Boarding and insulating loft
Discussion
I have started boarding out the loft as we desperately need more storage. I did some research and there seem to be a number of different ways in which people have done it. I did settle on using loft legs and bought some but they seemed a bit flimsy so instead i've screwed a number of 15 x 38mm timber across the joists. I did think they would be a bit flimsy (all I had at the time) but the boards are very secure once screwed in so I will be leaving like that.
The insulation was installed in 1996 (there's a form nailed to one of the joists!) and is a bit tatty. I was thinking rather than insulating the floor I could insulate the roof between the rafters. Is having floor and roof insulation likely to cause an issue with condensation?
On the upside I am quite happy with the lights, it is just some LED tape plugged into an extension cable. I will be getting it wired into the mains when I get the chance. A huge improvement on the single fluorescent bulb and really cheap to install.
The insulation was installed in 1996 (there's a form nailed to one of the joists!) and is a bit tatty. I was thinking rather than insulating the floor I could insulate the roof between the rafters. Is having floor and roof insulation likely to cause an issue with condensation?
On the upside I am quite happy with the lights, it is just some LED tape plugged into an extension cable. I will be getting it wired into the mains when I get the chance. A huge improvement on the single fluorescent bulb and really cheap to install.
Edited by fiatpower on Friday 9th February 20:53
Your joints on your boards appear to be between the timbers. There could be a lack of support under the joint this way. Try standing with both feet on the joint and see if it flexes too much. If it does, best to lay your boards turned 90degs so that you don't get this problem. Also, mark on top of the boards where any cables are underneath, so you know which boards to lift if you need to access the cables in the future.
Edited by LeadFarmer on Thursday 8th February 22:29
LeadFarmer said:
Your joints on your boards appear to be between the timbers. There could be a lack of support under the joint this way. Best to lay your boards turned 90degs so that you don't get this problem.
Good point, I installed the timbers 90 degrees to the joists but completely missed that the boards should be 90 degrees to the timbers as well.As i'm going to pull up the boards to rotate them I will probably take the chance to fit some solid insulating board to insulate the roof space a bit better after doing some research tonight. Would it be better to fit to the ceiling joists (no gap between the insulation) or on top of the timber (15mm air gap). I will then attach the boards directly onto the insulation board.
https://www.diy.com/departments/jablite-insulation...
https://www.diy.com/departments/jablite-insulation...
Im not entirely sure if its a good or a bad thing to insulate the floor and ceiling in a loft. I would advise to try and maintain some airflow, if there are gaps around the edge of your loft where the floor meets the angled roof then id leave these unblocked for air circulation.
I guess insulting just the floor will keep the bedrooms underneath warmer, but the loft will be cold. Insulating just the loft roof will make the loft warmer, but to do this it means heat that would remain in the bedrooms will continue upwards into the loft.
I guess insulting just the floor will keep the bedrooms underneath warmer, but the loft will be cold. Insulating just the loft roof will make the loft warmer, but to do this it means heat that would remain in the bedrooms will continue upwards into the loft.
Flibble said:
What lumen LED strips are they? I have a hard time visualising the different options without seeing them installed.
Can't see the lumen rating on the advert. I ordered these ones off amazon, they do need a power supply as it doesn't come with one.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WQFP3AO/ref...
fiatpower said:
Can't see the lumen rating on the advert. I ordered these ones off amazon, they do need a power supply as it doesn't come with one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WQFP3AO/ref...
That's £10 for 10 metres? Wow, bargain!https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WQFP3AO/ref...
Looking at the specs those are 24W per roll, so probably 480 lumen/metre. Plenty of light from them it seems.
I've been looking at a similar project because we need more space, having spoken to various more knowledgeable people I believe that the way forward is to fit the insulation for the roof using Celotex insulation which you can cut very easily and put between the rafters, then use lined plasterboard which you can screw to the rafters, might be also a good idea to put some insulation under the floorboards which will also provide some sound-proofing before you have screwed them down.
We have got to be careful to ensure the existing loft floor is actually strong enough before we start putting the boards down but that's another problem to overcome!
Might also be a good idea to look into fitting a rear facing Velux window which can be used as a escape route should there be a fire in the loft.
BTW, those LED lights look fantastic, is something that I hadn't considered doing though we do have power and lighting up in the loft so shouldn't be too difficult to install.
We have got to be careful to ensure the existing loft floor is actually strong enough before we start putting the boards down but that's another problem to overcome!
Might also be a good idea to look into fitting a rear facing Velux window which can be used as a escape route should there be a fire in the loft.
BTW, those LED lights look fantastic, is something that I hadn't considered doing though we do have power and lighting up in the loft so shouldn't be too difficult to install.
Certainly given me some inspiration to pull my finger out and do the same to my loft - growing family = desperate need of more storage!
The previous owner got pretty trigger happy with the loft insulation, so it's pretty deep. Considering loft legs as i really don't want to squash the insulation down too much.
The previous owner got pretty trigger happy with the loft insulation, so it's pretty deep. Considering loft legs as i really don't want to squash the insulation down too much.
AllyBassman said:
Certainly given me some inspiration to pull my finger out and do the same to my loft - growing family = desperate need of more storage!
The previous owner got pretty trigger happy with the loft insulation, so it's pretty deep. Considering loft legs as i really don't want to squash the insulation down too much.
Quick tip, if you do decide to go with the loft legs, pre drill the allotted The previous owner got pretty trigger happy with the loft insulation, so it's pretty deep. Considering loft legs as i really don't want to squash the insulation down too much.
screw holes before taking them into the loft. It's save you a lot of time and effort.
gooner1 said:
Quick tip, if you do decide to go with the loft legs, pre drill the allotted
screw holes before taking them into the loft. It's save you a lot of time and effort.
I fitted the Toolstation loft legs and they didn't need pre-drilling (the plastic is quite soft), BUT perhaps driving the screws through the leg plastic would have saved some effort.screw holes before taking them into the loft. It's save you a lot of time and effort.
Managed to get half the roof boarded out tonight. Decided to continue with battening across the joists and then screwing the boards onto the batten. I have got some celotex which i'm just going to lay over the existing insulation to the sides of the boarding until I get the chance to install in the rafters.
I also changed the LED light set up so there is a single batten along the apex of the roof with about 7m of lighting strip rather than going around the rafters. Did take a picture but can't get it to upload properly! I've also got these lights installed in the garage along two joists which is where I got the idea to install in the loft as well.
That idea to put some smaller shelves in the rafters is a great one, think I will look into that for storing bedding.
I also changed the LED light set up so there is a single batten along the apex of the roof with about 7m of lighting strip rather than going around the rafters. Did take a picture but can't get it to upload properly! I've also got these lights installed in the garage along two joists which is where I got the idea to install in the loft as well.
That idea to put some smaller shelves in the rafters is a great one, think I will look into that for storing bedding.
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