What Do Asbestos Siding Shingles Look Like

A brief history of asbestos cement siding.

What do asbestos siding shingles look like.

If they look old they might have asbestos fibers in them. Asbestos shingles were so common during the 20th century that almost any shingles installed between 1920 and 1986 probably include asbestos. This is the most common pattern used. Asbestos cement is a mixture of portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers.

Most likely the shingles are in two sizes 12 inch or 24 inch. Old asbestos siding tiles may also have a wood grain texture like cedar. You can t drive screws and nails through them without pre drilling. Asbestos siding was manufactured to resemble many materials so it won t always look the same.

Photo guide to cement asbestos wall shingles or siding products. The front may have a grainy sandy texture. The portland cement binds asbestos fibers into a hard mass. Testing for positive id.

The best method for determining if a substance contains. Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely. If you don t know the age of the shingles inspect them for wear. Look for siding that looks like roof shingles.

Determine when the shingles were installed on your roof. Asbestos cement roofing shingles and siding products are not likely to release asbestos fibers unless sawed dilled or cut. The bottom of an asbestos siding tile may have a wave like pattern though not always. This is the wavy edge asbestos cement shingle siding product.

It is usually brittle and the back may be black and have the appearance of tar paper. Asbestos cement was first developed in 1905 by the johns manville company who became one of the premier manufacturers of cement asbestos materials. In this photo of a house in new york state we can see both original cement asbestos wall shingles and newer fiber cement replacement wall shingles that do not contain asbestos.