Loft Flooring Advice for Newbie

FreeBear

If you stand the 4x2 on edge, you'd be able to get 175mm of insulation in without compressing it - 75mm for the 3x2 plus 100mm for the 4x2 - Falls short of the recommended 270mm level of insulation, but way better than none at all.

sho_me_da_money

Thank you Bear that helps massively. I am not sure if it was you who mentioned this earlier or Grumble but someone suggested that the new timbers (presuming I go for 4x2) are installed across in a perpendicular fashion to the existing 3 x 2s.

If you look at the video, that means the 4x2s will need to be installed from Wall A and Wall B of the longest side. I measured this and the distance wall to wall was like 6.4 meters.

1. Does that mean I have to try and get 6.4m of 4x2 into the loft area, lay them across walll to wall and screw into each joist that overlaps?/
2. If yes to 1, how much space should I give before laying the next 4x2? How far should they be spaced I guess.

sho_me_da_money

When I mean wall A to wall B, I mean this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7bx011BNrs

Am i right in saying that ill need some timbers the full length of the distance to install? I cant see where they'd be resting at the wall ends. Too much insulation there for me to see whats under it. Im just not sure how I could get those lengths into the loft area....maybe I can.

Murmansk

Just a quick note about the loft ladder, if it's the kind of ladder I am familiar with it needs to be attached to the new, higher, loft floor rather than being left attached to whatever it's attached to now - otherwise it won't have any chance of being folded up and stowed.

sho_me_da_money

Murmansk said:

Just a quick note about the loft ladder, if it's the kind of ladder I am familiar with it needs to be attached to the new, higher, loft floor rather than being left attached to whatever it's attached to now - otherwise it won't have any chance of being folded up and stowed.

Thanks for this.

i just learned that 4x2 timbers come in set lengths. If the wall to wall distance spans longer than the largest length of what 4x2 times come in, what do I do? I think the idea of laying a long timbers from wall to wall was to avoid the existing 3x2 joists carrying the weight of the new 4x2s.

Any ideas how I can use 4x2s if they don't come in the length I am looking for?

Chickereeeee

Murmansk said:

Just a quick note about the loft ladder, if it's the kind of ladder I am familiar with it needs to be attached to the new, higher, loft floor rather than being left attached to whatever it's attached to now - otherwise it won't have any chance of being folded up and stowed.

Or you leave a section of the boarding low, to accommodate the folded ladder.

FreeBear

sho_me_da_money said: Any ideas how I can use 4x2s if they don't come in the length I am looking for?

You put one length down spanning as many joists as needed. The second length is then laid next to it as per this image -

Lay the 4x2 timbers at ~600mm centers, and the boards at 90° - If you get the spacing right, there should be no need to cut the boards so that joints are on the 4x2.

sho_me_da_money

FreeBear said:

sho_me_da_money said: Any ideas how I can use 4x2s if they don't come in the length I am looking for?

You put one length down spanning as many joists as needed. The second length is then laid next to it as per this image -

Lay the 4x2 timbers at ~600mm centers, and the boards at 90° - If you get the spacing right, there should be no need to cut the boards so that joints are on the 4x2.

Brilliant! 

A bit of a stupid question but if I know the wall2wall length is 6.5m.

Would you get the longest possible 4x2 and then make up the difference with a 4x2 that covers the last bit....or would you get two 4x2s at say 3.5m each and join them at the middle as per your image?

Last question. The 600mm centers. Do you start the first 600mm gap from the roof edge. When I say edge I mean the one of the sides where the pitched roof connects and not the left and right walls as per the video. So edge > 600mm gap > first 4x2 > 600mm gap > second 4x2 and repeat.

or do you measure one of the walls, find the center, lay a 4x2 at the middle point and then gap 600mm away from that middle on each side until you get close to the edge on each side of that middle?

Sorry if this doesn't make sense. Maybe I'll do an art attack image. One sec

sho_me_da_money

Art attack image

https://ibb.co/t2qbgc0

Start from the red line and work out to each edge at 600mm spaces or start from either blue edge by laying the first 4x2 there and work to the other side leaving 600mm spaces.

Art attack image 2:

Guessing this is how the flooring should be laid:

https://ibb.co/Fwn4BmT

FreeBear

sho_me_da_money said: A bit of a stupid question but if I know the wall2wall length is 6.5m.

Would you get the longest possible 4x2 and then make up the difference with a 4x2 that covers the last bit....or would you get two 4x2s at say 3.5m each and join them at the middle as per your image?

Your "standard" lengths of timber is 2.4m or 4.8m - Some timber merchants will have longer lengths, but don't bank on it. You will also be limited on how long a length can be physically carried in from outside, up the stairs, and in to the loft (unless you go through the roof - Not recommended).

Personally, I wouldn't board out the entire loft space - Getting right under the eaves would be a limiting factor. With gable walls either side, maybe go wall to wall subject to cost. Start at the loft hatch and work out from there. Put the legs (or timbers down), infill with insulation, followed by the boards. Do a ~1.2m wide strip at a time, and you have a solid surface to work from as you head across the loft.

With the cost of timber still going up, I'd use loft legs and use the extra lift to get a bit more insulation in. Head height is not an issue in a loft as it is generally used for storage, not as a play room.