During some remodeling I ran across this sealed (enclosed) batt insulation in the walls. If you haven't run into it its called Balsam Wool. It was used predominantly during the 40s and was made in Cloquet Minnesota (west of Duluth). It was a insulation made from scrap wood bark and other by products that was sprayed with a fire retardant. Here is the inside of the insulation. When the kraft paper is cut the insulation falls out. It has a whopping R value between 1 and 2!
We have something like that in the main part of the attic, and it's got paper/vapor barrier on both sides. Still can't figure that out. Doesn't much matter, as it's falling apart.
Mice would have really enjoyed that soft fiber. My buddy had a compressed paper wallboard called "beaver board" on some of his walls.
Mine had 1" thick rock wool. Approximate R value of a LOT less than needed . The sheetrock was 1/4" instead of 1/2" and there was no vapor barrier so the only thing stopping any wind was paint (many, many, many layers of that). Then of course there was that 8" of open space direct to the eaves of the house - the outside plywood just stopped there. My roof overhangs all 4 sides of the house, so there was a lot of sheetrock torn out, rockwool pulled out, plywood scabbed in, R-13 installed, and vapor barrier before putting up new sheetrock. Still have the kitchen to do, but it is the smallest room in the house, besides the bathroom, so that room is going to be waiting a while. Oh, and one wall had a 1960's Miller can in it for added R-value - empty of course.
That crap is what is in the crawl spaces on my third floor. It is on the "someday" list of things to deal with.
My dad always called "beaver board" what was used as lathe strips went out of fashion regarding plastered walls. Small, pre-sheet rock panels.... We have it in our house... Mite have just been regional name given to it on LI in the 50's-60's before sheet rock replaced plaster at large... I dunno.
those must have been really cheap walls as the plaster and lath i am familiar with was at min. 1/4"x1.5 wood strips some were 1/2" apx, all rough sawed with octagonal chicken wire over that - several coats of rock hard plaster in/on that before a final top coat. tough walls and a real b.... to repair if the owner wanted period correct or was required for historical purposes ( note never buy a place on the or being considered for the Historical record/society ect)
This house has the plaster with wire construction on the main floor. Those sheet drywall panels with plaster on the 1st floor kitchen addition and 3/8" sheetrock on the 2nd story addition. Insulation varies from nothing, to the balsam wool I show above to some (not much) standard fiberglass batts. It's like Christmas everytime I open up a wall. There is a surprise inside each one!
Our house downstate was built in '54, and when I redid the bathroom, I found expanded metal "lath". That was fun.
I've messed with proper plaster walls- mostly tear out/demolition- but our walls and ceilings have very few cracks... Plaster thickness is on average 1/2"..... Still no fun to mess with here.
