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This article explains why, where & how to obtain replacement non-asbestos fiber cement shingles to repair or replace asbestos cement shingle siding. We discuss why & how to paint asbestos cement or fiber cement building siding. This document assists building buyers, owners or inspectors who need to identify asbestos materials (or probable-asbestos) in buildings by simple visual inspection. In the website sections listed below, we provide photographs and descriptive text of asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing products to permit identification of definite, probable, or possible asbestos materials in buildings.

While an expert lab test using polarized light microscopy may be needed to identify the specific type of asbestos fiber, or to identify the presence of asbestos in air or dust samples, many asbestos-containing building products not only are obvious and easy to recognize, but since there were not other look-alike products that were not asbestos, a visual identification of this material can be virtually a certainty in many cases.

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Sources of Replacements for Asbestos Cement Wall Shingles

One manufacturer of cement-asbestos shingles was Ruberoid Co., who made 8" x 16" tapered singles with a surface pattern resembling wood and called "Ru-Ber-Oid-Eternit Tapered Timbertex Asbestos-Cement Shingles." 260 singles/525 lbs/square, were available in a wide range of colors.

Contemporary cement asbestos product manufacturers make reinforced fiber-cement wall and roofing shingles and other products which look like, perform similarly to, and need to be installed similarly to the original asbestos-cement shingles - but these new products are free of asbestos. The replacements for asbestos cement wall siding products are reinforced with a variety of fibers including fiberglass. Other replacements for asbestos-cement siding use both different fibers and a different aggregate (perlite) to replace the asbestos. Some of the substitute products have been in use for more than 30 years (2008).

For maintenance or replacement of asbestos-cement wall siding or roof shingles (or wall siding) contact Supradur Manufacturing Corporation, PO Box 908, Rye NY 10580 800-223-1948, or from within New York State, call 914-967-8230. Ask about their Supradur(R) mineral fiber shingles.

For handling and disposal guidance concerning old cement-asbestos wall siding material contact the US EPA, your state Department of Environmental Protection/Conservation, or your local building and health departments.

Sources of Tools for Cutting Fiber Cement Shingles: Roofing Shingles or Wall Siding Shingles

Watch out: However very old, weathered and worn asbestos cement shingles, such as on a roof or sometimes on a wall that has been painted and is peeling, or roofing or wall cement asbestos shingles that are mishandled during demolition (breaking into many small pieces, running hand or power saws to cut the material) risks creating airborne asbestos-contaminated dust which could be a health and environmental hazard.

When we installed asbestos cement shingle siding we rented a guillotine chopper that cut the material while producing a minimum of dust. A modern version of this fiber cement cutter that is hand-lever operated and does not require electricity is the Bullet Tools 920 Pro Magnum Shear I-20 Electricity Free 20 Inch Flooring and Siding Dust Free Cutter (photo at left) - this is a great tool, but a bit steep for a homeowner or do-it-yoursel'er at around $900.

A modern fiber cement shingle cutting tool used for the same purpose is the Malco® TSFC Tubo Shear fiber cement cutting tool also used to cut cement backerboard and similar products. The Malco fiber cement and backerboard shear is powered by a separate cordless or wall-power connected electric drill. Malco also produces the TSF2A, a heavy-duty pneumatic shear cutting tool for the same purpose. Similar shear tools are produced by quite a few other manufacturers including the tools listed below. At Reviewers (scroll down past the links) we list sources to purchase these tools. Makita JS8000 Fiber Cement Shear Kit (variable speed) Kett 1/2 Capacity Steel Shear Head #93 20, (this is just the head, needs to be attached) Kett Electric Fiber Cement Cutting Shears - 120 Volt, 5 Amp, Model# KD-29 Kett Fiber Cement Shears KD 1495 (drill powered, Snapper Inc SS204 Fiber Cement Siding Shear Hardi Board cutter.

Added demolition and disposal cost of cement-asbestos products

Also in some communities special measures and added costs are involved because of a requirement for air-testing during removal and possibly costs to dispose of the material in an appropriate landfill. (After all, originally this material came from the land.)

Thanks to reader Van Moore for technical editing and requesting clarification.

Painting Cement Asbestos Building Siding

Should I paint my asbestos cement shingles? Do you need to use special paint for cement asbestos siding?

Painting cement asbestos siding or non-asbestos fiber cement siding is mostly a cosmetic decision. We have never seen this material in a worn, friable condition, but should that occur, one might paint the surface also to stop fiber shedding and to preserve the material.

Fiber cement shingles, both new non-asbestos product and the older asbestos-cement product are provided from the manufacturer with a coated surface, usually white. When the asbestos cement siding is soiled or moldy or has an algae coating we prefer to gently clean the surface with a sprayer, perhaps a deck cleaner solution. If you use a power washer be careful to spray "down" (to avoid blowing water into the building walls) and to keep far enough away that you do not damage the siding or "rough it up" which may cause more rapid deterioration or even fiber or asbestos release.

But sometimes the asbestos cement or fiber cement shingles just look soiled and do not clean up enough to satisfy the homeowner. In general, this siding material can be painted using normal house paints. Check with your paint suppliers because some paints may not be recommended for the surface. But once you paint the siding, you've converted a "no maintenance" surface into one that will occasionally need to be re-painted for cosmetic reasons.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

• Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our own technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
• ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings How to find and recognize asbestos in buildings - visual inspection methods, list of common asbestos-containing materials
• Asbestos Identification and Testing References
• Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
• Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
• Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone
• Asbestos in Good Condition
• Asbestos in Good Condition
• Asbestos in Your Home U.S. EPA, Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
• Asbestos HVAC Ducts and Flues field identification photos and guide
• Asbestos NESHAP Adequately Wet Guidance, EPA340/1-90-019, December 1990, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Stationary Source Compliance Division, Washington, DC 20460,original web source: http://www.epa.gov/region04/air/asbestos/awet.htm
• Asbestos paper duct wrap
• Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print, text and images available at InspectAPedia.com).
• Asbestos Transite Chimneys, Flues, & Pipes in buildings
• Asbestos under the microscope
• Asbestos Vibration Dampers & Asbestos in the Air Handler
• Ceiling tiles: How to recognize ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos
• Examples of unusual uses of asbestos in buildings
• Fiberglass: Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Health Concerns About Airborne Fiberglass: Fiberglass in Indoor Air from HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
• Enviro-Scare: Electric Power Lines, Electromagnetic Fields, Cancer Risk, & "Enviro-Scare" - The Normal Curve Cycle of Public Fear of Environmental Issues
• Dust from the World Trade Center collapse following the 9/11/01 attack: the lower floors of this building contained spray-on fire-proofing asbestos materials.
• Asbestos Information Links: Asbestos Detection, Testing, Recognition, Hazards, Field Photos, and Information Sources, including health-related links such as legal services and information about mesothelioma and other cancers.
• "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
• EPA Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in buildings, NIAST, National Institute on Abatement Sciences & Technology, [republishing EPA public documents] 1985 ed., Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460