Adding Ceiling Joists In The Attic

Use of joists in attic flooring covering the ceiling joists in the attic using plywood is a cheap way to make better use of the wasted space in your house.

Adding ceiling joists in the attic.

Often existing joist bays are filled with electrical and heating ducts that will need to be relocated. They must span at least three joists for stability. I m wondering if i could slip the needed support beam above the ceiling and hang the joists below the beam to keep the ceiling free of intrusions. The bedrooms are both on the back wall of the house at the gable end so a small hole would allow a beam to slide into the attic.

That s a big size and strength difference between the two types of attic joists even if the joist spacing is the same. Sistering installing new larger joists next to the existing ones is one way to bring your attic floor up to code. Adding a 2 x 4 along the bottom chord of the 2 x 6 ceiling floor joist maybe helpful in stiffening the joist as well. Precise measurement is the most difficult as you need to consider all underlying obstructions carefully before proceeding with your plans.

Illuminate dark corners of the attic using portable battery operated lanterns or clip on workshop lights. In the case of 2x6 joists you can pair them up with additional 2x6 joists by nailing them together side by side. If the attic were designed as living space those ceiling joists would become floor joists and be much bigger. Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist.

Positioning the new joist adjacent to the existing preserves precious ceiling but it does come with some potential complications. If you lose your balance you could crash through the ceiling. Assuming that the wood ceiling attic floor joists are sound i was thinking that instead of removing all the existing plaster a messy job while people are living in the house we could install new 5 8 thick drywall to form a new ceiling and thereby confine the old plaster. Use a piece of plywood or a couple of sturdy wide boards as a standing surface and move them around as you work.

Ceiling joists are typically 2 8 lumber floor joists are usually 2 10 or 2x 12 lumber. If the attic joists are not adequate one way to strengthen the floor for live loads is to sister the old joists. The subfloor installation is easy.