When we started digging into our ceiling between the floors and the basement, we found a brown powder that looked like ground coffee (see attached image). It smells very strongly of smoke or tar. It's hard to really place the smell, but it's not pleasant.
This material is found in the ceiling compartments above the garage and the compartments are half-filled with this material topped with wood shavings.
The house is a Hultsfredshus built in 1960.
Does anyone know what this coffee-like material is? We are worried it might contain carcinogenic substances.
This material is found in the ceiling compartments above the garage and the compartments are half-filled with this material topped with wood shavings.
The house is a Hultsfredshus built in 1960.
Does anyone know what this coffee-like material is? We are worried it might contain carcinogenic substances.
Yes, it almost looks like it is kolstybb. According to NE, kolstybb is: finely divided coal, mixed with sand, clay, and tar. Kolstybb was originally used to cover charcoal piles and later used for example to provide a non-slip surface on running tracks. It's not at all uncommon to have it in the trossbotten, that's how it is in our house when I've torn up the floor. I don't think it's particularly dangerous.