Loft boarding

Jodiehx91

Hi, just after a bit of advice. We have bought a house which is 3 years old and are wanting some extra storage space so was going to place some loft boards in just to place items on. Does anyone know if new builds will be ok with boards and whether 18mm is adequate or if we need 22mm thickness. 

Don’t really want to get someone out to do it as only wanting a few boards on and with just moving not wanting to fork out a lot of money. 

Stubod

..I would go with 22mm, 18mm is not very thick and may bend when you stand on an unsupported area....

AdrianC

It depends on how far apart the joists are, and what sort of loads you're planning on putting on. Also, ply or OSB or particleboard or...?

18mm board is not light. 22mm is even heavier. Remember, you've got to get it up there...

iampetesmith

When I boarded ours, I used these things called Loft Legs. They raise the boards above the insulation so that it doesn't get squashed and it makes a nice platform to lay the boards onto. Easy enough to fit, just pull the insulation back, screw them into the joists, put the insulation back in place and screw the boards on top (use an electric screwdriver as there will be a lot of screws to put in).

You can also get tongue & groove loft boards that slot together, so you can get a nice floor built. I got all mine from Wickes along with a couple of boxes of screws, and I think I spent about £300 boarding the whole lot. I've now got a big storage area up there and it's so easy to go up and get what I want, I just use it as a big storeroom. Just remember to wear a mask and gloves when you do it as loft insulatation can irritate the skin and there will be a lot of dust.

Here's a photo, mine's an older house so it doesn't have all the trusses in the way, but the roof is quite low so you have to crawl:

weeg

Standard practice is to allow 25kg/m2 loading for loft storage, so it's not going to be an issue to do it.

scottishblondie

No issue with boarding it, but you will definitely need to raise the boards above the level of the insulation or you will run the insulation and possibly the ceilings in the rooms below.  Loft Legs, as already mentioned, are ideal.

Davesnave

I have roof trusses, so I made plywood shelving to go across the 'V' part of the trusses. Each one is  braced with two pieces of roofing batten and sits on a batten at each end.This has the advantage of being lighter and at an easily reached level, way above the insulation. We don't use it for heavy things, but it works well for stuff like toys, pushchairs, boxes of Christmas decorations etc.

newsgroupmonkey_

There are 2 issues with not using loft legs.

Firstly, of course, you need to lift the boards up to get decent insulation underneath. But secondly, because you shouldn't place loft boarding directly on the joists because of condensation.

TripleH

Another one to recommend loft legs. We had them in our old flat in the loft space.
Again we stored cardboard boxes up there and a Christmas tree. 
Also work wonders for slightly uneven joists (as long as the difference isn't too big). Previous owner went crazy with insulation and thevraised boards helped not compress it.

Jodiehx91

Thanx for all the advice guys we don’t have insulation on the loft floor it has what they call a smart roof so that wasn’t an issue. We got some tongue and groove loft boards and managed to get a few down they were quite sturdy so ended up with 18mm. Now have extra storage space yay! Thank for the advice. 

Slithery

Have you checked the specifications of the loft as it's a new build?

Most of them contain a disclaimer about storing things in the loft as a lot of modern roofs aren't designed to take any additional weight at all.