Loft ladder - Metal for Wooden

ChilliBob

Hey guys, 

My metal loft ladder is a bit naff so I'd like to swap it for a wooden one. I've currently got one where you open the trap door the pull the ladder down, three sections that fit on top of each other and will sit inside the loft behind the trap door.

All the wooden ones I see are a kit where you'd need to replace the hatch/trap door and the housing etc - which seems like a tonne of hassle - this existing ladder is just fixed by four screws into the loft.

Am I searching for something that doesn't exist?! Not sure why it wouldn't, weight perhaps? - but then having all the weight of the wood pushing down on the trap door seems odd too. 

Emmia

I wouldn't have thought it mattered if the ladder is "naff" what you want is something easy to lift and lower (weight matters) and strong enough to let you climb safely up and down.

Presumably you don't leave your loft ladder down all the time, so you'll almost never see it.

ChilliBob

Well, by naff, I mean a hand rail which the previous occupant tried to re attach with an Allen key, a missing foot, meaning it's wonky, and it generally feels not very sturdy under foot!

And the reason for this is I basically jumped/fell off it earlier in the week when a cockchafer dive bombed me and I didn't know what it was. Sadly my foot stayed on the ladder then the rest of me crashed into my daughter's bedroom. 

I don't blame the ladder, obviously, but a sturdier ladder would be good! 

Murmansk

The thing about metal ones is they might feel a little flexible as you go up whereas the wooden ones are a lot more solid in feel but, as you say, they take more fitting. I'd be inclined to start off by lubricating the mechanism of your metal one I've found that can help a lot but it's a matter of what you want and how often you go up there I guess.

twopenny

You can have mine if you can find me a lighter one 🙂

It's good construction but I've trapped my fingers in the slide together bits a couple of times. 
Murmansk, what do you use to lubricate the joins? 

ChilliBob

Ouch! That sucks!

I wonder if it's fold VS slide - as in the wooden ones won't slide, only fold. Hmm, my search continues.

It's not like I'm up and down all the time - a lot at the moment, my wife's gone on a Vinted mission! 

TELLIT01

Possibly stating the obvious, but a timber ladder is likely to be much bulkier and certainly much heavier than a metal one.  Wooden ones often have some kind of counterbalance system to make them easier to raise and lower.  That's part of the reason installation is more complex.

ChilliBob

Yeah, that all makes sense. I guess what I'm wondering is whether one could retrofit a wooden one into an existing hatch, at the moment, I'm not sure it makes sense - or the manufacturers would surely sell standalone wooden ones.

So, I think I'm back down the metal route, did see one with rails on both sides but I reckon that would make it difficult to get most bigger stuff in and out! 

Emmia

ChilliBob said:

Well, by naff, I mean a hand rail which the previous occupant tried to re attach with an Allen key, a missing foot, meaning it's wonky, and it generally feels not very sturdy under foot!

And the reason for this is I basically jumped/fell off it earlier in the week when a cockchafer dive bombed me and I didn't know what it was. Sadly my foot stayed on the ladder then the rest of me crashed into my daughter's bedroom. 

I don't blame the ladder, obviously, but a sturdier ladder would be good! 

I'd probably replace with another metal ladder if you feel this one is "life expired".

Murmansk

I lubricate mine with a strain of WD40 that's got Teflon/PTFE in it and costs about £8 per can - not the standard stuff that's thin and runs off. 

The wooden ones need a massive hole in the ceiling and are quite an undertaking to fit I'd imagine - good if that's what you want, the solidity, but hard for one person to fit. Good too if you want to take bulky stuff up to the loft as they have a much bigger hole in the ceiling. 

Re metal loft ladders you can get ones that concertina and live, when stored, above the loft hatch rather than taking up much space in the loft, they are good for situations where there's not much space above or to the side in the loft eg if there is a very low roof or the hatch is near the eaves. They cost about £200 and have a distinct tendency to flex as you go up which some might find a bit un-nerving and you have to get the correct length for your ceiling to floor distance in the hall below. 

Silvertabby

Is your hatch the bog standard square one?

We had our hatch enlarged to double size (rectangle, not a larger square), fitted pull down wooden steps, and had the loft 3 quarters boarded.  Makes life so much easier getting up and down there when we need to get anything out of storeage/put it back