Anyone able identify this ceiling material?

bjmnz

bjmnz

bjmnz

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Had the living room ceiling collapse a while back due to a leak in the flat above. This is a bit 'after the fact' since it's now repaired, but does anyone know what the thicker 'dirt' and lighter grey looking materials are in the photos below?
The upper 'dirt' was very heavy when wet, which then fell on and collapsed the lowest layers of the sandwich. Apparently it's a 1905 build.

Sorry for the image size (didn't want to lose the detail) - is there a way to have the thread show a limited size but link to the full?

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There’s a good chance it’s some sort of asbestos based material, which in itself isn’t something to be too worried about but if you were disturbing it again might be worth sending some samples away for testing to be sure.
 
The grey dirt will just be ash- This is what was used as loft insulation before fibreglass rolls. Typically they filled up to the top of the ceiling joists.

Lighter grey will be the original lime plaster ceiling. There should be a layer of what looks like woven sticks (the laths) in between the lighter grey and the grey dirt. This is what the original plaster was attached to.

The very bottom layer is just modern plasterboard. Likely stuck over the top as the original was failing.

Asbestos, purely based on the pictures I'd say is unlikely. This was normally in textured coatings and similar.

However, please don't take my word for it. It's sensible to take precautions.
 
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Jokester said:
There’s a good chance it’s some sort of asbestos based material, which in itself isn’t something to be too worried about but if you were disturbing it again might be worth sending some samples away for testing to be sure.
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That was my worry. Just after it happened I asked the builder who carried out the repairs and he said he thought it wasn't. Though he also mentioned that after coming to the UK he was doing ceiling repairs like this for a number of years before he was even aware asbestos was a thing here.
It wasn't so much the mess on the floor, it was when he widened the hole. I was WFH in another room, but a massive cloud of dust went through everywhere else when he pulled dry material down, which I later had to clean up.

leezer3 said:
The grey dirt will just be ash- This is what was used as loft insulation before fibreglass rolls. Typically they filled up to the top of the ceiling joists.

Lighter grey will be the original lime plaster ceiling. There should be a layer of what looks like woven sticks (the laths) in between the lighter grey and the grey dirt. This is what the original plaster was attached to.

The very bottom layer is just modern plasterboard. Likely stuck over the top as the original was failing.

Asbestos, purely based on the pictures I'd say is unlikely. This was normally in textured coatings and similar.

However, please don't take my word for it. It's sensible to take precautions.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I've had a look at some of the other photos I'd taken, and I think I can just make out the laths you mention would be between the two layers.
 
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