newbie question: what is my wall made of?

[hodah]

Hi, Silly question I know, but how do I learn what my bathroom walls are made of? I'm removing the wallpaper and tiles from the tub wall, and bits of it are falling away, revealing what looks like plaster over a grey semi solid filler. (lime mortar?) Surprisingly, there are bits of hair in the mixture, which I assume was added to keep the mixture solid. I'm not sure if I should just fill in the holes (and with what) or redo the whole wall, or bathroom for that matter. I believe this house is Victorian, and all this is the original work. The more I learn about what I need to redo this bathroom the more questions I have. thanks in advance

[Palindrome]

Go down the street and ask your neighbours in similar houses what

*their* wall is made of.... one of them would have found out at some time in the past.

Hair is reinforcement inserted to stop cracks forming and propogating - it is very strong in tension. Fibres are still included because of that.

Filling (small) holes with practically any brand/make of filler should work and should be easy enough. Replastering a whole wall takes a fair bit of skill/practice and is possibly better left to a professional until you have gained some skill/practice..ideally on some one else's walls (eg a college course)..

[hodah]