Non Asbestos Roof Slates

Before the 1980s most artificial roofing slate was made from asbestos cement a material that had a long track record of successful performance.

Non asbestos roof slates.

This can release fibers into the air. 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. Asbestos containing roofing materials were a popular choice for the citizens of the u s. Asbestos siding in particular however has a tendency to chip crack and break with normal wear and tear of family life.

The fire resistant properties of these roof tiles weren t the only reason they were so popular as asbestos is incredibly durable and strong. Many asbestos roofs and siding are damaged cracked or broken. A number of these products promising a life of 50 years or longer were found to fail early in their life in the 1990s. They are finished with a high quality semi matt acrylic coloured coating to the top face and edges and a tinted or transparent high performance binder to the back face.

When the use of asbestos became forbidden manufacturers rushed to replace asbestos containing products with cement based products reinforced with non asbestos materials. The slates are pigmented during production and are fully compressed. The asbestos content will vary on the manufacturer but the content will typically be 15 or less. Asbestos roofing tiles are predominately comprised of cement.

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 was banned in 1989 so as the buildings that incorporated it age their roofing and siding will fall into disrepair.