boarding a loft for storage

tvaustin

I am looking to board my loft for storage but just want some advise.

I have got lots and lots of stuff currently up in my loft and it is impossible to sort through due to lack of space so I have currently moved everything to one side of the loft and I plan to board the other half then move everything across and board the remaining half.

My loft dimensions are roughly 6.3m x 4.7m

The beams which the flooring is to be fixed to are about 350mm-370mm apart and have a depth of 100mm and width of 35mm.

I currently have 100mm loft insulation but this has become squashed and some bits removed due to everything being up there. I purchased some loft installion when B&Q had it for £1 a roll. This insulation is 200m.

Ideally i do not want to raise the beams to accomodate the recommended insulation of 270mm due to being a complete DIY novice, time and lack of space so i planned to remove the old insulation and replace with the thicker B&Q one (I know this will become squashed due to the beams being 100mm and become less efficient)

I was going to use loft boards but I noticed B&Q have tongue and groove chipboard flooring with dimensions of 2400 x 600 x 18 for 5.84 or slighly thicker one of 2400 x 600 x 22 for £6.84.

Which size would be better/safer for my loft?

When fitting the boards do i drill the boards then screw into the beam without drilling it or do i drill both the board and the beam (have never drilled wood before lol)

Once the first board is fitted can the next board be laid flat and slot in or do i have to slot it in at an angle (could be a problem because i have some diagonal beams attached to the roof supports and thus I cant insert at an angle as it will catch the diagonal beam.

Is it a safety hazard to 'bury' the electrical wires under the boards or can i just make a note of where they are and what direction they run in?

any thoughts/recommendations welcome

WestonDave

I doubt you will get the larger flooring panels through your loft hatch! If by some miracle you have a 2ft loft hatch, you'll struggle to get 2.4metres of head room to lie the boards down. Do your measurements very carefully - but if it will fit the thinner one will be fine. The boards will normally slot in flat - its not like laminate flooring where you have to angle them. One word of warning - different makes of loft boards have different profile tongue and groove so make sure you get it all from one source!.

Have a think about putting Space Board over the beams and then laying the loft boards on top - if you put two layers of this down over the existing 100mm then you will have the equivalent of the full depth. Space board is designed to go under boards without having to raise the joists - Focus had it on BOGOF last year although its still a bit pricey - however as you are only going to do this job once its worth doing it properly.

In terms of fixing things down I'd just get some self tapping screws and an screwdriver bit for your drill and just screw through the boards into the beam without drilling either (but then I'm lazy!).

tvaustin

I am now considering raising the joists.

can someone tell me how to do this, how easy it is and a rough price guide please.

ormus

i just use the common 2x2 (50x50) timber. fairly cheap when you buy it in pks/bundles.

about 50p per m.

elektra-2007

I just had my loft done by a loft guy in Manchester, he put new joists over existing ones then used huge boards, he took out the hatch to them up. I paid £500 for 200sq foot of boarding a strip light new hatch and the hatch made bigger and a 3 part ladder all fitted it took them the day to do and the floor is very sturdy because of the new beams underneath.
The insualtion was put under the new floor and im really pleased with it, Ive put loads of stuff up there even heavey bedding boxes and tools and the flor isnt moving a cm!