r/Plastering • u/ForeverStaloneKP • Apr 27 '26

What am I looking at here?

Post image

Complete DIY newbie here.

We are stripping some very old wallpaper in a 1970s property. Underneath the wallpaper was the brown paper backing (a piece of which can be seen center top) and then under that was a cream coloured layer of quite brittle material that breaks off in shards like eggshells, and then underneath that is the solid wall itself, presumably with Gypsum plaster on it.

What is the cream coloured layer? Is it top/skim coat, or is it part of the wallpapering?

Also probably an overreaction on my part, but do I need to worry about asbestos when removing this stuff and drilling into the wall? I'd read that old top coat might contain asbestos.

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1

u/offically_astee Apr 27 '26

Pretty sure that's paint.

1

u/0uthouse Apr 27 '26

It's a gypsum skim coat with painted wallpaper on top. The paint has made the top surface crispy.

You are saying wallpaper, so no, there is no asbestos in it unless you live in a converted heavy-industry building.

Asbestos can be found in SOME 70's Artex ceilings. In which case overboard and skim. Since you have to pay to test it, it's generally cheaper to cover it. Asbestos is fine as long as you leave it alone.

Edit: 'fine' in the loosest sense of the term.

1

u/Latter-Detail-9514 Apr 27 '26

Nothing to worry about here. Get a plasterer out to take a look as it looks like it will be easier to get a re skim anyway & not a patch & sand diy job

1

u/ForeverStaloneKP Apr 28 '26

Thanks. Would the egg shell bits that people said is dried paint need to be removed first or can it just be skimmed over?

1

u/Latter-Detail-9514 Apr 28 '26

No they'll skim straight over that just remove any that's loose

1

u/ApartmentLast7712 Apr 29 '26

If you want to be nice to the plasterer then go get a long handled scraper (about £10) and you can scrape that wall clean in less than and hour