Dried clay in ceiling and floor.

[Lasse Suzican]

Hello.
Maybe I'm posting this question in the wrong section of the forum, but I wasn't sure where it fit...

I'm in the process of completely renovating the upper floor of my house, which was built between 1923 and 1927.
I'm currently preparing to replace the old beams to the balcony as they are cut off just outside the wall.
Under the floorboards, there is a layer about 7-8 cm thick of dried clay on top of waxed paper. Under the paper are boards and below them a 10 cm empty space.
I've heard that it is to even out the humidity level in the house. Also, that it might insulate.
Does anyone know???

It was the same in the kitchen when I renovated it two years ago, and there the clay was directly on a concrete ceiling (the basement ceiling).

Can it just be removed?
I'm seriously considering clearing out all the clay and then adding 15-20 cm of glass wool for sound.
I will be installing water-based underfloor heating throughout the upper floor.

 

[magnusmo]

hello,
I have the same thing in my house with a mixture of clay and straw (+a little of everything they wanted to get rid of when they laid the floors)...
Have partly laid new floors. Only removed what was necessary to lay the new floor. Filled in with stone wool.

The function is partly, as you say, moisture regulating. Another property is that it dampens sound (much higher mass than insulation).
It's very dirty to remove it=)