We found WHAT in a home renovation in Rockingham?

We recently completed a site inspection for a home renovation in Rockingham and noticed something that we thought was asbestos. The owner had testing completed to find out that it was in fact Horse hair plaster.. Yes, you read that right!

Horse hair plaster, also known as ‘lath and plaster’ is a product that was historically used from the 1700’s until the 1940s. It was used internally on residential projects including this house renovation in Rockingham that we visited.

This was not something that we were familiar with so I conducted some research and found that it was sometimes real horse hair.. it could also be synthetic dependent on a variety of factors including geographical location, time period and other factors.

Horse hair plaster is a relatively simply mixture with 4 main components; lime, aggregate, water and animal hair. The purpose of the house hair was  to act as a bridging agent with the fibers adding strength to the plaster.

Thankfully, although it is no longer used today there is no detriment to leaving Horse Hair plaster. If you are thinking of completing a home renovation in Rockingham (or anywhere throughout WA) then you may choose to keep the horse hair plaster. This will help to keep the character of the building and is a sign of its age.. or you may chose to remove it completely and bring your home up to todays standards.

If you are thinking of renovating your home then contact North Coast Design today. We offer free initial discussions and quotes.