Unfinished Attic Joist
If the attic were designed as living space those ceiling joists would become floor joists and be much bigger.
Unfinished attic joist. Attic flooring panels are easy to install with their interlocking edges. Depending on your plan you may want to also add room dividers or supplementary knee walls to your attic. The only storage system designed specifically for the unfinished areas over a garage or under a roof. If the air distribution is in the attic space then consider insulating the rafters to move the distribution into the conditioned space.
If the attic joists are not adequate one way to strengthen the floor for live loads is to sister the old joists. Standard joist spacing for the installation of attic flooring materials is 16 inches on center oc meaning the distance from the center of one joist to the center of the next joist is 16 inches. These lightweight easy to manage panels can be installed by even the most inexperienced homeowner in about 15 minutes. 1a attic access door.
That s a big size and strength difference between the two types of attic joists even if the joist spacing is the same. In finished attic rooms with or without dormer insulate 2a between the. Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist. Ceiling joists are typically 2 8 lumber floor joists are usually 2 10 or 2x 12 lumber.
A single 4 pack covers approximately 10 sq. The safest way to move around an unfinished attic is to create a catwalk or walking platform by attaching some 1x6 or 1x8 boards or strips of 3 4 plywood to the joists with screws don t use nails because the hammering might disturb the drywall or plaster ceiling below. Most attics will need a sub floor to be laid that you can build on top of. In unfinished attic spaces insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below.