Boarding out loft

DD265

Our loft isn't currently boarded out, and we're keen to get this done to use for light storage - seasonal clothes, Christmas tree, sentimental items etc. We've already got a suitable ladder and a light fitting, so it's just the flooring.

I've got a company coming to quote next week, and planned to request another two quotes as well as costing up DIY. I've seen the Loftzone framework which on paper looks fairly simple (and seems reasonable price wise to me), but I feel like the nature of the space - just the joists and it being somewhat confined - might make life tricky.

I'd definitely put us in the DIY-newbie camp, and I'm not very confident about tackling this one, but you don't know until you try. I'm sure some of you have boarded a loft; is it best done by somebody with more experience?

Swasterix

I’m in the middle of doing mine now. It really is a very easy DIY task. The downsides are that the loft really isn’t a very nice environment to work in (dust, insulation etc.), and obviously you have to be very careful to not fall through the ceiling! Also it’s a bit of a PIA to be up ad down a set of ladders. 

I just picked up some tongue and groove boards from Wickes which are around £8 per M2 and used their loft legs to lift the level above the insulation which are £10 per box of 12. Can probably get them cheaper elsewhere but it was convenient for me. 

Homer_home

How much insulation do you have down is it above the ceiling joists?

Using loft boards is ideal as they are sized as to minimise cutting , as long as you own a power driver they are very easy to lay and not worth splashing the cash on a handyman 

Have you not got a mate who is handy with the tools and can give you a hand?

Ganga

I did ours BUT only did the area next to the loft hatch ,bought a kit from B & Q ,i think you got something like 4 pieces of wood that fit across the joists ,used my drill and some screws ,reason for only a small area boarded out is to hold xmas stuff as the loft is not designed as a storage area.

Ectophile

Homer_home said:

How much insulation do you have down is it above the ceiling joists?

Using loft boards is ideal as they are sized as to minimise cutting , as long as you own a power driver they are very easy to lay and not worth splashing the cash on a handyman 

Have you not got a mate who is handy with the tools and can give you a hand?

Not for mine, they weren't.  Every board I laid had to be cut to length to ensure the ends of the boards were supported.  Plus lots of fiddly cutting boards to go around roof beams.
I used an electric jigsaw, drill and screwdriver.  Trying to cut straight with a B&Q own-brand jigsaw was a bit hit-and-miss, but as it's only a loft I didn't worry about the odd wiggle in the cuts.

DD265

We should have the recommended amount of insulation, but need to double check. There's a mixture of above the joints and lower from memory, so it may need to be relaid. I don't think we've got anybody with the time to help out, unfortunately, but it sounds like a reasonable job if we go steady.

I don't actually like going up the loft ladder in the first place (I don't care what the stickers on it say, it feels flimsy to me!) so that's the first hurdle to get over.

iampetesmith

I did ours using loft boards and Loft Legs. Each leg is screwed to the joist with 4 screws, then you space them out to support the boards. Using the loft legs means you don't squash the insulation down, plus they're shorter than the Loftzone frame so you don't lose as much headroom.

With ours I made it so that the boarding is mainly for heavier boxes and access, then the lighter stuff rests on flattened cardboard around the edges (a bit like how the whole loft was done before I boarded it).

How much cutting you need to do depends on the spacing between the joists. You might find they're perfectly spaced and match up without having to cut any, or you might find that is the spacing means you need to cut every board.

I also changed the lights for 2 LED bulbs at the ends, as well as an LED strip that runs along the top so it's nice and bright.

Ours looks like this now I've done it, the house is an L shape as well so there's another bit that goes round above the main bedroom:

DD265

That looks great. We don't have such an open space, but I have seen that companies successfully put shelves onto the trusses, so it feels like we could board a small section (~2msq) and then put the shelves in potentially if we needed additional space.

I'm 99% confident that the insulation needs taking up and relaying, as it's got peaks and troughs, so that will be the starting point.

Homer_home

Ectophile said:

Homer_home said:

How much insulation do you have down is it above the ceiling joists?

Using loft boards is ideal as they are sized as to minimise cutting , as long as you own a power driver they are very easy to lay and not worth splashing the cash on a handyman 

Have you not got a mate who is handy with the tools and can give you a hand?

Not for mine, they weren't.  Every board I laid had to be cut to length to ensure the ends of the boards were supported.  Plus lots of fiddly cutting boards to go around roof beams.
I used an electric jigsaw, drill and screwdriver.  Trying to cut straight with a B&Q own-brand jigsaw was a bit hit-and-miss, but as it's only a loft I didn't worry about the odd wiggle in the cuts.

You don't use a jigsaw to cut straight cuts so it's hardly surprising your lines are wavy but like you say you will never see them 

Wrong tool for the job 

GMC12

It was quite an easy one, Loft Legs meant that we could raise the floor so got the best from the insulation. We did some research into this and found out that compressing the insulation without the legs reduced the benefit significantly. Board, not only can you use a loft board, but a cheaper OSB board is also an option. 
When we did it we found the products we needed online at a small website called Snaffle.it, although there were loads of options out there.  
Good luck with boarding your loft.