I'm making a hole for a staircase in a floor structure of an old house from around 1909 and encountered an unusual filling material.
Does anyone know what it is?
Feels like stone but porous and lightweight.
Itched like hell afterward, though it might not be that, but got me thinking it might not be so healthy.
Does anyone know what it is?
Feels like stone but porous and lightweight.
Itched like hell afterward, though it might not be that, but got me thinking it might not be so healthy.
It is almost easier to say what they did not fill joists with in the past...
In your picture, it looks like a mixture of wood shavings and old knocked-down plaster residue. I have a house from 1920 myself. The joists were probably originally filled with wood shavings. But during various renovations and rebuilds, people have just swept debris into the joists and closed the floors. Hence, often a lot of plaster residue near masonry walls.
I've heard it said, though I have no proof, that sometimes lime or mortar was mixed into the wood shavings to keep mice and other pests away.
In other old houses where I've needed to tear up joists for various reasons, I've found things like coal dust, peat, sand, trash in the form of wood scraps, bricks, newspapers, glass bottles, etc.
Regardless, old construction dust is never healthy, so it's good to use respiratory protection. If it's, as I think, some form of mortar residue, it usually makes your hands incredibly dry, which in turn makes it easier for all kinds of dirt to get into your skin and start itching.
In your picture, it looks like a mixture of wood shavings and old knocked-down plaster residue. I have a house from 1920 myself. The joists were probably originally filled with wood shavings. But during various renovations and rebuilds, people have just swept debris into the joists and closed the floors. Hence, often a lot of plaster residue near masonry walls.
I've heard it said, though I have no proof, that sometimes lime or mortar was mixed into the wood shavings to keep mice and other pests away.
In other old houses where I've needed to tear up joists for various reasons, I've found things like coal dust, peat, sand, trash in the form of wood scraps, bricks, newspapers, glass bottles, etc.
Regardless, old construction dust is never healthy, so it's good to use respiratory protection. If it's, as I think, some form of mortar residue, it usually makes your hands incredibly dry, which in turn makes it easier for all kinds of dirt to get into your skin and start itching.
We also had a lot of lime in our shavings when we demolished. Terrible when we tore down. Used full suit and mask.
No signs of mice or pests though. Only in the new part where they've used fiberglass without lime.
I almost thought about mixing in a sack when we re-insulate with stone wool, but I'm not sure if it's wise or not?
No signs of mice or pests though. Only in the new part where they've used fiberglass without lime.
I almost thought about mixing in a sack when we re-insulate with stone wool, but I'm not sure if it's wise or not?
When we tore out our floor structure almost exactly a year ago, it was a mix of sand and lime, with bags of lime spread out at the bottom to prevent leakage.
It creates an awful lot of dust, and the dust gets everywhere. However, we didn't find any traces of mice, so it might have worked.
It creates an awful lot of dust, and the dust gets everywhere. However, we didn't find any traces of mice, so it might have worked.