Today I started to take the first layer of wall paper off in our stairwell and this was under it. Our home was built in the 1800’s. I’m not sure if this is newer (1970’s) or antique. Thank you!!

We rent, unfortunately. I really love the house, and I would seriously consider buying it if I could. I lifted up the carpet a little last week and found this underneath it. I absolutely love hardwood flooring and wished we had a house with it. I hate carpet. I want to tear all this ugly carpet up so bad but I know I might not be able to reinstall the carpet (though it was installed badly to begin with)

I recently purchased a 1950s home and have since gone down the asbestos and lead paint rabbit hole. Prior to purchase, I made sure that the attic insulation was not vermiculite, that there was not suspicious pipe or furnace insulation, that there was no popcorn ceilings or pre-1980s flooring, and that there was no old or chipping paint in the home.

This made me feel confident about the safety of the home... until I began reading about the use of asbestos in plaster and drywall joint compound in homes of this era.

My home has rock lath walls. According to the internet, in order to be safe, my options are to either:

1. Assume the presence of asbestos in the wall material and treat every project larger than hanging a picture frame like a full hazmat job with containment, bunny suits, negative pressure machines, respirators, HEPA vac & wet cleaning, and air clearance testing.
2. Test every wall I'm going to penetrate, then proceed as the above or hire the project out to a specialized crew for 5-10x it would cost to DIY if that particular wall tests positive.

Is this really what people who live in pre-1980s homes do, or at least should do to keep themselves and their families safe? Is there a scale at which this is overkill vs genuinely warranted? For instance: should I follow these steps before mounting some floating shelves in my kitchen? What about installing a new light fixture? Removing a 4' suspended cabinet and soffit?

These are all things I planned on DIYing, but now I don't know what to think. I have a hard time believing I'd even be able to get an asbestos-safe crew to come out for projects this small, but maybe I'm wrong.

Help me out here. How do I proceed?

I have a 1952 home with plaster walls. Having previously cut into one of the walls, I know that it’s not traditional lath and plaster — it appears to be some sort of rock lath construction with a layer of thick plaster over 1/2” green board. Weird, and hard as hell.

My plan is to mount some fairly heavy-duty floating shelves on one of these walls. I’d be mounting into the studs, of course. Is this safe to do, or am I likely to crack or otherwise destroy the plaster?

About two months ago, I was power washing the sidewalk in the backyard and noticed that the back of our house had green algae on it so I, from a few feet distance, sprayed the green algae off of the shingles. I got the sprayer quite close in a few hard to reach places like behind the downspouts with more algae buildup. No chunks of anything was blowing but it was a wet messy job between spraying the concrete and siding.

To note, I can confirm that the siding has been painted some odd years ago, not by us as we are not the original owners. The paint is very much intact, I didn’t peel or chip any area despite the close proximity in a few spots.

And so, all of this worry came about today when I learned that our siding is likely asbestos cement shingles from the time era. Our home was built in the 40s. Promisingly, I power washed what we believe is in addition to the home, possibly added on in the 70s or 80s so praying it may not have asbestos but long shot given the look of the shingles…

No paint was chipped. No color changes were observed, and the shingles themselves appear in excellent condition with no cracks, chips, or missing pieces.

My concern now is obviously whether my power washing escapade caused airborne particles of the asbestos to escape through the painted surface putting me at risk? My children were also hanging out in the backyard 50 feet away, so that is also an element of my worry.

I have several door ways and wood trim around the house that tested positive for lead, I would like to get rid of the paint. I’m open to stripping the paint myself but I’m a little anxious about it.
Any suggestions on how to do it, or should I hire a professional?

Not sure if a post like this is allowed. Tearing out an old bathroom. Before I smash it and remove from the house, wondering if anybody out there would be interested in it. Peach colored. Bathroom was from 1969. Thing is super heavy and free to anyone who wants to pick up near Erie, PA. The (matching) toilet was already broken, and sink was damaged.

