We're just about to move into a bungalow where the loft has been insulated to current recommendations but ther is no loft boarding. It looks as though the new insulation probably is on top of a previous layer and completely obscures the ceiling joists.

We will really need to board it our ASAP as we have a lot of stuff to store and for ease and speed I was considering using the Loft Legs sold by Wickes.

I'm a bit concerned however that the ends of the boards will obviously not be supported to the same extent they would if they were screwed down to a ceining joist.

Has any one used these and are they any good?

John.

We bought sheets of osb/sterling board, and cut each one into 4
We bought a load of 50mm×50mm (I think) unplaned wood, cut up to make rectangular frames the same size as the board
Screw the frames together (in the loft if you have to) screw the frames together, and screw boards on to of the frames.
Ok, so they sit on top of the insulation, as a sort of floating platform, but hasn't put too much weight on the ceiling.
Its worked for a good few years now! And minimal waste, ie no boards hanging over joists, or every one of them having to be shortened to fit. I think each 6m length of wood maybe had 30cm or so left over, but you could screw these to the joists to raise them in areas for the frames I suppose

The size of your frames/sheets depends on the loft hatch size obviously

[Edited on 3/3/14 by blakep82]

I boarded out my loft with these two months ago, they work very well, once screwed down are surprisingly rigid.

Your joists should be standard width, I also used the wickes T&G loft boards, when all screwed up it become very strong indeed. I did plan to glue the T&G boards but in the end there was no need.

It may not be the cheapest way, but it's very fast and you can tear the insulation around the loft legs and pack back tightly so no leakage.

Regards Mark

Wickes T&G boards here as well - bought one of those contoured drill bit/screwdriver combination things to go in my electric drill, which allowed me to fit them really easily. All the ones that didn't need sawing could be fixed in less than 5 minutes each.

They aren't super-rigid like you'd expect from flooring in the rest of the house, but they're more than solid enough for the loft. Heavy though! You get 5 or 6 in a pack, and each pack is a considerable weight, and you'll need quite a few to do a decent-sized loft.

UPDATE: Just looked at the Wickes site, and they now sell them in packs of 3 (ooer!) and each pack weighs 15Kg. I guess the weight is why they no longer sell them 5 or 6 per pack.

[Edited on 3/3/14 by David Jenkins]

Lie you. i didn'y fancy the 'ricketiness' of those legs, or having to screw each one in. I used lengths of 3x2 either laid along the existing rafters or at 90 degrees to them - pick the easiest way depending on which way the loft insulation has been laid. If you lay the 3x2 across the insulation just cut it with scissors to make a gap for the wood to lie. A whole length only needsa copule of screws to hold it steady then loft boards on top. I only boarded the central bit.

What's the coverage of the loft legs. It says a pack of 12 does 1 square metre. Surely that can't be right?

Just noticed that. Means it's going to be fairly expensive as I need around 6 square metres but then I guess adding additional timber joists would also be relatively costly.

See this website

legs link

Just wondering - wouldn't those loft legs concentrate the load in a few places, rather than being evenly spread across the roof timbers as it would be with boards?

New standards call for 270mm depth of insulation, most truss ceilings are made of 3" x 1" joists so you need the height.

Loft legs are good as you can cross the insulation easily making the insulation more efficient. They apply no more loading than if you laid wood across the joints, it's only the boards on top that are not as supported. They weigh less than a load of timber so it all balances out.

[Edited on 3/3/14 by mark chandler]

[Edited on 3/3/14 by mark chandler]