The best flooring for an attic by becky lower the right flooring can make your attic work as hard as the rest of the house.
Flooring for attic room.
To avoid overhead noise in the rooms below the attic it might be best to carpet the area.
Also if you do build a room or rooms in the attic one day the floor insulation will help soundproof the attic space.
Attic joists that are made from 2x8s may be acceptable for building your attic floor but because every room is variable there are no absolutes.
If you plan to finish the floor in the attic and turn the room into a living space however you should always use 3 4 inch plywood.
In many cases ceiling joists for dead loads are designed to carry 10 pounds per square foot.
Lay a plywood base first of 5 8 inch to 3 4 inch thick plywood.
For example if your attic is accessed through a hatchway or dropdown ladder you can install a few thin plywood panels across the joists or attic trusses within reach of the hatchway.
If you are just looking for extra storage space consider the minimalist approach of installing flooring in just part of the attic.
Thinner plywood can flex when you walk on it even with 16.
Adding a floor to an attic can increase storage space or create a new room.
You also need to ensure that the joist spacing is adequate.
1 x 6 3 spruce is a step up from pallet quality wood but makes a fine usable floor in an unfinished attic space.
First if you never build a room in the attic the insulation in the floor area will save energy costs.
Joist dimensions are only part of the equation.
Attics are great for storage but flooring directly over the attic floor joists doesn t provide room for the recommended 12 to 16 of attic insulation needed to keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Air from rooms below will not escape rapidly into the attic.
Add a good padding and then lay the carpet.
To solve this problem construct a raised platform from 2 4 or 2 6 lumber placed on edge add insulation between the.
If you don t need additional storage think of flooring an area less than the entire attic such as a small section around the attic door opening.
Partial attic flooring.