What is the mysterious brittle grey material found on the ceiling of a 1912 house after scraping off popcorn ceiling – calcimine paint, skim coat plaster, or something else?
Asked by Adam Ward 
2 months ago
Last Updated: October 30, 2024
Hey, can you help me figure out what this material is? We have an old house from 1912 and after we scraped off the popcorn ceiling in one of the bedrooms, we found this brittle grey substance. Some people have suggested it could be calcimine paint, skim coat, or plaster. I just want to know for sure so I can handle it properly. Any ideas?
I don’t want to alarm you, but it could be asbestos or another harmful fire retardant used back in the mid-1900s.
Asbestos wire or tar paper was commonly used behind plaster from the 1920s to the 1950s.
I wouldn’t want to find out. Just cover it up with some drywall and be done with it.
You might want to consider testing it for asbestos using an Amazon kit. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you’re renovating an older house built before 1980. Asbestos can be found in many building materials.