Non Asbestos Roof Slates

Many asbestos roofs and siding are damaged cracked or broken.

Non asbestos roof slates.

The slates are pigmented during production and are fully compressed. When removing asbestos siding or roofing from your home you must be properly covered head to toe with respirators properly worn to make sure no exposure is possible. Thanks to its impressive durability and fire resistance the mineral was widely used in a variety of roofing slates. The fire resistant properties of these roof tiles weren t the only reason they were so popular as asbestos is incredibly durable and strong.

A number of non asbestos manufactured or synthetic slates or fiber cement roof shingles slate tiles that were produced when manufacturers stopped using asbestos were made using wood fibers or other materials. Asbestos containing roofing materials were a popular choice for the citizens of the u s. Before the 1980s most artificial roofing slate was made from asbestos cement a material that had a long track record of successful performance. When the use of asbestos became forbidden manufacturers rushed to replace asbestos containing products with cement based products reinforced with non asbestos materials.

Cembrit fibercement slates are manufactured using portland cement together with a non asbestos formulation of superior blended synthetic and cellulose fibres. This can release fibers into the air. Asbestos siding in particular however has a tendency to chip crack and break with normal wear and tear of family life. A number of these products promising a life of 50 years or longer were found to fail early in their life in the 1990s.

The asbestos content will vary on the manufacturer but the content will typically be 15 or less. Asbestos was banned in 1989 so as the buildings that incorporated it age their roofing and siding will fall into disrepair.