonite Corporation
National Gypsum Company
CertainTeed Corporation
Asbestos cement siding was once a popular choice for exterior wall construction. Asbestos cement is a type of fiber-cement siding that contains asbestos fibers in the cement. It was typically used as a cladding material on the exterior walls of homes from the 1920s to the 1980s.
While asbestos cement siding is still in good condition, it does not pose any health hazards to homeowners and their families. However, if the asbestos cement siding is damaged or disturbed, it can release toxic asbestos fibers into the air. Inhaling these fibers can lead to serious health problems such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Because of this risk, it is important that homeowners understand how to identify asbestos cement siding and what steps they can take if they find it on their home.
Asbestos cement (AC) products were used for several decades as an efficient and cost effective building material. The benefit of using asbestos cement was its durability, fire resistant properties and strength. It was also very easy to mold into different shapes, which allowed various designs to be used in the construction of buildings.
So what is Asbestos Cement?
Asbestos cement is a combination of cement and asbestos fibers. The asbestos fibers are mixed with cement and water to form a slurry that can be poured into molds. Once hard, the result is a block or panel of material that can be used in construction.
Asbestos cement was also known under the trade names Transite, T-Plex, Hetasote, Ceco Panel, Cembrit and others.
Asbestos cement has been used in many applications including:
* asbestos shingles for residential siding
* corrugated roofing panels for commercial buildings
* pipes for underground water lines and sewers
Many companies manufactured asbestos shingles for residential siding including Celotex Corporation, Eternit Company, National Gypsum Company and Johns Manville Corporation along with many others.
Asbestos cement is a mixture of portland cement and asbestos, used primarily in the construction of flat and corrugated sheets, siding shingles, pipes and molded products. Asbestos cement products were widely used because they are durable and fire resistant. They also provide excellent sound insulation, heat insulation and electrical insulation. Asbestos cement products were produced for almost 100 years until asbestos was banned in 1989.
Asbestos fibers are mixed with portland cement to form asbestos cement. Asbestos fibers give the product strength and durability while portland cement forms the matrix that holds the fibers together. Using asbestos instead of other additives makes the product durable, fire resistant, strong, and corrosion resistant.
Asbestos cement is most commonly found as building materials such as flat or corrugated sheets, siding shingles, pipes, and molded products. The most common name brand is Transite which was manufactured by Johns Manville Corp; however there are many other brands on the market that contain asbestos cement.
Asbestos cement is the name given to a composite material consisting of Portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers.
It was used in a variety of applications including pipes for water mains, sewer pipe, and in sheet form for building siding and roofing.
Asbestos cement products were produced using four types of asbestos: chrysotile (white asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos) crocidolite (blue asbestos) and anthophyllite.
While the use of blue and brown asbestos was banned in most countries by the 1980s, white asbestos continued to be used in many countries until the late 1990s. For example, it was used to make corrugated roofing in Australia until the mid-1980s and domestic plumbing pipes in South Africa until the late 1990s.