Extremely dirty eaves space - is it possible to clean rockwool, I should I replace?

[Ges1]

Thank you for that explanation, I'll read into it more. I might well go ahead and do it, because I do find lathe genuinely stressful to have int he house. If I could give it another 30+ year extension, I'd get some peace of mind.

When I was cleaning up all the dust in the loft today, there were a few huge pieces of lathe that came off and got sucked up the hoover!

With that said, if all the ceilings are plasterboarded in this particular area, is there anything wrong with me simply ripping the lathe out completely?

 

[JohnD]

It will put more weight on the plasterboard. I don't know if that will cause it to sag.

Lime plaster is IME very thick and heavy (so it is a very good sound barrier). It is basically a form of concrete.

You might think about treating the timbers with wood preserver while you have them accessible.

 

[Ges1]

ah yes, great idea! Thanks for that, I hadn't even thought about preserving. Ta¬!

 

[FiveKnuckleShuffle]

Hi All,
I thought it would be frowned upon if I created a new post so sorry if its also frowned upon that I am now piggy backing on this .

I have a similar issue where loft was floor boarded just down the middle and not fully into the eaves and I now wish to board all the way to create cupboard storage in the wasted spaces.

I've just installed new membrane under the roof tiles as the house didnt have one and had that old cement on the backs of the tiles. This obviously dropped to the floor and now the exposed insulation that had no boarding over is covered in rubble and dust.

I'd prefer to re-use the wool thats already in place but am unsure how to clean it really.
I've got a decent Kercher wet/dry vacuum I use for work dust,small rubble and vacuuming out the open fire so do you reckon I can diy its pipe attachment to suck up the dust and not choke on the wool insulation? Thanks in advance.

 

[Ges1]

Having just done this this week, I would highly recommend you just rip it up and bag it. Takes less than an hour to reinstall, and you get to clean the space properly and have peace of mind.

 

[JohnD]

Roll it up and stuff it in bags.

Use a soft brush and a dustpan to collect most of the dirt and fibres.

You can probably also get vac bags for your canister vac to delay choking of the filter.

 

[FiveKnuckleShuffle]

Having just done this this week, I would highly recommend you just rip it up and bag it. Takes less than an hour to reinstall, and you get to clean the space properly and have peace of mind.

I was not wanting to touch it if possible. I cant be bothered with the fibres airborne.

Would it really matter if I managed to get the thick of the rubble and dust off the insulations surface and then boarded on top leaving some levels of dust in the floor space? The insulation will still function as intended at the end of the day won't it?

 

[FiveKnuckleShuffle]

Roll it up and stuff it in bags.

Use a soft brush and a dustpan to collect most of the dirt and fibres.

You can probably also get vac bags for your canister vac to delay choking of the filter.

Apart from getting closer to the fibres I also hate putting things to the dump for land fill.

Will it really be a terrible job cleaning the surface of the wool in order to keep it?

 

[JohnD]

Yes

 

[Ges1]

I was not wanting to touch it if possible. I cant be bothered with the fibres airborne.

Would it really matter if I managed to get the thick of the rubble and dust off the insulations surface and then boarded on top leaving some levels of dust in the floor space? The insulation will still function as intended at the end of the day won't it?

I had exactly the same views as you do now, and in the end, the amount of dust you will kick up trying to clean it is 100% more than if you stick on a pair of gloves and just slowly, and carefully roll it up. I produced almost no dust this way, and it was the properly crap old school glass stuff, too.

There's no part of cleaning that stuff that won't be a nightmare.

Like I say, I just wanted the least hassle possible, but ultimately, if I'm boarding over and forgetting about it, I know I'm just better off redoing the whole thing so that I never have to wonder whether or not those decades old particulates are circulating through the air currents in my home. Especially when it gets warm and the cracks open up a little more.

And on top of that, having done the job, there isn't one part of me that regrets not leaving it, and I'm lazy as shi*t. From the moment I rolled up the first bit, it was clear the other way was impossible and hellish.

 

[FiveKnuckleShuffle]

I had exactly the same views as you do now, and in the end, the amount of dust you will kick up trying to clean it is 100% more than if you stick on a pair of gloves and just slowly, and carefully roll it up. I produced almost no dust this way, and it was the properly crap old school glass stuff, too.

There's no part of cleaning that stuff that won't be a nightmare.

Like I say, I just wanted the least hassle possible, but ultimately, if I'm boarding over and forgetting about it, I know I'm just better off redoing the whole thing so that I never have to wonder whether or not those decades old particulates are circulating through the air currents in my home. Especially when it gets warm and the cracks open up a little more.

And on top of that, having done the job, there isn't one part of me that regrets not leaving it, and I'm lazy as shi*t. From the moment I rolled up the first bit, it was clear the other way was impossible and hellish.

lazy as sh*t hahaha

Right then. I was thinking some parts will need cutting or tearing of the rolls that are boarded over and this would also kick up fibres but if your sure this is best I'll trust you lol

Did you use standard bin liners or bigger bags. Im imagining the rolls are pretty large rolled back up.

 

[Ges1]

I got some rubble sacks from Wickes. I also got a coverall suit, but I probably wouldn’t bother next time. Just mask, gloves, and long sleeve top tucked into the gloves and trousers tucked into socks.

It rolls up as small as you want it to, really. Each span I had was around 7 feet long, and I didn’t really bother compressing it much at all as I rolled it. It wasn’t difficult to bag it up at, and actually, that was pretty much the only time I experienced any dust.

It would be trivial to roll it halfway and then slice off with a blade and bag it that way - that would produce almost no mess.

And on that note, man what a satisfying feeling when you go round with a hoover and end up with a completely clean loft space to lay down the new stuff.