Boarding loft and loft ladder advice

[Bingy man]

Those are the type I’d fit , solid and sturdy once fitted decent price too.

 

[mikej460]

We've got a floating floor in our loft - just 100mm PIR slab over laid with T&G floor panels. It is as solid as a rock.

We've also got telescopic loft ladders which are really good and take up very little space.

 

[TomGW]

I have floored the loft in my daughters house (for storage only). I considered the counter batten approach to add depth for insulation, but with the added weight etc.
My solution was to add 4x2 directly on top of the existing, screwed every 16”. While this adds the same weight as counter battening it also adds strength and rigidity. I drilled to a depth of approx 3” with a 3/4” bit, then used a 2 1/2” screw and cup washer to secure on top of the original. This practically doubles the joist depth and adds strength that counter battening wouldn’t. Job done.

 

[dephill]

I’ve done mine and my inlaws’ lofts with the Loftzone Storefloor kits, they’re expensive but I think allow you to be a lot less accurate with their placement as you end up with 100mm wide ‘beams’ to lay your boards on.

You miss every other leg out so you can always skip the odd high or low joist but if yours are old and all over the place you might be better off with 2x4s.

With 100mm roof trusses you need another 250-300 height on top to allow for 200mm extra insulation and a 50-100mm gap for airflow under the boards.

With the plain loft legs you need to get one exactly on every join where 4 boards meet which could be awkward I imagine.

I fitted the wooden folding type spring-counterbalanced ladder-hatches and they’re very good, solid feeling and easy to fit. (Come pre-assembled)
I got these:
https://www.lbroofwindows.co.uk/loft-ladders/oman-polar-deluxe-folding-loft-ladder-hatch/

 

[Baball]

I used LoftZone. Was easy enough to roll the insulation back and set up the deck however works best for the space you've got and it feels very stable with the boards screwed down on the beams. When I had some questions the CEO of the company was responding to emails on a bank holiday, so top marks for support.

I went with a Dolle Clickfix 76 ladder. Much nicer than aluminium and was also super easy to install and feels robust enough for me.

Edit: just seen the date of the thread, you've probably finished yours already!

 

[Jamie Sharp]

I don’t know what £400 options you are looking at, but I have recently fitted a couple of these ladders https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/youngman-timber-eco-s-line-loft-ladder-815179 with extensions as we have high ceilings, so a few ££ more.

I modified the frame and added to the face of the hatch to make it a panelled door effect with mouldings to match our doors.

cheers

'With extensions', what are these and where do you get them please?

 

[mr rusty]

The difference between using say 4x2 or 5x2 across the existing and loft legs, is that timbers will spread the load across several joists when you walk on them whereas loft legs will concentrate the load at that point. If the existing joists are strong enough to board, and you just need height for insulation then use legs, if you want to add strength, then cross-joist with timber.

Trusses are not designed to take downwards load on the bottom chord, and in many cases ceiling joists are just there to hold the ceiling up and tension between the wall plates.