Make Sure Attic Is Sturdy Before Adding Laminate Floors

Strengthening attic joists for live loads by sistering.

Make sure attic is sturdy before adding laminate floors.

Before you start make sure that your floor is designed to hold the weight of a floor and stored items. If you have recently used laminate for your floors this material makes a beautiful veneer that can be applied over a piece of solid wood. Attics are a top pick when homeowners decide to gain some extra storage or add a guest room but not all attic flooring structures are up to the task of supporting the weight of a new living space. Sturdy flooring material can also make an excellent shelf.

Build a new floor base with this in mind. Before you start creating a floor for your attic you must make sure that it can handle the additional load. Boarding the attic floor will add to the structure s stability just as plywood does and give you a surface to store things on and walk on. The methods we ll cover make floors stiffer but not necessarily stronger.

Also make sure the floor is clean flat and smooth. This article will show you three better ways to take the bounce out of a floor. Then you ll need to build a grid like structure that can hold up the plywood flooring. Go into the attic to inspect how wiring is routed through joists or on top of them for example.

Adding a floor to an attic can increase storage space or create a new room. Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist. If your floors are bouncy and also noticeably sagging they probably are too weak. Don t add flooring until you review wiring and plumbing needs for the future.

When you use the laminate to create a shelf it s also a great way to create a cohesive matching look in your home. Even the best laminate flooring is susceptible to moisture damage and shouldn t be installed laundry rooms and rooms with sump pumps or floor drains. Laminate flooring in the kitchen is okay as long as you re diligent about cleaning up spills and splashes. You can stiffen the floor in just one room or in as many rooms as you like.

Not only will this minimize heat loss or gain in the attic but it will create a good sound deadening layer to muffle the sound of footsteps to the level below. If the attic joists are not adequate one way to strengthen the floor for live loads is to sister the old joists. Before installing laminate first prepare the subfloor. In the future you may want to construct a small apartment or master suite in the attic.

The ideal solution is to make sure the joist cavities below the attic floor sheathing are fully filled with bat fiberglass or blown in cellulose or styrofoam insulation.