Boarding a loft

d0nkeyk0ng

We've got a loft ladder fitted (yay). I went up into the loft. The previous owner had boarded it but it doesn't look too great or sturdy. I was planning on ripping it all up and doing it properly. Just want to move stuff that's stored in the garage into the loft (eg boxes of books, paperwork, etc).

The insulation hasn't been put down properly (it's mostly chucked into a pile above one of the bedrooms which gets really hot even in winter).








Any suggestions on the best way forward?
I'm concerned whether the joists are strong enough to support insulation and boards. I'm planning on using the space for storage to free up the garage.

Wookey

Something like 8'x2' chipboard flooring will be more than enough to put down as a suitable floor, i would be inclined to leave some small trapdoors for ease of access wherever there are junction boxes located or fans/light fixings.

Screw the flooring down rather than nail it as nailing will likely cause damage to the ceiling.

If you wanted to go the extra mile you could insulate the roof timbers and fix plasterboard to tidy it up as you will find in winter it will be extremely cold up there with flooring being added over the ceiling insulation and insulating the roof will create an extra barrier from cold penetration, depends really on what you are storing up there, how often you will be up there and also how well insulated any water tanks/pipes are too.

d0nkeyk0ng

Wookey wrote: »

Something like 8'x2' chipboard flooring

In some areas it looks like chipboard but much thinner - at a guess 10mm and feels very unsteady.

Wookey wrote: »

leave some small trapdoors

Good idea.

Wookey wrote: »

If you wanted to go the extra mile you could insulate the roof timbers and fix plasterboard to tidy it up

Probably OTT for storage purposes. I just want to make a nice space for storage that's relatively clean, safe and easy to access. I plan to store boxes of work related stuff that I access infrequently; empty suitcases; christmas tree and decorations; spare crockery; fans that we use for two weeks in the summer etc.

There are no water tanks (all the photos are for each corner), with one corner of wiring and plumbing to the bathroom.

Any thoughts on insulation? At the moment there's probably 7cm under the boards that have been put down.

Wookey

Just fill up the spaces between the ceiling timbers with more rolls of fibreglass, under no circumstances use polystyrene insulation as this would cause electrical cables to melt.

Proper chipboard flooring is about an inch thick and T+G, that 10mm stuff is probably not for walking on as it won't have been made with a moisture resistant glue used in it. Use a PVA type wood glue brushed on the joints for more rigidty/seal. From your photos it looks like it has been offcuts that have been placed around the trapdoor to facilitate placing boxes on whilst standing on the ladder and not intended to take any real weight, if you need to move about a bit up there i would treble up on the boards you have until you get proper flooring down.

Boarding the roof timbers with plasterboard will also help reduce dirt, the mineral felt below your tiles will have particles of a sand like substance dropping of it overtime, as i said it's an extra mile and really comes down to whether it's a cost you want or not for a slightly warmer cleaner roofspace.

Grenage

Insulating the rafters opens the possibility for condensation and impaired ventilation. If you want to keep it simple and effective, put down 300mm (or whatever the figure is this year) of rockwool, and board on legs or cross-members. Roll the wool at 90 degrees on the second layer.

Keep the weight distributed and as low as is practical.

getmore4less

A lot of that looks like it is just laying on insulation.

Take the lot out and see what you have.

Tidy up and infill top up and board on stilts.

Books and paper are heavy they want decent support

Xmas decorations and empty suitcases less of an issue.

d0nkeyk0ng

Thanks all. Advice has been appreciated. The only concern I have is about whether the joists are strong enough to support loft storage without cracking or collapsing the ceiling below.

Is there any way to check this?

stator

Remove all insulation and take to the dump.
PIR Board underneath the chipboard
New fluffy insulation in the eaves. Use loft legs/ loft stils if you want storage above the insulation.

Don't put lots of books in the loft to be honest. Too heavy. Keep the loft for lightweight storage

EssexExile

The trouble with boarding on stilts or legs is that you lose headroom. I insulated between the joists then put aluminium foil insulation over that then boarded. I've no idea what the u value is but it made me feel better.

Gloomendoom

I boarded out our loft with standard 8 by 2 chipboard flooring sheets. The ceiling joists were only 4" deep so I extended them to 12" using 9mm OSB sheet. This not only made room for insulation but also stiffened the joists. In effect a DIY version of this...

d0nkeyk0ng

stator wrote: »

PIR Board underneath the chipboard

I was looking at Kingspan/celotex last night. This seems to need much less space than mineral wool/rockwool insulation but I'd still need to raise the floor to add enough in. Is this correct?

stator wrote: »

Don't put lots of books in the loft to be honest. Too heavy. Keep the loft for lightweight storage

I originally had plans to put a bookshelf up there but then when I went up, I realised how limited I was in storing stuff up there with respect to weight.

EssexExile wrote: »

The trouble with boarding on stilts or legs is that you lose headroom. I insulated between the joists then put aluminium foil insulation over that then boarded. I've no idea what the u value is but it made me feel better.

I think the joists are only 3" tall so I'm not going to get much insulation in. All of the insulation is lying in a heap over one of the bedrooms and this bedroom gets very warm, even in winter. It made me realise the importance of loft insulation.

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I boarded out our loft with standard 8 by 2 chipboard flooring sheets. The ceiling joists were only 4" deep so I extended them to 12" using 9mm OSB sheet.

I was looking at Loft Zone which does something similar (albeit more expensively).