Abstract: A low-VOC silanol additive is provided for a wide range of silane treatment operations, including treating cellulose fibers in fiber cement applications. The silanol additive is made by hydrolyzing silane at the presence of a catalyst and then removing substantially all of the VOCs, such as alcohol, that are released by the hydrolysis reaction to produce a low-VOC and/or substantially alcohol-free silanol additive. The low-VOC silanol additive can be used in various industrial processes without increasing the VOC emission at the manufacturing facility. The silanol additive can be directly applied to the treated surface so as to eliminate the reaction time needed for hydrolyzing silane in most conventional silane treatment processes. The silanol additive can be added to a solution containing the treated substrate or directly applied as a surface treatment.