Using Plywood For Attic Floor

Stop using your attic for storage.

Using plywood for attic floor.

Cut the plywood into manageable strips about 10 inches wide to make the job easier. 1 x 6 3 spruce is a step up from pallet quality wood but makes a fine usable floor in an unfinished attic space. According to the us department of energy your home s attic should have an r 38 insulation valued for homes in the southern part of the. A single 4 pack covers approximately 10 sq.

But there s no real reason to use plywood thinner than 3 4 inch. The decision regarding the thickness of plywood to use for the subfloor in the attic has a lot to do with how you intend to use the attic and it also depends on the spacing of the ceiling joists. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. It s possible to use other materials but plywood or particleboard on sale is likely to be less expensive than other wood materials or products.

Even before you start working on your attic flooring ideas check to see whether the ceiling will be able to handle the weight of the new floor along with storage and people walking around. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. More product details close. Before putting the flooring in take a look at your insulation.

To make the job easier use a circular saw to cut the plywood sheet first into 2 2 8 strips which will be much easier to handle. Heat rises so the insulation in your attic is the most important part of your home s insulation. The cost savings is insignificant compared to the extra support offered by the thicker material. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or.

Determine limitations of what finish materials you can use for plywood subfloors. Attic flooring panels are easy to install with their interlocking edges. But you know i would rather see you just sort of map out the area in the center of the attic that you re going to use for storage and fill up the rest with insulation because that. Here are the steps to consider when flooring an attic.

Installing plywood for example will create a smooth floor to lay carpet in the future. Another option is to skip the plywood flooring altogether and use dimensional lumber. It might seem impossible to haul it up to the attic. These lightweight easy to manage panels can be installed by even the most inexperienced homeowner in about 15 minutes.

Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. How to install plywood flooring in an attic.