Boarding out loft?

Mark M · 21 Jun 2014 at 19:12

Is it something that is best left to a professional? It will only be used for storage so I dont think it will need any extra supports put in or anything, just basically something to put the Christmas decs and the suitcases and other crap we accumulate.

Rroff · 21 Jun 2014 at 19:15

Just get some basic advice from someone who knows their stuff first IMO shouldn't be too big an issue.

£15 · 22 Jun 2014 at 10:57

If all you want to do is store stuff like that, i.e. not too heavy, and it's not going to be used as a room, then it's DIY'able. I've done it in my last two homes and helped my dad do it in his last two homes.

However, if you can manage it (an extra pair of hands and hatch big enough) I recommend you don't use the loft-boarding packs sold by the likes of B&Q specifically for the job. Although they're easier to handle, I think they're too small (too many joins) and prefer a larger board like this.

Just screw them down.

pitchfork · 23 Jun 2014 at 08:42

Depends on the construction, when was your house built? Got any pictures?

Burned_Alive · 23 Jun 2014 at 09:06

I've just recently done this in my house (Also put in additional insulation and loft legs to clear that) and providing you're fairly competent and not too clumsy id say go ahead and do it yourself.

As above, if everything measures up then you're better off using large boards however I couldnt get these through my loft hatch without lots of hassle so went for the loft boards. You'll find that B&Q will sell the longer 2400mm lengths for relatively less (by a lot) than a 1200mm board, however they'll cut any wood you buy for free so just buy the 2400mm and get it cut in store....

Best advice I cant give is measure all your joist widths beforehand and do the working out accurately, rather than just guesstimating.

MassiveJim · 23 Jun 2014 at 11:45

when doing this do you need to pack the joists to allow the fibre insulation to be fully expanded or do you just screw these straight to the joists and compress it a little ?

Mark M · 23 Jun 2014 at 11:51

pitchfork said:
Depends on the construction, when was your house built? Got any pictures?

Havent moved in yet but will post up some pics when Im in. House is 21 years old.

Burned_Alive · 23 Jun 2014 at 16:07

MassiveJim said:
when doing this do you need to pack the joists to allow the fibre insulation to be fully expanded or do you just screw these straight to the joists and compress it a little ?

I used loft legs to allow full insulation thickness. If you compress the insulation then you reduce its effectiveness.

£15 · 24 Jun 2014 at 17:15

In my last house I put lengths of timber down perpendicular to the joists and boarded on top of that, which also served to increase the space available for insulation.

In my current house I've only boarded out the central area of the loft and just screwed over the existing insulation. (Which was minimal.)

When I got BG in a few months back to insulate my loft (for free!) they just did the perimeter. There are enough boxes, bags of clothes and camping equipment in the boarded area to compensate for the lack of actual insulation.