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Posted by HeyBub on December 12, 2006, 4:16 pm
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>> attics used to be built wit 25 lb per sq ft loading, so boxes of
>> clothes ok, your entire national geographic collection, mmm, mebee
>> mebee not, used engine blocks, no way
>
> My brother had an entire Model A Ford stored in his attic, engine
> included. Of course, it was only a small one.
You don't need a large attic for a Model T. Especially if it was
disassembled.
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Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on December 12, 2006, 3:50 pm
>
> 1. If I want to deck the rest of the attic for storage, is 3/4" particle
> board the way to go?
> 2. How can I know the attic will support the extra weight of the decking
> plus the boxes/etc. to be stored on top of it?
Regular joists or trusses? Size? Regular joists can take more weight than
a truss that is designed to take the roof weight, but not floor weight.
If joists, then particle board, plywood, other cheap material is OK. Just a
couple of nails to keep it from moving is OK.
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Posted by Razor on December 12, 2006, 5:41 pm
>
>
>>
>> 1. If I want to deck the rest of the attic for storage, is 3/4" particle
>> board the way to go?
>> 2. How can I know the attic will support the extra weight of the decking
>> plus the boxes/etc. to be stored on top of it?
>
> Regular joists or trusses? Size? Regular joists can take more weight
> than a truss that is designed to take the roof weight, but not floor
> weight.
>
> If joists, then particle board, plywood, other cheap material is OK. Just
> a couple of nails to keep it from moving is OK.
>
>
What is the difference in a regular joist and a truss?
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Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on December 12, 2006, 10:27 pm
>
> What is the difference in a regular joist and a truss?
Older houses used joist for both the floors and the attic. Floor joists
are usually 2 x 8, 2 x 10, etc, that run across the room to support the
floor.
A truss is usually made from 2 x 4s, in a triangular unit of both the roof
support and ceiling support for the room below it. . It will have cross
bracing and a sort of web design. Very strong, they can support a lot of
weight from a roof, but are not designed to be used as a floor. Couple of
boxes of curtains, OK, but not for real hefty storage, like you gold bar
collection.
See a truss here http://www.cwc.ca/products/trusses/gable_system.php
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Posted by on December 12, 2006, 6:39 pm
> Hello everyone,
>
> I just moved into a relatively new (4 years old) townhome. The attic has a
> small area (about 15 sq ft) that has been decked over the joists with 3/4"
> particle board for extra storage.
>
> I have several questions:
>
> 1. If I want to deck the rest of the attic for storage, is 3/4" particle
> board the way to go?
> 2. How can I know the attic will support the extra weight of the decking
> plus the boxes/etc. to be stored on top of it?
>
> Thanks
No, it isn't for storage- it is to give a place to get in and out of the
access hole without stepping through the ceiling. 15 Sq. Feet is 3x5, not
counting the access hole. 3/4 particle board is lousy decking material.
Heavy, fractures with no warning, soaks up water like a sponge, etc. Builder
used that because they had scraps laying around. Use 1x pine or 1/2"
plywood- the cheap stuff is often on sale. You'll probably need to rip into
18" or 24" strips to get it up the access hole. Don't nail it down hard- 4
or 6 roofing nails per board is plenty, and makes it easier to pull up when,
not if, you need to get to wiring underneath. <Always> put the decking
joints over a joist. Forget about decking if you have insulation higher than
the joists- it'll cost you big time on your heat bill, from compressed
insulation. Forget about decking if the joists are smaller than 2x8- you
will get nail pops and cracks on the ceiling below, from flexing. If you
have trusses (attic looks like a forest, with lots of vertical members in a
row), forget about more than a stripe down the middle to store empty boxes
and Christmas decorations, and similar basically weightless stuff. Truss
attics are not rated for heavy storage. They might hold, they might not, and
no way to tell without an engineering survey.
aem sends....
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