Which material is it and should I replace it?

[Ericdahne]

Hey!
I bought a house from 1963 that I'm renovating, and behind the wallpaper there's a material that resembles a cross between MDF and masonite. Quite soft and almost feels like paper.

There are many layers of wallpaper, lots of holes, and quite a bit of damage that has occurred over the years, so I'm considering if it might be easier and better to take down the boards and start over with plywood and drywall.

Do you have any wise ideas or comments?

Thanks in advance and for a fantastic forum 🕺

 

[Dowser4711]

Tretex.

Well, it might not be the absolute best insulation material, but you might get more benefit from additional insulation or changing the heating method.
Simply replacing the Tretex with modern insulation and plasterboard is probably not worth the effort compared to what you gain from it.

 

[b8q]

Tretex is both sound-absorbing and slightly insulating. Just switching to gypsum will make you lose those properties, so think carefully first.

 

[BirgitS]

On the other hand, plaster is much more fire-resistant than treetex.

 

[Ericdahne]

Thank you for the quick responses 🙏
How would you go about achieving a nice surface finish if you keep the boards?

 

[Stefan N]

With tretex, it becomes what it becomes; you can't get as good as with plaster.

 

[Larsa]

I would guess that there is råspont behind the tretex, so a stable wall. I myself put 6mm renovation plasterboard on top of the tretex. It becomes a good base for paint or wallpaper, and the tretex helps with the insulation...

 

[Likan]

I live in a house from -68 and had raw wood paneling with tretex on all the walls in the house. When we've renovated, I've removed all the tretex and put drywall directly on the raw panels. It's worked well in all rooms, no major work. I'd rather do that than remove wallpaper