Patching a hole in the ceiling floor (aussie.zone)

submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Working on the never-ending basement brewery and we have this: old piping installation holes, leading into the kitchen above.

That grey subfloor is asbestos hardiboard. We are going to eventually redo the kitchen - just not this year (priorities, man!) what would be the best way to cover this from the basement side? gut says just gluepaint to encapsulate and a piece of ply to hide the holes, sound idea?

Edit: ok cos there seems to be repeated confusion: These are holes in the CEILING of a basement brewery leading to the asbestos floored kitchen ABOVE.

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[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Tack a scrap of ply over it. Maybe marine ply if brewery stuff is going to slosh about.

A rug.

Turn your vision 120° away from it.

Any chance the brewery gasses could be an issue in the basement? IDK the chemistry.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Nah, brewing is no worse than cooking. Only gas you involve is carbonation.

Also: this is the brewery ceiling. Which is under the kitchen floor. Like i keep saying

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Ahh, so that's a photo looking up at the ceiling rather than down at the floor. I'd also be inclined to paint over the fibreboard to reduce and asbestos dust that may generate walking around the kitchen.

Re: Gasses, I'm familiar with keg cellars where the OHnS means keep an eye on the gas monitors as a nitrogen leak can kill you down there.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Not Australian, so take this as the uninformed opinion of someone that's done home renovations in different places in the US.

Hardiboard is a bit unusual for a subfloor; usually it's OSB, plywood, or boards, and concrete fiberboard would only be used on top of that if you were putting tile down. Did (does?) building code in Australia call for using concrete fiberboard on top of all subfloorings for fire resistance?

Anyway, asbestos in concrete fiberboard is a not an immediate significant concern for the health of occupants. Unless you plan on cutting it and producing dust, there's no real worry. I wouldn't do anything with it at this time. If you're going to have cabinets on top of it, I wouldn't even bother putting a patch on the top of it. When you redo the kitchen, I would suggest consulting with a licensed contractor; removing and installing new flooring on top of the concrete fiberboard might be enough to release a small amount of asbestos. Completely removing the hardiboard would absolutely require an asbestos remediation contractor in the US. Well, legally, anyways; you can get away with doing a lot of shit as long as you never have code inspection.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Just covering it would be fine, unless you're planning to be nibbling at the asbestos or something it'll stay bound within the fibro. If you're particularly worried maybe give it a spray over with paint (clear coat would be less obvious).

Depending on where in the kitchen this is (and whether it's the kitchen floor or ceiling - I'm still a little confused there) covering that area with a sideboard or other bit of somewhat kitchen-related furniture might be an option to hide the holes.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

It's the kitchen floor (basement brewery ceiling) - under cabinets, when we redo the kitchen we're gonna patch the floorboards

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

If it's still under a cabinet for the moment then I'd be just ignoring it until you're up to renovating the kitchen. I wouldn't even bother adding extra covering unless you're either storing stuff in there that will scratch into the fibro or want to avoid small things getting wedged in the holes.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Ok. I see the misunderstanding.

The basement brewery is below the kitchen. We know for a fact the kitchen subfloor under the tiles is asbestos hardiboard, that's what's visible through the holes. Obviously we don't want it shedding in the beer, so we're approaching it from the brewery side.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Ah, now it's all coming together...

In that case spraying a bit of paint will help stick the fibres down in those spots, but if the chance of shedding there is a concern then you're probably better off covering the whole area to avoid anything working through the joints/cracks in the boards. I'd consider it a low risk even uncovered but I can understand wanting a bit more peace of mind for this.

Something I'm now thinking could be an option for you would be to cover the ceiling with those foam/foil insulating panels (like this). They're light enough to stick to the ceiling with minimal fixings, would act as a decent barrier (particularly with the joints sealed with tape) and you get a bit of extra insulation as a side benefit.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Yah, we're considering some panels - they're light and cheap enough at Bunnings, hubs is kinda in love with the dark wood look though. Trying to convince him he needs panels at least over the workspace...

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Your original solution of some glue and a piece of plywood seems like a fine solution, and honestly overkill imo. I'm open to being told I'm wrong, but the impression I get is that asbestos is completely safe as long as you don't fuck with it. It becomes a problem when you start ripping it out and the particles start floating around in the air. And I've never heard of anyone getting cancer from eating asbestos - just lung cancer from breathing it. If you are worried about it getting in the beer, you should be more worried about breathing it while you are down there.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

...we are.

Please do not mistake a casual tone for a lecture opportunity.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

A thick paste of epoxy mixed with sawdust would probably seal it well and look somewhat decent.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

....And promptly get ripped out when we redo the kitchen

this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2025

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