Really need your help: loft bricks and tiles and poison

[Upstairsdownstairs]

Hello to all. I know we've had a few of these on the forum recently and that nothing can be 100% set on a photo but Im spending Easter sorting out our loft. It's just a large storage space to take advantage of. It's first time I've been up there since moving in last month. Kindly someone before us has put lighting in. But as other posters, was worried whether I'm encountering asbestos up there. There's lots of fluffy stuff with dust on the top but it's these weird cut up tiles by the wall that set my mind racing. I'm a complete novice on this and don't want to regret later.
R

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• Upstairsdownstairs
• 30 Mar 2013
• 1

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• Upstairsdownstairs
• 30 Mar 2013
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• Upstairsdownstairs
• 30 Mar 2013
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[pinenot]

These look like dusty polystyrene tiles (start off white) but when you say fluffy stuff can you be a litter more precise?...pinenot

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

When I said fluffy, I didn't mean the tiles I meant the fluffy stuff in between the joints.

I will try and post another picture. But it was the tiles I was worried about because of bubbly appearance as you can see from the photo. Why did people use these tiles?

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

Everybody else with polystyrene tiles

 

[pinenot]

blown polystyrene is still used extensively in blown cavity walls and the suchlike and slab boards also. Polystyrene tiles are still used to line ceilings, a kind of decorative in situ insulation type of idea...pinenot

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

How confident are you that this is polystyrene? What you seem to be saying is this is polystyrene with a layer of dirt on it?

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

Some more pics of our loft

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• Upstairsdownstairs
• 30 Mar 2013
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• Upstairsdownstairs
• 30 Mar 2013
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[Upstairsdownstairs]

Do extra pics help?

 

[tony1851]

By 'fluffy stuff' do you mean white deposit on the mortar joints? That's efflorescence - salt deposit - nothing abnormal.

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

Fluffy stuff I meant the actual insulation which I think you'll tell me is fibreglass fluff. But what about these tiles in the corner? Are they polystyrene? They look bubbly.

Everybody else seems more worried about fluffy insulation. Should I be?

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

You can see the fluffy stuff in the other pics (not of the tiles). Think it's covered in dirt.

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

Anybody else got any ideas? Help a brother out if you can.

 

[ladylola]

The flffy stuff definateley looks like just dirty fibreglass. No real need to remove and a filthy job if you decide to. Better to just pick any big lumps of rubbish up and put new fibreglass on top.
I tend to agree that the other stuff looks like polystrene tiles, again dirty but that's about it. Have you tried picking a piece up? Polystrene is very light in weight and "spongy" to the touch.
If you are really worried then put on a mask ans spray with water whilist placing it gently in a bin bag inside another bin bag i.e. double bagging.

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

That's really helpful!! I'm a bit apprehensive about picking the tiles up. Interested about the polysterene theory but apprehensive.

 

[Upstairsdownstairs]

The muck, and I hope it's just muck, on the insulation isn't a surprise. No felt on roof. But what about these tiles? A third call for polystyrene?