Loft Boarding

One way we can all utilise our roof space is by laying down loft boarding. Creating a basic loft storage solution is very easy and quick and you certainly don’t need much in the way of DIY skills to do the job.

Loft boarding can be purchased very cheaply from DIY stores as either small panels or large (8’x2’) chipboard sheets. The panels are more convenient to work with as they are smaller and easier to manage though will work out a little more expensive than the larger sheets. Whichever material you decide to work with the cost of boarding your loft should be less than Ł100.

And, the only other items you will need are wood screws, a saw and screwdriver.

The first thing to determine is the area of your roof space to see how many sheets you will need. Measure the depth and length and then multiply to work out the area. If you are laying the loft boarding simply to provide secure storage then it may be wise to just board the middle without trying to reach the awkward area under the eaves – you won’t lose much space and the job will be completed much faster.

Before laying the boarding the joists can be raised, levelled and strengthened by laying timber battens across them (minimum 2”x1”). This also a good idea if you have electrical cables running on the top of the joists.

If you aren’t adding some strengthening (i.e., you will only be using the loft for very light storage) ensure you have an electrician re-route the wiring – don’t be tempted to cut into the joists to ‘bury’ the wiring, this will weaken the joists too much.

Once the extra joists have been added simply butt the loft boarding against each other making sure they join in the middle of a joist, and then fix with a 1.5” to 3” screw. If using longer screws make sure they are not so long that they will go through the timber and into the ceiling!

By the way, don’t nail the loft boarding down. Using screws enables the boards to be easily taken up at a later date if necessary and hammering nails in the loft could cause a plaster shower in the rooms below!

When working in the loft do take care not to step off a joist and wear suitable clothing. Goggles, hat, mask and gloves are important and make sure your arms are covered. The fibres on the loft insulation are horrendously irritating if they make contact with your skin and, of course, the mask is essential so that you don’t inhale any of the dust which will envelope you as you work.

When screwing the boards to the joists take extra care to avoid electrical wiring. Each board will probably only require two screws to be made secure.

Simply using loft boarding in this manner will not require planning permission or building regulations approval but if going any further, fitting a roof light for example, then contact your council’s building control service to confirm you do not have no make a building regulations application.

Related Articles

Boarding A Loft With Chipboard

Cutting A Loft Board Access Hole

Lowering The Ceiling

Loft Flooring

Or

Click here to return to the home page

Click here to return to the top of this loft boarding page

Have A Great Story About This Topic?

Do you have a great story about this? Share it!

Enter Your Title

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Upload A Picture (optional) [ ? ]

Add Picture Caption (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)