Loft floor boards

DilbertJones

Anyone got any tips on installing boards in my loft?

Is it quite easy or should I seek help, also is it a 1 man job or 2?

Al_Mac

One man can fit them. Angle of the stairs/loft hatch/landing can cause problems with length. Measure the loft and use multiples for maximum lenght.

If you are planning on using it for a room, not storage, ignore and get a builder.

:beer:

robnye

i agree with 'AL Mac'

loft boards are not meant to take daily wear and tear and weight.......

isayoldchap

robodan wrote:

Anyone got any tips on installing boards in my loft?

Is it quite easy or should I seek help, also is it a 1 man job or 2?

robodan.
T&G flooring is the easiest way.Use a nail gun to fix down.Going cost alot more but it's a better finish.See if the timber yard can give you a good price.Delivery is usually free.

Rhino666

I boarded my loft for storage rather than use as a room. I used 8ft x 2 ft tongue and grooved 18mm chipboard from wickes. Very cheap (about £3.99 a sheet) and easy to lay. Use screws rather than nails - you need stability as much as possible. I drilled and countersunk the chipboard before screwing down. You may also need to drill your joists and feed electrical, aerial, telephone wires through where they have previously been laid on top of the joists. Some people choose the easier option of cutting slots in the top of the joists but this takes more strength away from the timbers. The electrics will need to be disconnected from one end before threading through holes - it is a good idea to go through all electrics before burying under boards. I also took the opportunity of topping up the insulation.

When finally fitting boards make sure you don't screw into any wires. Try to arrange the joints on joists. I added some old underlay and carpet on top and this worked a treat for noise and heat insulation.

Do NOT do what I did - get all the preparation done, screw down 3/4 of the boarding and then lose concentration, step off the boarding and through a bedroom ceiling :-)

Thefunkygibbons

It is a one man job, but it can take a while

In doing it, I decided to build up the joists first, which took ages. The boards themselves were 8ft by 4ft but I had these put in the loft by the builder when the extension was being built. In the past, I used the B&Q floorboard pack, but these are not very strong unless perfectly lined up.

I raised the floor because I did not want to compress the insultation and reduce its efficiency

Poppycat

I did mine last year, got loft board from B&Q, 4 boards for just under £4. I think these are only recommended though for storage or occasional usage not as normally bedroom. Just laid the board down and staggered the board along the beams. It isnt recommended to use a hammer in the loft best drill holes, screw and countersunk the holes so there nice and smooth.

DilbertJones

Poppycat wrote:

drill holes, screw and countersunk the holes so there nice and smooth.

What is Countersunk exactly??

Poppycat

Its the drill bit that makes a slightly bigger hole a couple of mil so that the screw lays flat on the service.


Countersink

Although not a true 'drill', it is used in a power or hand drill to form the conical recess for the heads of countersunk screws. These bits tend to be designed for use on soft materials such as timber and plastics, not metals. When used with a power drill to counter sink an existing hole, the bit tends to 'chatter', leaving a rough surface. Better results be will obtained if the countersink bit is used before the hole is drilled, then take care to ensure that the hole is in the centre of the countersunk depression.

Countersinks are available with fitted handles so that they can be used by hand twisting, often easier than changing the bit in the drill when only a relatively few holes need countersinking.

Sharpening: difficult, but can be done with a fine triangular file.

marco_79

Compressing the insulation actually improves the efficiency of it.

Poppycat

Actually compressing insulation has the opposite effect as air is a good insulator.