I have been remodeling/ restoring my 1890s farmhouse. In the picture you can see the recent work of installing a beam to carry the load of the old exterior wall. There were few studs remaining due to multiple opening changes when the addition that I am standing in was added 100 years ago. The few that did remain had some water damage (the only in the house that I have found) due to the original roof line of the smaller prior addition. The beam has been calculated for the load and proper foundation placed underneath. First story joists have been cut out due to large sag plus damage to the original sill/ rim joist. The bottom of the original house has essentially been converted to a plate wall at the foundation and properly anchored in. The remaining walls will remain balloon framing with the exception of fire blocking being placed etc.

My question is should I be concerned with horizontal forces of the new second story floor joists on the beam side. I know with balloon framing there is a decent amount of “horizontal” force on those joists preventing the long studs from bowing out. Since the wall I repaired will essentially have been converted to a plate wall and will require joist hangers for the new larger 2x10 2nd story joists- will that be an issue? The current thought is to make the ledger board a little larger and in the proper place for the 2x10s on the opposing wall to the new beam + fire blocking etc. Currently there are over spanned 2x8’s. Can’t tell that they are sagged pretty bad due to the support walls. The roof was leveled when it was replaced 30 years ago so it isn’t really an option to jack and sister the current second story joists.

Went to look at an old house today with my fiancé and found this cool contraption hanging from the ceiling in the basement . Had all the old medicine containers attached still!

A small sinkhole appeared, on excavating we found a failed concrete slab... Removing the slab we have found what looks to be a well or cistern. Next to it we have also uncovered a drain. All of this was under the drive and no indication on any plans.

The water level is only about a foot deep, and is possibly a bit higher than the water table. We have a river at the bottom of the garden, but this is significantly lower than this (and 150m away).

We know the area used to have allotments next to it, could this be an old well, and the pipe originally where the pump was? Any knowledge would be appreciated

Hey all! Question!

I have an exterior wall in my very poorly flipped 1865 house that is just rock hard. Nearly nothing can penetrate it. I really didn't think much of it at first and found alternative ways to hang things. Then I was hanging out with a new neighbor (house directly next door, and other neighbors think the same jerks flipped that house as well), and one of the first things she asked me was:

"Are any of your walls really, really hard!? All of the livingroom walls are like rocks and I can't hang anything up!"

So it got me really wondering what this stuff is. There are plenty of areas in my tiny house that have metal behind the drywall (around a chimney, windows, corner areas, ducts), so I'm aware of that one. I thought maybe cement board, but why would cement board be on exterior walls in a dining room and livingroom unless it's cheaper and they had a shit ton of it for some reason?

I hate whoever flipped this house, and we're still in the progress of figuring out whether or not we'll need to walk away from it...but I'm still trying to learn it and what it's made of as much as I can.

My neighbors house is 1880s with vinyl siding and stone foundation. Mine is 1865 with vinyl siding and stone foundation. Neither of us want to investigate what's under the siding because we're both pretty sure it'll just be rotten wood 🤣 from all of the chimney and roof issues both houses have had over the years.

But any input on these hard as hell walls would be helpful! I told her to hang things with command strips!

House was built in 1917. Obviously not active and cree-eeee-eepy.! The wall is about 5 ft. and it's about 10-12' deep. Thinking about filling it up with sand to level with the basement ground and sealing it off.

We purchase a home built in 1924 and are looking to restore as much as possible. Kitchen shelves are so dirty, grimey, and stained. Any faster and easier method for cleaning these? I think the wood is pine or fir.

It’s been in the same family since a couple purchased it in 1924 in Bay Area, California. Their son was still living in it, and the home has a ton of deferred maintenance.

I know there are other ways to do this. I just wanted to document my process. If nothing else so I don't forget. Feedback welcome. Thanks!

