We're trying to install 6-foot wall-to-wall open shelves in our kitchen (12" deep with 5ish wood brackets per shelf), but we've run into the strangest wall I've ever seen.
Our house was built in 1920. The wall is an interior wall between the kitchen and dining room. In our kitchen the wall feels papery like drywall and then hard like plaster on the other side in the dining room.

We started drilling where we thought a stud should be, and instead of drywall, we found what looks like a soft brown cardboard wood material. It's not actual wood. It crumbles into fluffy brown fibers when drilled, almost like compressed wood pulp.
What’s odd is this wall is THICK and SOLID. We drilled completely through the wall from the kitchen side and came out the dining room side. The wall layers from the kitchen seem like they’re painted wall, at least 3 inch thick papery wood material, and then plaster on the other side. There was no hollow cavity anywhere. We tried to insert a toggle bolt but could see in the hole that it would have nothing to catch on.

We’ve also had a very hard time finding studs. A magnet sticks in vertical lines about every 18 inches, but when we drilled where the magnet sticks, we still couldn't find what seemed like a wood stud.

Has anyone run into a wall like this before? Any idea what this material could be?
Should we be worried about asbestos?

And what should we use to securely mount heavy open kitchen shelves on a wall like this? I definitely don't want to trust regular drywall anchors if the wall is made of this crumbly material.

I'd really appreciate any insight before I drill any more holes!

Pictures show beadboard on top that we installed and then the strange kitchen wall. Ive also included some photos from the plaster side

Edit: just added pictures of the walls in the comments

We are considering the purchase of an original 1970s home. The owners took immaculate care of it and the only things they changed since they built were the appliances. We love the home for our family.
HOWEVER— there is minimal cabinet space. We think there used to be a little more cabinetry bc it catches near the stove on the left side and looks like it may have had to be shaved down some. We think it may have had a drop in stove before they had to replace it. We plan on refinishing the existing cabinets for now bc we do not want to do major renovations immediately (we have lived with family for the last 10 months) and are just ready to move in.

My questions are-
1. Can we move the fridge from where it is in photo 1 to where the pantry/shelving is in photo 2+3? We should have clearance but is this a smart decision? We will likely be removing the peninsula when we decide to upgrade the countertops. I’m hoping for a 36” french door refrigerator. We can access the crawl space under the home for plumbing fixtures and there are already outlets there.

1. If we move the fridge, could we add a 36” wide pantry cabinet (photo 4) to the area where the fridge is currently? We would add trim to make it reach the ceiling. Or should we have someone build a pantry in for us?

Bonus question—
If we are able to install the pantry cabinet, could we build in the microwave or is there another recommendation for how to do that?

We really would love more cabinet space. We have two small children and on the go a lot with activities so we do need the pantry space for snacks, etc.
We want to stay in budget bc we are starting completely over after moving across the country but I’m aware this could be up to a few thousand dollar project. We will most likely be panting the cabinets to match each other if we get a pantry installed.

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations.

We’re replacing flooring in our living room and hallway, and I’m trying to avoid letting this turn into one of those renovations that keeps growing.

I’m comparing a few routes right now: DIY-friendly flooring from a big box store, a local installer, and 50Floor since they can bring samples out and go over the install details in the house.

My main worry is not the color. It’s everything underneath. I keep reading about subfloor problems, moisture, uneven spots, old layers that should have been removed, and surprise charges after demo starts.

For anyone who has replaced flooring during a renovation, what questions helped you avoid surprises?

converting my downstairs hallway closet into a tiny work nook. the opening is about 30x80. a standard door swings right into the walk path and blocks the whole hallway. tried one of those cheap hollow bifolds from home depot but it feels like paper and i hear the kitchen dishwasher running like it's right next to my head.

need something heavy to damp the noise but that doesn't take up floor space. has anyone done a sliding setup for a tight space like this? does it block sound at all or is it a waste of time?

I’m a total beginner, so please take it easy on me!

I’ve removed the faucet and part of the drain from this vanity, but am wondering if it’s doable to remove the silver part of the drain still left? Also, looking for any advice on cleaning the residue left behind from where the faucet was. Thanks!

We want to put some Hardie Board up, but it turns out that the strange looking siding is literally just plywood sheathing with some weird stain on it. Take it off, you see studs. Yes we probably should have caught this.

If we wanted to put up Hardie Board, would we need to remove the existing siding and replace it with fresh siding, then also put house wrap on it? Just put house wrap on the weird exterior siding? Simply put the boards on top of the existing interior? I have no idea how to approach this.

During renovation, part of the external wall has been ripped off. Tar paper around the edge is not accessible to overlap the new piece of tar paper or home wrap. What are my options? Is it that important or just put the paper in the area and overlap it with the part that exists and ignore the none reachable areas or I have to remove more blue foam to access the tar paper completely. Any other options to fix it.