CONVERTING AN ATTIC INTO LIVING SPACE Accepted floor decking for a living space is typically ¾-inch tongue-and-groove subflooring, glued and screwed to the joists.
How thick should be the flooring in the attic?
You need 3/4-inch plywood. The thinner plywood is acceptable when the joist spacing is 16 inches. 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.
How thick does my subfloor need to be?
The minimum thickness of plywood for subflooring is about 5/8 inch. Since it does not hold fasteners as well as plywood, OSB must be a little thicker, or at least 23/32 inch. There are several factors that determine what subfloor thickness is optimal for added benefits like insulation.
Which plywood is best for attic floor?
An attic can be floored with 1/2″ CDX plywood, if it is being used only for storage. However, the same can’t be said if you are planning on using the space as a living space. In that case, you will need to use 3/4″ thick plywood. As an alternative, 3/4” OSB can be used.
Can you put a floor in the attic?
That begs the question; can my attic support a floor? The answer, in most cases, is a definite yes. Even though it wasn’t put there, the joists supporting your ceiling are quite strong. Putting down flooring won’t stress them any more than the floors in your bedroom, kitchen, or bath.
How thick should OSB for attic floor?
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 ½-inch plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) in 4-foot-by-8-foot panels over existing 16-inch OC joists.
Can I use 1/2 inch plywood for a subfloor?
A plywood subfloor generally uses 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch-thick sheets of plywood that have one rough side (which faces down) and one smooth side, which faces up. The sheets are generally 4 x 8 or 4 x 12 feet in size.
How do I build a subfloor in my attic?
Install the Subfloor
- Snap a chalk line on the center of each attic joist. …
- Lay the first plywood sheet on the attic joists along the longest side of the attic wall. …
- Drill 2 1/2-inch screws through the plywood and into the floor joists every 6 to 8 inches. …
- Lay the next sheet tightly beside the first sheet.
How much weight can attic joists support?
Attic Joists for Live Loads
In many cases, ceiling joists for dead loads are designed to carry 10 pounds per square foot (psf), as opposed to the 40 or greater psf that live-load joists must carry.
How much does it cost to put plywood in attic?
A contractor will charge $550, which includes labor and material, to lay a plywood floor in an area approximately 10-feet square. If you have basic carpentry skills and tools, you can do the job for $190, the cost of the plywood and screws.
Is OSB better than plywood?
Wood fiber is used more efficiently in osb. Osb is stronger than plywood in shear. Shear values, through its thickness, are about 2 times greater than plywood. This is one of the reasons osb is used for webs of wooden I-joists.
Can OSB be used as subfloor?
Most local codes allow OSB to be used for subflooring. It’s always best to check with your local permitting office before using OSB for your subfloor. One advantage that OSB has over plywood is its larger formatting. For plywood, 8-foot and 10-foot long sheets of plywood are standard.
How much does it cost to put a flooring down in an attic?
Cost to Finish an Attic Bedroom by Project
| Project | Range (All-In) | Average Cost (All-In) |
|---|---|---|
| Floors | $200 – $6,400 | $3,300 |
| Windows | $200 – $10,000 | $5,100 |
| Decoration | $500 – $10,000 | $5,250 |
| Floor Joists | $1,000 – $10,000 | $5,500 |
How much value does a finished attic add to a house?
According to the “Remodeling Impact Report” from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, the national median cost of an attic bedroom remodel is $75,000, and you’ll recover 53% of that cost at resale.
Can I turn my attic into living space?
When converting an attic to a living space, it must meet the same building requirements as the other rooms in your home. To meet most building codes your attic should: Have at least 7 feet of vertical clearance in the majority of the room, be a minimum of 7 feet wide and have at least 70 square feet of space available.
How do you install attic flooring?
Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: First going to be starting out to lay down the flooring we can't put it on top of the wires what we're gonna be doing is cutting little notches in the top of the beams to lay the wires down flat.
Can you use plywood as flooring?
As a finished flooring
(And yes, you can have plywood flooring over a plywood subfloor.) You can cut plywood into planks or special shapes and lay them in whatever pattern you prefer. Some plywood flooring designs even mimic traditional wood parquet floors or mosaics.
How thick should loft insulation be?
between 250mm and 270mm
Current government recommendations are for loft insulation to achieve a depth of between 250mm and 270mm but some new properties are increasing their level of loft insulation to 300mm. Again, as long as the loft has adequate ventilation, this is fine.
