How To Floor An Attic Plywood

An attic can be floored with 1 2 cdx plywood if it is being used only for storage.

How to floor an attic plywood. 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. Don t use 7 16 osb as it is intended for external sheathing and isn t strong enough to be used as a floor. The previous homeowner may have simply covered the joists with plywood to use the space for storage. Full the spaces between the frame members with insulation.

The plywood should be perpendicular to the joists so that a signal sheet spans multiple. Screw the frame to the joists to secure it in place making sure not to screw into electrical wires. 1 x 6 3 spruce is a step up from pallet quality wood but makes a fine usable floor in an unfinished attic space. However the same can t be said if you are planning on using the space as a living space.

Attics with existing flooring. 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. Build a frame on 16 centers perpendicular to the attic floor joists. Carry a piece of plywood to one of the far corners of the attic and lay it on top of the installed boards.

The thinner plywood is acceptable when the joist spacing is 16 inches. 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. As an alternative 3 4 osb can be used. In that case you will need to use 3 4 thick plywood.

You ll have to construct a wooden frame or sub floor with boards 16 inches apart to provide extra support for the floor. Rip 1 2 thick plywood to 24 widths so it will fit up the attic stairs. Another option is to skip the plywood flooring altogether and use dimensional lumber.