loft ladder installation - wooden, aluminum ? which one ?

Ganga

After falling out of the loft ( there is a thread on this site about it ) i bought a new loft hatch and an aluminium ladder ,it comes in three sections and to be honest was a doddle to fit ,as for the weight restriction remember the ladder when extended sits on the floor and the fitting on the beams does not take a lot of the weight.
I cannot find the invoice but from Toolstation the hatch was about £35 and the ladders £80 ish.

DB1904

Ganga said:

After falling out of the loft ( there is a thread on this site about it ) i bought a new loft hatch and an aluminium ladder ,it comes in three sections and to be honest was a doddle to fit ,as for the weight restriction remember the ladder when extended sits on the floor and the fitting on the beams does not take a lot of the weight.
I cannot find the invoice but from Toolstation the hatch was about £35 and the ladders £80 ish.

I think the weight restriction is in relation to the ladder rating. 

Slinky

We had a 'telesteps' one installed in our previous house. I'd never been in the loft before but was confident enough with these to be able to go up into the loft on my own (which came in handy being able to clear out OH's junk before we moved house).

Chickereeeee

The down side of aluminum  ladders include:
- noisy, bringing down or putting up. The sliding of metal against metal is quite loud and irritating
- aluminum easily marks things and can get dirty. They often have sliders, which, if lubricated, attract more dirt, making it difficult to retract. Also, difficult to clean
- can have sharp edges that rip items being transferred to/from the loft.

Slinky

Chickereeeee said:

The down side of aluminum  ladders include:
- noisy, bringing down or putting up. The sliding of metal against metal is quite loud and irritating
- aluminum easily marks things and can get dirty. They often have sliders, which, if lubricated, attract more dirt, making it difficult to retract. Also, difficult to clean
- can have sharp edges that rip items being transferred to/from the loft.

Never had any of those issues with our telesteps aluminium ladder.

Downside of wooden is it's much heavier than aluminium.

Norman_Castle

Section62 said:

Norman_Castle said:

Section62 said:

mustiuc said:

So which one are better? aluminum or wooden?

Personally I'd go for aluminium - lighter, but also not affected by insect attack etc.

I wouldn't install any wood in a loft which hasn't been treated against woodworm and anything else which enjoys munching wood.  The hassle involved in checking whether or not a wooden ladder has been treated and/or treating it before/after installation isn't worth it... especially not when aluminium also has the benefit of lightness.

Are ceiling joists or roof trusses routinely treated against insect attack?

Yes.

56789

Since when? Mine are Victorian and remain uneaten.

Norman_Castle

Slinky said:

Chickereeeee said:

The down side of aluminum  ladders include:
- noisy, bringing down or putting up. The sliding of metal against metal is quite loud and irritating
- aluminum easily marks things and can get dirty. They often have sliders, which, if lubricated, attract more dirt, making it difficult to retract. Also, difficult to clean
- can have sharp edges that rip items being transferred to/from the loft.

Never had any of those issues with our telesteps aluminium ladder.

Downside of wooden is it's much heavier than aluminium.

The weight might be a problem with sliding ladders but with folding wooden ladders most of the weight is held by springs and the lower sections are supported by hinges. They're not heavy in use.

Section62

Norman_Castle said:

Section62 said:

Norman_Castle said:

Are ceiling joists or roof trusses routinely treated against insect attack?

Yes.

Since when? Mine are Victorian and remain uneaten.

What makes you think yours haven't been treated?

DTucker1983

It seems wobbly going up and down, but it's fine.

casper_gutman

If you just want a loft ladder to pop up to the attic briefly a few times a year, aluminium will be fine. I go up to the loft about six times a year: twice each for Christmas decorations and big suitcases, typically a couple of other times for this or that. 

If you're one of those people who's up and down all the time, like an acquaintance whose model railway is in the loft and who leaves the ladder folded down for weeks on end, then the greater solidity of the wooden ladder may be appealing, but what you actually need is a loft conversion with a proper staircase.