Cement Asbestos Siding: The Good
- Highly fire resistent.
- Resists termite damage and rot.
- Easy to clean (though beware of using pressure washers, as this may crack the product).
- Easy to paint because it does not soak up paint as quickly as more porous siding, such as wood clapboard.
Cement Asbestos Siding: The Bad and The Ugly
- Very brittle (don't hit it with the lawn mower!).
- Dangerous if pulverized by sawing, sanding, breaking, etc.
- Difficult to find replacements.
- Cannot be refurbished. For example, wood clapboard can be sanded and repainted, or cedar shake siding can be sandblasted and re-stained. Can't do this with asbestos cement siding.
- It's just plain ugly and cheap-looking, and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who has a soft spot in his or her heart for asbestos cement siding.
