Asbestos Shingle Siding

Asbestos shingle siding was a popular exterior siding that was used in the US from the early part of the 20th century until the 1970s. The siding was made by combining cement with asbestos, which is a naturally occurring mineral that is fibrous in nature and fireproof, so adding the asbestos to the cement shinges gave them more strength and resistance to fire (as well as rot and termite resistance, due to the nature of the product).

Asbestos shingle siding came in a variety of textures, profiles, shapes, and sizes. Compared to wood, it was much more durable and weather-resistant, and it was easy to maintain as far as cleaning and painting.  Asbestos shingle siding was easy to package and ship and could be cut down to size as needed and was a popular choice for exterior siding, despite the fact that it wasn’t the most aesthetic siding choice available.

Asbestos was incorporated into a variety of building materials until it was discovered that inhaling asbestos fibers could cause cancer and other lung diseases, at which point asbestos ceased to be used in the construction of homes and buildings. Due to its previous popularity, this means that many homes today in the US still have asbestos shingle siding on the exterior.