How To Fit Loft Floor Panels

A loft can be a cramped and dusty environment to work in therefore gloves and a face mask are also advisable.

How to fit loft floor panels.

Your sub floor joists should be at 400mm centres meaning the edge of the boards always falls on a joist too. Loft boards and loft panels are a great basis for a loft conversion whether it ll be inhabited and used a bedroom for example or whether it ll be uninhabited and used for storage. Step by step putting down boards to convert your loft into a usable storage space is a simple task which does not normally require any planning permission and should be affordable and manageable even for a diy beginner. 320mm wide non moisture proof loft flooring panels allow easy insertion through a loft hatch.

Unlike plywood the edges of chipboard panels are meant to lock together in a tongue and groove style. This makes for a tighter fit across the floor. Floor level is lower at the loft entrance compared to the storage area. The best solution is to build a raised loft floor above the insulation details of which are shown below.

Below is an image of a loft entrance. Pir foam board kingspan insulation has been installed around the loft entrance. This is 5 times more than a loft used for storage on loft boards or loft panels. Furthermore squashing insulation down to fit joist height is a bad idea as this halves it s effectiveness doubling your heat loss.

You can still board directly on to the joists if you want but it is worth noting that this would not. A floor in a loft conversion must be designed to carry a minimum of 150kg per square m. Despite this tight fit however the chipboard. Creating greater load bearing capacity in the loft.

As above where for loft flooring or loft storage the ceiling or loft floor is designed to carry only 25kg per square metre. Continue to lay chipboard flooring across the joists for the rest of the floor ensuring the joints along the 600mm edges are staggered always avoid joining on the same joist wherever possible. This ensures easy loft access. Other areas of this loft use space blanket.