Loft
Conversion
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Tongued and grooved 18mm-thick chipboard
loft flooring is available in 1220mm (4ft) lengths and several different
widths. It is easy to pass up through a small loft hatch and each board is long
enough to cover three joists at 16in centres. A typical pack of three with
widths of 330mm (13in) would cover an area of
1 x 1.2m.
Before you start, calculate the
number of boards you will need. Part lengths should be counted as full boards
because they must span at least two joists.
If your joists are spaced
differently or unevenly, you must cut your lengths to suit: lay the boards with
their longer edges at right angles to the joists. The ends of the panels should
finish at the centres of the joists for full support and to give sufficient
material for fixing down with screws.
Step: 1 Before
laying, check that there are no junction boxes, cables or pipes that project
above the level of the joists that will become trapped by the new
floor.
If possible, re-route these items
away from the floor area or drill small holes in the joists to feed the wires
through.
Old nails or fixings that
project above the level of the joists should be removed.
Cut-outs in the joists reduce their strength and should be avoided
wherever possible. If necessary, you may have to make suitable cut-outs in the
flooring to cater for fixed obstacles that you cannot move.
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Step: 2 Work from one end of the loft and
progress across the width. The second row of boards should be staggered, so end
joints do not coincide. Where necessary, cut boards to length with a circular
saw or jigsaw, marking the exact lengths from the joist centres.
Cutting, especially with an electric power tool, is best done
elsewhere. This will avoid the hazard of breathing in the fine dust particles
circulating in the confined space of a loft, where ventilation is very
limited.
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Step: 3 The
boards should be fixed in place with 1½in x No.8 zinc plated screws.
Drill 4mm pilot holes in the boards and countersink so that screw heads are
flush with the boards or slightly recessed.
Make sure that the tongued
and grooved joints are well seated together before fixing panels to the joists.
If you need to persuade the joints between two boards to fit
together better, use a protective length of wood batten to spread the force of
hammer blows. Chipboard edges, in particular edge joints, will be damaged by
direct blows from a hammer.
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As you fix each floor panel,
mark it to show the run of any cable or pipes underneath - both for future
reference, and to prevent you from screwing into these items accidentally in
the future.
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