loft hatch

Hi,

I would like to replace our loft hatch. I know you can get some ready assembled plastic ones but I'm not sure about locking them. They seem to have a plastic latch that you turn through 90 degrees to lock the door closed. The problem is: how do you reach it to turn it when it's eight foot high?

I wondered about making my own from wood as the existing one is rather tatty. At the moment it is a push-up type and I'd like to replace it with one on hinges to lower down, with a retractable ladder.

Do I use mdf or do I get "real wood" in tongue and groove form and join that to make a hatch?

I suppose the only problem with sliding the ladder up after use is that it will squash the insulation.

Is there anything else I need to think about before I start?

TIA.

Reply to
Sam
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I recently converted my loft hatch from a push up to a pull down. The catch is operated by a hook on the end of a piece of dowel, as is the pull down loft ladder. Due to lack of space in the loft I installed a concertina ladder which is held up by springs above the hatch opening when the ladder is in the up position. You can prevent a slide up ladder from squashing the insulation by fixing a wooden rail to the joists. The original hatch was MDF which I cut down to fit the smaller opening. In my experience a push up hatch gives a much better draught seal than can be achieved with a pull down hatch. If you use tongue and grove be aware that it may be heavier than MDF or a sheet of plywood.

Reply to
DIY

In article , Sam scribeth thus

We've had one of those plastic ones made by the same people who make Osma drains and stuff.

Pile of cack.. distorts and leaves gaps that the wind whistles through.

Make it from wood with some foam seal round the edges and some sort of catch to hold it tight in place against the sealing foam..

Shouldn't worry about the ladder squashing a bit of loft insulation!..

Reply to
tony sayer

IME blockboard is the best material. Takes screws well on the edge and is a good deal lighter than mdf. The key thing to remember is that you make the frame with the door as a freestanding item and then fit it to the joists. Trying to fit a door to an existing frame can be frustrating to say the least.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

You can also get ready assembled timber ones, frame, hatch and ladder th= at sits over the hatch when up.

CostCo sell 'em for about =A380 + VAT. I think that one is "Eco", plenty= of others listed at

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Reply to
Dave Liquorice

I appreciate your point about weight; I don't want it hitting anyone on the head.

I like plywood but it's not very pretty is it?

Someone mentioned blockboard but where can I get that? Do I have to go to a timber merchant for it?

Thanks.

Reply to
Sam

Why don't you use the Loft Panels made specifically for the job?

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Reply to
The Medway Handyman

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a loft hatch?

Reply to
Mathew Newton

Yes. They usually sell it as 1/4 sheet if that's all you need. The edges aren't very pretty either (worse than ply usually) but the combination of light weight and taking screws well makes it the best option IMO.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

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Chipboard's the last thing you need. Maybe our resident handyman hasn't read the whole thread. Hatch, not floor :-)

Reply to
Stuart Noble

Sam wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

If you like both plywood and the 'look' of tongue and groove, then the way to achieve this is to cover the plywood in the very thin (is it 6mm or 8mm?) interior pine cladding that the DIY sheds sell. You know the kind of stuff - popular in bathrooms a few years ago, or for panelling below a dado rail.

Hope this helps

Reply to
Richard Perkin

for loft flooring.

Reply to
Sam

Not to go against the thread, I recently fitted:

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to fit as I had to resize an existing hatch and get the ceiling skimmed afterwards. I would agree its not the most robust construction, but its only a loft hatch. The door comes of easily for extra access. Very well draught insulated and a piece of polystyrene on the back, locks securely with the end of the pole used for the ladder.

Hope that helps

Reply to
gna03633

I'll get me coat...................

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

I was not particularly after a T&G look, it was just I wasn't sure how else to get a bit of wood that big; I thought I would have to join some T&G together to make something that size.

What's the best way to insulate a new hatch? The ready built plastic hatches ones come with a (small) sheet of polystyrene on. Is that the best way to go? How thick should the polystyrene be; it doesn't seem very thick on these pre built hatches and I wonder if it makes any real difference?

Thanks.

Reply to
Sam

I don't bother taking mine off any more :-)

Reply to
Stuart Noble

Reply to
Richard Conway

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