How Thick Should Loft Flooring Be?

You need

3/4-inch plywood

. The thinner plywood is acceptable when the joist spacing is 16 inches. If you plan to finish the floor in the attic and turn the room into a living space, however, you should always use 3/4-inch plywood.

Is 18mm chipboard OK for loft flooring?

18mm is fine for storage

,you could try 22mm but consider the extra weight.

Can you lay loft boards directly onto joists?

Can I Board directly onto joists? The simple

answer is no

. … Therefore, boarding directly onto joists would mean in many cases having reduced insulation in between the joists (75mm – 100mm) or squashing insulation down where there is boarding from 270mm to 100mm.

Is it OK to put plywood in the attic?

If your attic joists won’t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage, you can install

1⁄2-inch plywood

or oriented strand board (OSB) in 4-foot-by-8-foot panels over existing 16-inch OC joists.

Can I use plywood for loft flooring?

As Scott mentioned,

plywood will

probably be fine. I just used 1/2 inch plywood in mine. I would probably recommend you use “real” plywood though rather than the chipboard stuff. It’s a bit more expensive, but also much more durable if you’re going to be walking on it.

Do I need permission to board my loft?

“

You need planning permission

to have loft boarding installed” Having loft boarding installed for storage does not require planning permission. Planning permission is only required for larger projects or if you’re looking to convert your loft for living extension purposes.

Can you use MDF to board a loft?

The great thing about boarding your loft as it does not usually require planning consent and for even the most basic of DIYers, it’s a fairly easy task to undertake. Here’s how to board your loft using standard MDF loft boards or alternatively, 18mm plywood sheets.

Why can’t you use the loft in a new build house?

Boarding directly onto the joists or onto a timber subframe means that air doesn’

t cool fully

before it hits the timbers and boarding. These then act as thermal bridges which gather interstitial condensation and damp. Over time they will start to rot and become unsafe.

Can you walk on loft boards?

Move safely in the loft

For easier movement in the loft, we recommend using walk boards (also known as crawl boards)

laid across the joists

. If a top layer of insulation is already in place on the loft floor, roll it back to reveal the top of the joists and then lay the walk boards on them.

What weight can a loft floor take?

Typically the joists in a loft will support

about 40kg/m2 of weight

so providing you’re storing less than this you won’t need to do any additional work to strengthen the joists.

Can my attic support a floor?

That begs the question; can my attic support a floor? The answer, in most cases,

is a definite yes

. Even though it wasn’t put there, the joists supporting your ceiling are quite strong. Putting down flooring won’t stress them any more than the floors in your bedroom, kitchen, or bath.

How thick should plywood be for attic storage?

Joist Spacing and Attic Use

You need

3/4-inch plywood

. The thinner plywood is acceptable when the joist spacing is 16 inches. If you plan to finish the floor in the attic and turn the room into a living space, however, you should always use 3/4-inch plywood.

How much weight can attic joists support?

Attic Joists for Live Loads

In many cases, ceiling joists for dead loads are designed to carry

10 pounds per square foot (psf)

, as opposed to the 40 or greater psf that live-load joists must carry. Span length is different for every room.

How much does 3/4 plywood cost?

What flooring is best for loft conversion?

Hardwood

. If you are wanting to create a modern-style loft, then your best option might be a hardwood flooring. If you have beams or joists exposed, a wooden floor would be the perfect complement.