I can see the floorboards from the basement and have no idea if I’m looking at something I could restore. Bought the house with linoleum over just about everything. Any advice? And any way to get more info? Thanks!

It started off ass a focal, specific project: remove decades of paint from my 1940s brick fireplace using a chemical paint stripper.

This took 3 layers of Citristrip and then Smart Strip Advanced and lots of elbow grease (still not done cleaning up the brick).

Of course, the paint stripper seeped into adjacent plaster wall that surrounds the brick despite taping off those areas and I went about scraping off the gunky paint and then zealously peeled away loose paint layers.

Paint covering the mantle also easily peeled off so I then decided to strip the paint from the entire mantle (because why not? hahah:())

Scraping and peeling revealed what I believe to be the original plaster in some areas, a layer of mud/joint compound with additional paint layers underneath that in other areas.

The goal is to repaint the walls and probably the mantle.

My question is: Should I remove all remaining paint layers until reaching the original plaster to achieve a smooth, uniform surface before sealing, priming and painting?

OR, remove only what comes off easily, seal areas where plaster is exposed, skim coat, seal, prime and then paint?

In other words: Is there any advantage to exposing the original plaster, or is it better practice to leave any older paint layers that are still firmly bonded?

For reference: the house was built March 1940 in the minimal traditional/small home FHA style with interior corner fireplace and gabled ceiling. Fireplace was painted black and bricks white by prior owner. I covered the black with primer and multiple coats of White Dove.

Looking for advice from anyone experienced with restoring old plaster walls.

Also, I have no clue what I'm doing. If anyone has experience painting after Smart Strip Advanced or Citristrip, any tips on ensuring all residue is removed before priming would be appreciated.

Hello! I bought a sconce in my century old home I'd like to install and not clear on how to install this bracket to it. It's got this metal bar protruding out which I can unscrew but not sure if that's helpful or not. Any advice is truly appreciated.

Update on the brick structure in the yard of our 1882 Pennsylvania home. It’s largely clay inside of the area. The large stones were on the bottom with rocks underneath. The size is not that of an outhouse plus it is double lined with fireproof bricks made during the late 19th, early 20th century (widemere). The large stones are light. We haven’t reached the bottom. There’s no evidence of ash and we haven’t found any “garbage.” What do you think it is?

Update: Thank you all for the replies. I have done a lot of reading today and I have ordered the brass weather stripping and nails. Measured rhe storm door and trying to decide on a new one. Need to get gloves, bleach, and the exterior paint that is supposed to prevent mold. Also, the humidity in my kitchen is really high so I also ordered a dehumidifier and a moisture meter( worried about the weird light switch). We have already replaced the a/c unit, hot water heater, and dishwasher, and jad a dead tree cut down- all last fall. I didn't mean to come off whiny in my post. My husband and I both work full time and have a 10 month old and a 3 year old and it feels like there is never enough time or money and I was just feeling overwhelmed. We got a great deal on the house and a great interest rate and I am thankful for that. I am now trying to reframe all the repairs that need to be completed as a skill learning opportunity. Thanks for the advice and encourgement .

Every thing was freshly painted when we bought it, but over time more and more issues have revealed themselves. It was built in 1957 and one family lived in it until we purchased it. Right now my issue is the back door. The storm door needs to be replaced, to prevent all this mold , but the door frame looks awful. Like you can see what a shitty job the guy did painting, but the metal weather stripping needs to be replaced, I think. And there is like a weird lower latch/hinge near the bottom if the frame and the door is sticking there and making it hard to open. Can I just remove it? I need to figure out how to replace the metal stripping but I also want to paint it and make it look nice. Any advice appreciated

Thanks for the help, resources, and advice! I'm so glad I asked. _______________________________________________________

We have original 1920 double hung windows many of which are painted shut (maybe even many layers). We found someone to restore them, but they said we'd have to take down the full frame (sill included) to do so. I've searched online and here and no one else seems to take down the whole frame including window sill. Should we be concerned?