what is the type of wood to use to as floorboard the loft, i need to be able to walk on it as to not to fall through the ceiling, i have been told that mdf is suitable, but that i was told now, it collects moisture, which isnt then suitable, so what is the most suitable wood, as i find that chipwood is to weak to support heavy stuff
3/4inch (oops sorry 18mm!) flooring grade chipboard should be fine. It's different to the ordinary sort, much stonger and usually comes in smaller pieces with tongue-and-groove edges for joining up.
Andy
(hang on... 3/4 should be 19mm... where did the other one go?)
Don't forget to check whether the joists will be able to carry the extra weight of the flooring + whatever else will be in the loft!
Don
we also put hardboard overhead too, to stop the dust, its great up there now, We used loft flooring, (mdf tongue and groove) from Focus, about, £5/6 a box with about 5/6 sheets in. that was 2/3 years ago.
Mine is done with floorbaords same as the rwest of the house. More to fix but a better job. Also some sections are only screwed down to enable access to the cables etc
================================== Wickes (and probably others) sell packs of 4' x 1' T&G flooring chipboard. They're easy to get into the loft and because they're T&G you don't need to screw every piece - just enough to make sure they can't move.
Cic.
How do you get the recommended 10" (I think) of loft insulation under the loft boarding without compressing it?
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=================================== I suggest that you read the OP's question, to which I and others replied.
Cic.
I have just read the OP's question in this thread four more times, and I can't see any mention of insulation. There is a previous thread from Squibbly about loft insulation, 20/09/2007 22:10 with a reply from Alfred E Neuman which says that loft insulation is laid and left to gravity to expand, which I would agree with, but 10" thick insulation cannot do this in a 3" or 4" high gap. If the loft is to be boarded out for storage, then loft insulation must be needed between the joists, and if it is, how is 10" of insulation fitted in a 4" gap without compressing it, therefore reducing its insulation properties? I suppose what I am really asking what type of insulation could be placed under the boards to give equivalent insulation properties to the 10" recommended for glass fibre type insulation? I have read one suggestion elsewhere which says to lay more rafters at right angles to the originals, lay further insulation between them, and then board over the additional rafters, but this would be a very big job requiring 6" high additional rafters, and if carried out would probably add too much weight for the original rafters to carry.
"Caberboard" or equivalent is used for flooring applications in new houses. It is very strong and in a loft situation might even be an overkill. However, it is strong and fairly cheap. A 2.4m x 0.6m strip costs about £7 max.
You might well need to cut these down to get them to a size that could be introduced via the hatch but it is surprising just what can be wiggled about and bent a bit thru' a hatch!
Yes, but what sort of chipboard are they made from?
You don't.
Compressing the insulation to fit will not help and could well be counter productive as the insulation needs air spaces within it to work. Fit whatever insulation you can fit into the gap without compressing it before boarding loft.
Then, if insulation is still an issue you will need to insulate the roof itself, between the rafters.
but wouldnt the weight be spread over the joist though?
Assuming the joists up there are actually ceiling joists (1.5 inch by 4 deep with a 14 inch gap between then) & depending on the span. The extra weight of the chipboards alone will in all probability bow the ceiling unless the joists are reinforced!
see;
the point is now that the width between each joist is like approx 6ft, in any sense that is to wide of a gap to put any boarding up there, what do i have to do to make it much less wider and distribute the weight evenly??
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eed
If your ceiling joists are 6' apart then your ceiling must be well bowed! A plasterboard ceiling needs ceiling joists no more than 600mm or 2" apart otherwise the plasterboard cannot support itself sufficiently. Assuming your ceiling joists are 100mm (4") tall then use 90mm of Celotex or similar closed cell ridgid insulation. MDF is unecessarilly heavy for loft boarding use building ply it's lighter and both easier to cut and not as hazardous to health as MDF. As others have advised you need to check that your ceing joists will be sufficient to bear the extra loads that you intend to place on them or you could end up with a big problem later. You need to give us some details of your house construction really to receive meaningful advice.
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